The Benefits of Membership

1. Contract Protection: AFM contracts are free and available for union members. By filing a signed AFM contract at the Local, you have automatic protection should a purchaser default.
2. Legal Advice: Local 76-493 provides dispute resolution including mediation, small claims court and referrals to appropriate legal experts.
3. Referral Hotline Service: The union receives many leads per month for live music. Members get daily updates via email or by calling the local office. 2% work dues apply to referral jobs.
4. Pension Plan: The AFM-EP (Pension) Fund, one of the best in North America, is 100% employer funded and is available if you perform at qualifying workplaces or single engagements.
5. Health and Dental Insurance Plans: Group Health is available when new members join and every year in March for current members. Rates are based on your age. A comprehensive dental plan is open to members from month to month.
6. Instrument and Equipment Insurance: Coverage is available at competitive rates, ensuring that your gear (including computers) is insured wherever you are working, not just at home.
7. Legislative Advocacy: The AFM legislative office represents musicians’ issues in Washington, D.C. The local union works directly with city, county and state government to protect musicians’ rights and promote initiatives that help performers.
8. Local Wage Scales: Set by working musicians these minimum wages keep us working cooperatively and allow us to keep a fair rate for the musicians’ services.
9. Trade Shows: The local union hosts a booth at several regional wedding shows each year generating gigs for members.
10. Local and National Recording Contracts: The AFM negotiates minimum wages and working conditions for all media; CD’s, TV, Radio, NPR, Jingles, Films, Demos, Video Games, Digital Downloads, etc. Using union contracts guarantees your fair share, including pension, additional payments for new use, yearly profit-sharing payment (residuals) and protection.
11. RIMPF: The Recording Industries Music Performance Fund is used as a co-sponsor for live gigs that are free and open to the public. Our yearly allocation funds over $30,000.00 in musician wages. With the local union, the RIMPF strives to develop audiences, enrich the professional talent pool and ensure the health of the music business.

How to Join the Union

In 2009

$192.00 per year (or 10% discount of $172.80 in JANUARY ONLY). Regular dues are $48.00 per quarter.

Initiation Fees: $65.00 Federation + $20.00 Local
These are one-time-only fees which you pay upon joining

Waived Initiation Fees:
Initiation fees can be waived for new members if

1. Musicians are joining as a band at the same time as a musical unit (consisting of two or more musicians)
2. Musicians are bandmates of a current AFM member and the rest of the ensemble joins

Additionally there are work dues, (based on scale wages), payable at:

1. 2% on jobs booked through the Local's referral service
2. 3% on recording sessions
3. Similar varying rates on organized performance groups as defined by their Collective Bargaining Agreements

Talk to our office staff about the costs involved in becoming a member or receiving insurance or health benefits - we're here to help you and answer your questions. Our organizing team is also eager to hear your ideas and concerns as a working musician.

For more information feel free to call us at: (206) 441-7600, Mon-Thurs 9:00-5:00

Membership Application Form

The Musician's Bill of Rights

Whereas, musicians, in addition to being artists, are also human beings entitled to human rights, and workers entitled to workers' rights, therefore let it be self-evident that these rights shall for now and forever include:

1. The right to enjoy a minimum wage, whether derived from live performance, royalties, or reuse, that is sufficient to provide a standard of support proportional to the entire investment of time and resources required to secure and perform said gainful employment.
2. The right to safe and healthy working conditions including protection from health threatening theatrical devices, demeaning and exploitive costumes or uniforms, excessive sound pressure levels, substandard travel arrangements, ingestion of second hand tobacco smoke, irrelevant recorded music before performances and during intermissions and the right to reasonable rest periods.
3. The right to quality education, health care, legal protection and representation, housing, financial services, child care, unemployment benefits and retirement security, all of which must be affordable within the economic limits defined by the minimum wage.
4. The right to equal employment opportunities based on musical qualifications and/or entertainment value regardless of race, ethnic background, age, gender, religion, cultural diversity or political affiliations.
5. The right to negotiate fairly on one's own behalf with universal recognition and legal enforcement of resulting contracts on agreed terms.
6. The right to free speech as defined in the U. S. Constitution Bill of Rights and applied to all musical performances and/ or recordings.
7. The right to ownership of all intellectual property rights as applied to compositions, performances, and recordings by all players and singers as well as leaders and publishers who are already protected.
8. The right to bargain collectively.
9. The right to freedom from discrimination.
10. The right to respect from society, equal to that afforded all other workers and professionals are also entitled to the same rights in exchange for the respective contribution of time and materials to place their work in society.

What is "Minimum Wage"?

• Download 2009-2010 Wage Scale

Minimum wage from gainful employment must be sufficient to pay all necessary costs for life, shelter, and health care in the proportion of 100% for 40 hours weekly invested and directly proportional for fewer hours.

This investment of time includes, in addition to hours of actual live performance, those hours spent in practice, rehearsal, preparation, post-production and (when required by the employer) promotion of the event.

In absolutely no instance shall this total work investment be compensated for less than federally mandated minimum wages. Cash investment, including commissions to agents, managers, attorneys, and promoters, to secure musical employment, as well as all production costs associated with said employment, shall in every instance be over and above this minimum wage.

In those instances when the artist is at financial risk for a speculative project, including performances and/or recordings, that artist shall be guaranteed a portion of the profits realized (including all subsequent reuses) that is never less than directly proportional to the percentage of risk borne by the artist.

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Page Review...

• Benefits
• How to Join
• Bill of Rights
• What is "Minimum Wage"?