Now is the right time to become an American Federation of Musicians member. From ragtime to rap, from the early phonograph to today's digital recordings, the AFM has been there for its members. And now there are more benefits available to AFM members than ever before, including a multi-million dollar pension fund, excellent contract protection, instrument and travelers insurance, work referral programs and access to licensed booking agents to keep you working.

As an AFM member, you are part of a membership of more than 80,000 musicians. Experience has proven that collective activity on behalf of individuals with similar interests is the most effective way to achieve a goal. The AFM can negotiate agreements and administer contracts, procure valuable benefits and achieve legislative goals. A single musician has no such power.

The AFM has a proud history of managing change rather than being victimized by it. We find strength in adversity, and when the going gets tough, we get creative - all on your behalf.

Like the industry, the AFM is also changing and evolving, and its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member, you will determine these directions through your interest and involvement. Your membership card will be your key to participation in governing your union, keeping it responsive to your needs and enabling it to serve you better. To become a member now, visit www.afm.org/join.

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Tag Archives: US Press Freedom Tracker

International Musician, Recent News

Walmart Stops Sale of Controversial Ts

December 4, 2017 IM

Walmart has stopped selling a controversial T-shirt urging violence against journalists, which was available through its website, at the request of the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA).

The tee read: “Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.”

The T-shirts “simply inflame” the passions of people who don’t like or understand the media, explains RTDNA Executive Director Dan Shelley. “At worst, they openly encourage violence against journalists. We believe they are particularly inflammatory within the context of today’s vitriolic political and ideological environment.”

According to US Press Freedom Tracker, nearly three dozen journalists have been assaulted in 2017, while the Committee to Protect Journalists shows that at least 48 journalists have so far been killed in other countries this year.