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.
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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.
January 11, 2026
Instrument manufacturer Conn-Selmer announced plans in January to shutter its historic manufacturing plant in Eastlake, Ohio. The decision, set to take effect in June, will displace approximately 150 skilled union workers and marks a devastating shift of production for tubas, sousaphones, and student French horns to China.
Conn-Selmer claims the consolidation is necessary to “improve competitiveness,” however the labor community sees it as a cold-blooded abandonment of the American workers who established the brand’s world-renowned legacy. Although professional French horn production is slated to move to Elkhart, Indiana, the bulk of the Eastlake operations is headed offshore.
United Automobile Workers (UAW), which represents the Eastlake employees, is currently in negotiations regarding the “tentative” decision. Union leaders have vowed to fight the closure, arguing that the loss of the last major US tuba-making facility is a moral failure that prioritizes executive profits over the future of an American institution.
AFM International President Tino Gagliardi, standing firm with the UAW, states, “This move is a betrayal of the union workers who built this brand’s reputation and the musical community that relies on American-made craftsmanship.”