Tag Archives: American Federation of Musicians

Important AFM Update: CA Film & TV Tax Credit Expansion & Musician Jobs

AFM logoA Message from AFM International President Tino Gagliardi

For the past several months, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) has lobbied on behalf of musicians regarding Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2025-2026 Budget. For the first time, the AFM has taken a strong, proactive position to ensure we are heard in Sacramento. With thanks to Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA) President Stephanie O’Keefe and AFM local leaders up and down the state, we have been successful. Our union now has a seat at the table among the other arts and entertainment unions and guilds. Continue reading

Bargaining Kick-Off Rally at AMPTP Headquarters on Jan. 22 to Demand a Fair Share for Musicians

Los Angeles, CA — The countdown is on! On January 22, the AFM will enter the ring with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the powerful negotiating body representing major studios and networks.

Last summer, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA secured historic contracts after unprecedented strikes, marking a new era of worker solidarity and industry recognition for artist value. These victories ripple outwards, offering potent opportunities for us, the musicians, to leverage in our fight for fair compensation and working conditions. Continue reading

AFM Motion Picture/TV Film contract extended through November; musicians’ fight for streaming continues

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Negotiations between the AFM and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers began March 13. On the first morning of bargaining, musicians held a press conference calling on the film and TV studios to engage in fair contract negotiations and protect the future careers of professional musicians as the industry shifts to streaming and online distribution. The story was reported by several news outlets including Variety, Billboard, Deadline, and Digital Music News. Continue reading

Musicians Call on Film/TV Studios to Bargain Fair for Streaming Media

Studios’ refusal to provide New Media residuals threatens livelihood of musicians  

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 13, 2019) — Today members of the American Federation of Musicians, AFL-CIO, held a press conference calling on the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to engage in fair contract negotiations and protect the future careers of professional musicians as the industry shifts to streaming and online distribution (aka “new media”). Continue reading

A message from the AFM Local 47 Executive Board

A Message from AFM Local 47
To all members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 47:

Our contracts are the heart of our union. Whatever we achieve through collective action and collective bargaining is secured because management signs agreements. Our contracts allow us to make sure employers do what they are obligated to do. They raise the expectations of all musicians for pay, benefits, and professional treatment.

Recently, those contracts have been put at serious risk. Members of Local 47 are being asked to record music for major, well-funded projects without union contracts. If union contracts are made irrelevant by work done in the shadows, the floor for pay will drop for both union and non-union musicians. These employment practices are especially divisive and pernicious because they exert enormous pressure on individual union members.

We all know what it is like to wonder where your next call is going to come from or how you are going to pay your bills. No single musician can stop the forces that undermine our profession, but as a union we have always been able to push back.

We believe that it is now necessary to take action together. We call upon the Federation and other AFM Locals to unite with our membership in defense of our union and our contracts. In the coming months we will be launching a campaign to uphold our contracts, to recapture work being done in the shadows and to ensure that musicians can earn a livable wage working in Los Angeles.

Our goals are:
1. To ensure fair pay, benefits, and professional treatment for musicians.
2. To protect our union’s ability to bargain, administer and uphold our contracts.
3. To bring more work under union agreements.

We, the Executive Board of AFM Local 47, are committed to building a stronger, more successful future together.

– AFM Local 47 Executive Board

Are you planning to attend the 2017 NAMM show?

namm_logoNAMM 2017 – Anaheim, California, January 19 – 22

Show your AFM pride and tell your AFM brothers and sisters who you are.

The International Musician will be at NAMM doing short AFM member testimonial videos for the afm.org website.

If you will be there and are interested in participating, please contact IM managing editor Cherie Yurco (cyurco@afm.org) to set up an appointment.

Thank you!

President John Acosta Elected to IEB

The new AFM International Executive Board members - including our own President John Acosta - being sworn in at the 100th Convention. (Photo: Bonnie Janofsky)

The new AFM International Executive Board members – including our own President John Acosta – being sworn in at the 100th Convention. (Photo: Bonnie Janofsky)

Exciting news to share from the American Federation of Musicians 100th Convention: Our own Local 47 President John Acosta has been elected to serve on the International Executive Board.

Running on the Team Unity slate, as a member of the IEB Acosta will act as a conduit to bring the concerns of our Los Angeles music community directly to our international leadership. Continue reading

Democracy Wins for ‘Veep’ Musicians

veepHit HBO series signs agreement with AFM Local 47

Democracy wins for the musicians of HBO’s Emmy-winning political satire “Veep,” who starting this season will be covered by an American Federation of Musicians agreement.

AFM Local 47 approached “Veep” producers in July following the show’s relocation from Maryland after being awarded $6.5 million in tax credits from the California Film Commission’s revamped film and TV tax incentive program. Continue reading

New Line Cinema signs AFM Basic Theatrical Motion Picture Agreement

Newlinecinema

Exciting announcement this week from the American Federation of Musicians:

New Line Productions, Inc. (New Line Cinema) has become the latest film studio to sign a contract with our union.

New Line Cinema signed onto AFM’s Basic Theatrical Motion Picture Agreement that sets wages, working conditions, healthcare and pension contributions for musicians working in film recording, sidelining and music preparation. The agreement also requires theatrical motion pictures produced by New Line Cinema in the United States or Canada to be scored in the United States or Canada.

The addition of New Line Cinema as a signatory to our Film Agreement will result in additional session work, health and pension benefits and residual payments for musicians employed in the scoring of motion picture soundtracks. This development is another positive step in our campaign to preserve and protect employment standards and to prevent the offshoring of sound recording work in the film industry.

– via afm.org