As a musician, you are a creative artist able to influence the moods and emotions of others. That makes you special. But, because music's unique qualities have made it a major industry, you are also vulnerable. People and companies everywhere use your product to sell theirs or otherwise utilize your work for their own profitable purposes. That means, as a full-time or part-time professional, you're vulnerable when it comes to being assured that you'll receive the wages, benefits and working conditions you deserve.

Thanks to nearly a century of hard work, sacrifice and determination, the American Federation of Musicians has achieved tremendous gains for professionals in every area of music making. Now, to stand tall as a true professional, you need the AFM. To remain strong, protect what has been achieved, and accomplish even more for all its members, the AFM needs you.

Taking It From The Top

It all began with a convention in Indianapolis in 1896 that gave birth to the AFM, the first artists' organization to demand, fight for, and win a better deal for its members.

Today, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, AFL-CIO, is the world's largest union of performing artists. It currently consists of over 270 local unions throughout the U.S. and Canada with a total membership numbering will over 125,000, and is recognized as a force in the industry that speaks with authority on behalf of professional musicians.

As the Beat Goes On, The Need Increases

For you, music is a joy, a job, a way of life. But to some, your talent merely represents a chance for them to make money. They are the exploiters. Unscrupulous managers, booking agents, producers and promoters, along with some equally unscrupulous club owners have sought to victimize young groups with "sky's the limit" promises or cash in on experienced players' struggles to maintain successful careers. Fortunately, such people are few in number, but the are a threat to everyone on the profession, and their activities are of particular concern to the American Federation of Musicians.

While our efforts even help nonunion musicians, the very fact that they remain outside the AFM makes the job that much more difficult. Today, as when the AFM began, the strongest weapon working musicians have is solidarity.

The AFM exists solely to benefit its members and unite its local unions into a single influential organization able to act effectively while encouraging good faith and enforcing fair dealing when and where our members work.

As a member, the AFM represents you in every field of musical activity. While our local unions negotiate minimum wage scales for local engagements and deal with most matters within their own geographical areas, at the international level the AFM bargains collectively for all members involved in recording, network broadcasting, TV videotape, educational or public TV, music videos, TV and theatrical motion pictures, commercials, cable and pay TV, non-theatrical and non-TV documentary and industrial films, and traveling theatrical productions

AFM membership is open to all professional musicians and vocalists in the United States and Canada.

What the AFM Does For You

Historically, performing artists have been at the hot-always-tender mercy of their own see-sawing profession. Like wandering minstrels of old, when they've done well, they've done very well. But, when they've been down, they've been out. For years this was a condition common to performers--until the American Federation of Musicians was formed to use musicians' collective strength to tip the balance of power more in our members' favor.

Wage Scales

The term "scale" means the minimum wage an AFM member must be paid. Scales and other working conditions vary for different types of jobs and in different local areas. They are based on the demand for musical services, the nature of the business, local conditions and related economic factors.

It's important to remember that scale represents the lowest amount of pay allowable for a particular job. it does not set a ceiling. Whatever additional wage you can obtain for your services--over and above the established scale--is limited only by what you can command. Many AFM members earn considerably more that scale. However, anyone accepting less undercuts every other professional musician and sells out the profession to the lowest bidder.

Contracts

Wages and conditions for must local or international engagements are evidenced by contracts with employers. Individual jobs are evidenced in most cases by specific contracts with purchasers. Such contracts are on AFM-prescribed forms and are filed with the local or international union office.

Initiation Fees and Dues

Local unions are supported by initiation fees and dues paid by members. A small initiation fee and per capita dues also are paid to the AFM to support its activities--AFM per capita dues remain among the lowest in organized labor.

Most of the dues collected by local unions are used for their own operations. Since locals vary greatly in size, initiation fees and dues vary accordingly.

Local unions may also receive work dues based on a percentage of scale earnings of members. A portion of work dues in the symphonic, electronic, and travel and touring fields also goes to the AFM. Such work dues enable the AFM to maintain it's low annual dues structure and ensure that those who gain most from membership pay their fair share, while temporarily unemployed members do not suffer undue financial hardship.

