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The Musicians' Union and the Music Business

By: Frank Amoss President, Local #7 AFM Orange County, California (Used By Permission)

The American Federation of Musicians has celebrated one hundred years of existence. Musicians who have spent a lifetime engaged in the pursuit of success in the music profession have witnessed the advantages of the solidarity created by unity. A century ago employment as a musician was as tenuous as that of an unskilled laborer. The conditions under which a performing instrumentalist labored had progressed only minimally from his/her medieval role as minstrel. Little respect was forthcoming from employers or audiences.

The development of our nation brought us to a point where the labor movement was born out of necessity. The Industrial Revolution created a need for workers to manufacture the wondrous inventions of the times. These workers were exploited shamelessly until the strength of their numbers was organized and used to bargain for the conditions of their own employment. When this principal of solidarity was seen to be effective in factories and shipyards it was turned to more artistic pursuits such as municipal bands, theater orchestras and symphonies. The collective nature of ensembles such as these provided an ideal setting for developing strength through standing together.

As early as 1885, unionization of musicians on a national level was advocated by Charles M. Currier, president of the Cincinnati Musicians' Protective Union. His announced goal was "the protection of musicians against dishonest, unscrupulous, impecunious operatic and theatrical landsharks and managerial swordfishes of concert companies." Flowery language aside, by 1896 enough musicians subscribed to the philosophy of unionism that the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) was born.

During the early and mid years of the twentieth century musicians enjoyed the benefits of the growth of the labor movement. Belonging to the AFM was a natural step into professionalism. Solidarity had removed musicians from the minimum wage category and provided them the opportunity to establish themselves as practitioners of the music "business", ready and able to provide a valuable service in a professional manner. The Musicians’ Union (AFM) provided a focal point around which it was possible to establish standards such as wage scales and lengths of performances. Membership in the AFM established a network of players which made it easier to locate and communicate with musicians of similar musical interests.

Consequently musicians were able to earn a living and to be recognized as a member of a respected profession. Musicians prospered during the times when every dining room had its musical ensemble, concerts in the park were a nightly event and the word "celebration" was synonymous with "band". The player of a musical instrument could choose what kind of music gave him/her the most pleasure or satisfaction and then pursue the opportunities that abounded. As long as the supply of professional musicians did not exceed the demand, the profession and the Union prospered.

The demand began to be whittled away by the invention of the phonograph by Thomas Edison. Who could have predicted that the development of this marvelous invention would advance to such a degree that it could produce sounds indistinguishable from those being created "live"? Mechanical reproduction was relatively harmless when the phonograph was used by the family as they gathered around to listen to recordings of the popular songs of the day. But, already those people were not venturing out to the concert in the park. As more and more musical requirements were filled by mechanical reproduction, the opportunities for musicians dwindled.

The recording industry was created, but the product created by the relative few was increasingly being used to replace a band or orchestra. How harmless the term "disc jockey" seemed in the 50's. The person who played the most popular records on the radio was not seen as the major competition to live music that would be created by the advancement of sound reproduction. But already, with the primitive equipment available, these DJ's, as radio personalities, were appearing at dances, spinning records in the place of live bands. It seemed, like most destructive forces, to be a passing fad. Most people, especially dancers, considered a band to be many times more desirable.

During its one hundred years of existence the American Federation of Musicians has seen itself emerge as a viable force in the live entertainment heyday before World War II and, since then, reluctantly enter into a regression that has escalated in direct proportion to the development of the technical wizardry that provides today's entertainment. Pitting themselves against this wizardry has resulted in musicians competing among each other for the remaining live music opportunities. The aforementioned law of supply and demand enters into the equation as musicians, being only human, abandon the principles of unionism as they are preyed upon by the "swordfishes" and "landsharks" whose business it is to exploit the insecurities of those engaged in a constantly shrinking profession.

The Musicians' Union, itself threatened with extinction as the "every man for himself' philosophy pervades the live music profession, has been concentrating on developing services which will have a more immediate value to musicians. Locals of the AFM are developing referral services through which incoming inquiries for musicians in response to advertisements are directed to members. Programs are developed whereby members are assisted with resumes and brochures. Group rates are negotiated for medical and dental insurance plans by which such benefits are made available and affordable to the individual member. The AFM Pension Fund is unequaled in any other union. A participant, at age 65, will receive a monthly payment of 49.68%, virtually one half of all contributions made on his/her behalf in a lifetime of making music.

In these times when most young musicians, like most young Americans, have never been exposed to the value of unionism and have heard only negative remarks about the labor movement it is a challenge to convince them to support, with their dollars and their convictions, the only organization dedicated to the preservation of the health of the live music profession. The Union is struggling to get the information to today's emerging players that they are being criminally misrepresented when they are led into a situation where they must "pay to play" for the opportunity to be exposed to the outside chance that they will be heard by someone who will lead them to success and stardom. That is exploitation with a capital X. The AFM has been involved with the recording industry since its inception and has devised contracts for every situation. Without such contracts the performing musicians are being compensated for their recording time while the royalties and residuals are being pocketed by the "swordfishes".

By its very name, the American Federation of Musicians proclaims to be what musicians best know how to be. That is a group working together toward the result that only togetherness can accomplish. Any musical ensemble works the same way. Be it a symphony orchestra or a jazz band, individualism must be sacrificed for the collective good. Anything less is chaos.

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