Tag Archives: officer column

income from recording
Officer Columns, Vice President from Canada

Maximize Your Income from Recordings

Pour la version française cliquez ici.

I am pleased to report that the General Agreement for Commercial Announcements (Canada) has been ratified. While there have been some delays in editing, I expect printing and distribution to take place shortly. I would like to thank Local 149 (Toronto, ON) Executive Director Michael Murray, rank-and-file members Chris Tait, Jane Heath, and Nicola Treadgold of Local 149, as well as Director of Administration Susan Whitfield and Electronic Media Supervisor Dan Calabrese from the Canadian Office for their diligence, patience, and foresight. Without these folks, such an excellent result would not have been possible.

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hurricane relief
Officer Columns, Secretary-Treasurer

Hurricane Relief Extended to Hurricanes Florence and Michael

The AFM International Executive Board (IEB) has extended hurricane relief assistance to both Hurricanes Florence and Michael. If you were a member in good standing at the time of a loss as a result of a hurricane and continue to be a member in good standing, reside in a county FEMA has designated a major disaster area eligible for individual assistance, and incurred an uninsured loss as described in the Hurricane Relief Fund application, you may be eligible for assistance from the fund. Applications are available for download through the AFM website (AFM.org) under the Hurricane Relief “get help” link. After filling out an application, please follow the directions by submitting the application and all supporting documents to your local. If your local supports your application, they will forward the application and documents to the AFM for a determination. Any assistance will be made at the sole discretion of the AFM.

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streaming
Officer Columns, President's Message

Streaming: The Economy of Listening

Guest Column by Mike Huppe, President and CEO, SoundExchange

Below are excerpts from a keynote speech given by SoundExchange President and CEO Mike Huppe at the AFM-FIM International Streaming Conference held in Burbank, California, October 2-3. SoundExhange (www.soundexchange.com) is the world’s premier digital rights organization, and has distributed more than $5 billion to recording artists and rights owners.

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album
Officer Columns, Vice President from Canada

Is the Album Doomed?

Pour la version française cliquez ici.

In a recent article by Tim Ingham for Rolling Stone, some startling statistics pointed to further erosion of the music model of the past, as consumption patterns continue to swing further toward single tracks. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), album sales in the US for the first half of 2018 (including downloads, CDs, and vinyl) were down 25.8%, compared to a year earlier. If that trend holds for the full year, album sales will be half of what they were in 2015, or in terms of dollars, down by half a billion dollars compared to last year.

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Officer Columns, President's Message

Rallying in Support of Striking Lyric Opera Orchestra Musicians

Following is the text of a speech I gave October 12, in Chicago’s Daley Plaza in support of striking Lyric Opera Orchestra musicians.

Hello Sweet Home Chicago! It’s a privilege to be here with officers of our great affiliated Local 10-208, the Chicago Federation of Musicians, folks from the Chicago Federation of Labor, the Illinois State AFL-CIO, and of course, members of our Lyric Opera Orchestra.

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contract
Officer Columns, Vice President from Canada

Union Contracts Strengthen Our Union in the Digital World

Pour la version française cliquez ici.

A recent online Rolling Stone article (“Musicians Get Only 12% of the Money the Music Industry Makes,” by Amy X. Wang) suggests that total music spending in the US is at an all-time high, an estimated $43 billion annually. Of that, Wang claims, musicians receive approximately 12%—which is apparently up from 7% in 2000. This huge disparity is blamed on “value leakage,” or more specifically, money siphoned off by various entities who are involved between the recording process and the delivery of content to listeners.

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Officer Columns, President's Message

Theater Musicians Association—25 Years of Workplace Involvement

I’ll have the privilege of attending the 23rd conference of the Theater Musicians Association (TMA) on August 20, at Local 47’s new offices in Burbank, California. TMA is the newest AFM player conference. It began its journey 25 years ago, and is now comprised of chapters organized among locals that negotiate local agreements with theatrical venues and presenters that book Pamphlet B tours.

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Musicians Foundation
Officer Columns, Secretary-Treasurer

Musicians Foundation: Offering Support to Professional Musicians and Their Families for More than 100 Years

Founded in 1914, Musicians Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to musicians and their families in times of need, crisis, or transition.

Now, I hope I’ve gotten your attention because this is an organization that has been dedicated to supporting professional musicians for more than a century.

Musicians Foundation was incorporated by the New York Musicians Club The Bohemians. Members and supporters over the last century have included many distinguished artists and philanthropists such as Pablo Casals, Jascha Heifetz, Elkan Naumburg, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Arthur Rubinstein, Gustav Schirmer, Charles Steinway, Isaac Stern, and Arturo Toscanini. Legacy gifts have been an important resource of funds for Musicians Foundation aid grants.

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