Special Payments Fund

This important program, established by the AFM, is administered by an independent trust company and financed by contributions from recording companies on the basis of the number of records (including CDs and tapes) sold each year.

This fund makes annual payments to all musicians who have participated in contracted recording sessions, in proportion to the number of sessions they've performed, with payments often adding up to significantly more than the musicians earned for the original session.

The Music Performance Fund (MPF)

The Music Performance Fund (MPF) is a non-profit, tax-exempt public service organization under section 501 (c) of the Internal Revenue Code. Headquartered in New York City, MPF is the world's largest sponsor of live, admission-free musical programs. Last year, MPF presented over 11,000 performances to the people of the United States and Canada. Millions of people in major U.S. and Canadian cities and villages enjoyed instrumental music of high quality without having to buy a ticket or belong to an organization in order to gain admittance.

The Fund was established in 1948 by the recording companies of North America and the American Federation of Musicians as part of their collective bargaining agreement. A small royalty on the sale of some recorded music is contributed to the Fund by signatory recording companies, and these funds are supplemented by co-sponsoring organizations. There is never an admission charge for MPF performances, and its performances cannot be used to raise money, sell merchandise, or promote political or religious events.

Residual Payments

With the advent of such recorded products as TV programs, movies and jingles, the AFM pioneered the concept of "residual" payments for reuses of those products. Today, the concept of residual payments has become a cornerstone of many key international AFM contracts. Under the provision of these contracts musicians are compensated in extra measure for repeated use of the product.

The AFM-EP Fund

Established in 1958, the AFM-EP (Employers Pension) Fund, covers work in broadcasting, recording, motion pictures and all other areas where the international negotiates the contracts. This fund is now expanding to include work in local jurisdictions. Employers make contributions to the EP Fund, which is administered by a joint industry/AFM board of trustees.

Booking Agents

For the protection of our members, the AFM has for many years examined the qualifications and reputations of booking agents, and established standards of performance for signatory representatives who operate in positions of trust and confidence for AFM members.

The Booking Agent Agreement sets forth commissions that agents may collect from members for securing employment. Commissions range from 15% to 20% depending on the duration of the employment secured for a musician, provided the musician's net pay after commissions is never below scale. Other provision of the agreement are designed to protect musicians against double dealing and other unscrupulous activities.

The International Musician

The International Musician is the official journal of the AFM. Published monthly and sent to all members, this informative newspaper carries articles of current interest to professional musicians, as well as audition notices and help wanted ads.

Claims on Defaults

In the event a purchaser defaults on payment to musicians for a contracted engagement, the AFM attempts to collect on behalf of its members.

Additional Services

The AFM constantly strives to improve member services wherever opportunities exist. Examples of such programs and activities include:

    •  A reduced-fee MasterCard, low-cost home mortgages, prescription medicine plan and savings on rental cars and hotels.

    •  Voluntary Insurance programs ranging from life and health to instrument and equipment coverage at special group rates.

    •  Codes of ethics established for school and community musicians and musical groups (in cooperation with the Music Educators National Conference, American Association of School Administrators, and the Association of Concert Bands, Inc.) to protect the employment opportunities of professional musicians.

    •  Legislative representation aimed at correcting laws that unjustly penalize performing artists.

Summing Up And Looking Ahead

As professional musicians, we are part of an industry that has been as fast growing as it is quick to change. But, despite the growth and changes, the AFM's job as guardian of the interest of professional musicians is to keep up with each new development and even anticipate changes whenever possible in order to protect the interests of professional musicians--because in the final analysis, it is the musicians who make the music that this industry is built upon.

Like the industry, the AFM is always changing. Its policies and programs will move in new directions dictated by its members. As a member. you determine the direction through your interests and involvement. Your membership card is your franchise to participate in the governing of your union...to keep it responsive to your needs and enable it to serve you better.