Introduction
The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) labor union comprises proficient instrumental music artists in Canada and the United States. The union was created in 1896 as the reformed National League of Musicians and its headquarters are based in New York City. President Raymond Hair Junior is the current leader of AFM (The Film Music Institute). The organization is the largest music union globally representing professional musicians. The member’s main activities include negotiating fair agreements, protecting ownership of music, securing such benefits as pension and health care, as well as lobbying legislators.
Occupations Represented
In the United States, the union is registered as the American Federation of Musicians while in Canada, the union is titled the Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM). AFM is associated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the U.S.’s largest federal union (AFM). The company is also part of the Canadian Labor Congress, which is the Canadian federation of unions.
History
The AFM was created and registered by the American Federation of Labor in 1896. The registration facilitated music production by record companies in the early 1900s. However, the eruption of World War I significantly affected general unemployment globally affecting musicians. These artists created silent films, which displaced the conventional entertainment songs alongside a worsening economy that contributed to the loss of jobs (AFM).
Toward the end of the 1920s, various factors led to the closure of several recording companies. However, the end of the War also culminated in technological advancement that led to the diversification of music production and recording, which encouraged the continuation of the AFM. By 1927, the AFM was also encouraged to create and share new music with the public (AFM). Film firms also signed contracts with the AFM encouraging musicians to continue performing in orchestras, making films, and radio as the then existing media. The technological advancement also presented unique challenges for musicians, including competition from jukeboxes and phonorecords.
Regardless, the AFM continued advocating for the rights of musicians through strikes such as 1942 to 1944 go slow to push recording organizations to accept a royalty system that would benefit musicians (AFM). The strike entailed shutting down the United States music recording market for the stated time until victory. The unity advocated for the establishment of royalty with the recording industry to employ live music artists at live performances. The union created the Music Performance Trust Fund to sponsor free live concerts in U.S. and Canada. Afterward, various labor actions continued to improve the working conditions and standards of these artists leading to the growth of the music industry. Throughout the years, AFM played a significant role in creating order in chaos and harmonizing and uniting music professionals into a progressive body.
In the 21st century, the roles of AFM have not changed. The organization is active in preventing illegal downloading and copyrighting of music. The volume of music creates a possibility of sounds, melody, and composition details overlapping (AFM). The development and proliferation of technology have also facilitated the easy creation and sharing of music online. Thus, the union works toward protecting the copyrights of musicians from the voluminous music compositions in the industry.
Current Positions on Political and Business Issues
Membership classification was started in 2006 stipulating that a majority of the union’s members were regular people eligible to influence decisions through voting. Additionally, the team also consists of inactive members who share equal rights except for voting and holding office. As f 2019, the regular members were 60,345, which is about 83 percent of the full composition. Life members accounted for 15 percent, 11, 297 people, while inactive or youth members only made up 1% of the team, 880 people (AFM). Concerning leadership, Ray Hair is the global president after re-election by the delegates of AFM. Bruce Fife is the vice president; the secretary is Alan Willaert and the treasurer is Jay Blumenthal. AFM’s executive board comprises John Acosta from California, Tina Morrison from Spokane, Ed Malaga from Washington DC, Terryl Jares from Chicago, and Pomeroy Dave from Nashville (AFM). The team works in unity to advocate for the rights of music artists globally.
Organizing Activities and Advocacy
The activities of AFM are subject to individual country and company laws. The organization has created regulations for each group subset regulating musical activities and decision making such as voting. All organizational activities are closely affiliated with the protection of musicians’ rights, including advocacy for copyright protection to prevent plagiarism. The organization receives advocacy rights from the American Federation of Labor as its functions mainly involve protecting the rights of music artists in America and other parts of the globe (AFM). Besides, the union also has a leadership team as elaborated comprising the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and the executive board who perform advocacy functions involving team activities. Overall, the organization plays a significant role in advocating and protecting the rights of music artists contributing to industry growth over the years.
Works Cited
The Film Music Institute. Ray Hair Elected President of AFM at Vegas Convention. Web.
American Federation of Music (AFM). Web.