Return to the NYC Office and Other Recent Events

July 1, 2021

Jay Blumenthal  -  AFM International Secretary-Treasurer

It’s been just over 15 months since the AFM New York City headquarters was first forced to close in order to comply with federal and state COVID-19 shutdown restrictions on March 19, 2020. While the office did reopen three months later (June 2020), it was for essential staff only, with strict COVID-19 procedures in place. Most staff continued to work remotely, however, some in the finance department came in so that arriving checks could be deposited and new checks to musicians could be cut and mailed. Also, mail arriving at the office needed to be sorted, reviewed, and managed so bills could be paid.

Before any staff returned to the premises, our office needed to be marked for social distancing and other COVID-related signage was displayed. Masks and COVID supplies were procured and made available for those staff members who were coming into the office.

Now that COVID-19 vaccines have become readily available, we decided it was time to bring remote staff members back to the office. As of June 14, AFM staff who were working remotely have returned to the NYC office. However, we remain closed to outside visitors until further notice.

Albany Organizing Victory

While this story will be covered at length in the August organizing issue of the IM, I wanted to acknowledge the bravery and unity of the musicians who were engaged for the HBO miniseries The Gilded Age, being filmed in Troy, New York. After learning that terms and conditions for this engagement were not as expected, the musicians informed the employer that they wished to be represented by the AFM. Shortly thereafter, the employer called a meeting and the musicians were summarily fired.

However, there was a happy ending when the musicians’ solidarity and our local affiliates (with help and guidance from the Federation) turned things around. HBO agreed that this work would be performed under an AFM contract, proving once again that “musicians standing together have the power!”

International Federation of Musicians (FIM)

The International Federation of Musicians (FIM) recently held its 22nd FIM Congress (via Zoom meetings). FIM is the international organization for musicians’ unions. There are approximately 70 members in 60 countries throughout the world. With the changing landscape of the music industry and the exponential growth of music streaming, the necessity of having a powerful voice that can speak to global concerns is essential. FIM is that voice.

The recent convening of FIM resulted in the passage of numerous proposals. Of particular note is the FIM Statement on Online Music that congress delegates adopted. It can be viewed in its entirety on the FIM website www.fim-musicians.org. It addresses the following topics:

1.Right to a fair remuneration

2.Scope of the right of making available on demand

3.Adaptation of remuneration schemes

4.Transparency and access to information

5.Value of music

6.User-centric model

7.Duration of reference for the count of plays

The 22nd FIM Congress concluded with the election of the FIM governing body. The presidium consists of the following persons: President John Smith (United Kingdom); Vice Presidents Ray Hair (United States), Edith Katiji (Zimbabwe), Anders Laursen (Denmark), Beat Santschi (Switzerland), and Horace Trubridge (United Kingdom). The new executive committee consists of the following countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Norway, Romania, Senegal, Sweden, and Uruguay.

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