The History of the AFM
In the mid-1800s musicians in the United States began exploring ways to improve their professional lives. They formed Mutual Aid Societies to provide members with loans, financial assistance during illness or extended unemployment and death benefits. In 1896, delegates from these organizations gathered at the invitation of American Federation of Labor (AFL) President Samuel Gompers to organize and charter a musicians trade union. A majority of the delegates voted to form the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), representing 3,000 musicians nationally. They resolved: That any musician who receives pay for his musical services, shall be considered a professional musician. Within its first ten years, the AFM expanded to serve both the US and Canada, organized 424 Locals, and represented 45,000 musicians throughout North America.
Early accomplishments of the union included setting the first scales for orchestras traveling with comic operas, musical comedies, and grand opera. Among the pressing issues was competition from both foreign musicians and off-duty military musicians.
A 1903 resolution was passed against foreign bands taking work from domestic bands. It was followed by a 1905 letter from the AFM petitioning President Theodore Roosevelt to protect American musicians by limiting the importation of musicians from outside Canada and the US.
In 1918, two important legislative measures—Prohibition and the 20% Cabaret tax to support the war effort—negatively impacted scores of musicians. Prohibition ended after 13 years, but the Cabaret Tax took its toll on the music industry for many years to come.
In the 1920s, new technologies challenged live music for the first time. The advent of recording and radio forever changed the landscape of musician employment. At AFM Conventions the union decried the use of canned music and forbid orchestra leaders from “advertising” their orchestras free of charge on radio.
In 1940, James Petrillo, a famous and pivotal figure in the union’s development, was elected AFM President. During his tenure, much legislation was passed by the US government that affected the strength of the union in bargaining for musicians. The Lea Act (repealed in 1980), limiting the AFM’s ability to negotiate collective bargaining agreements with radio broadcasters, was introduced in retaliation for strikes Petrillo called against radio broadcasters. Petrillo struggled to find ways to compensate the thousands of musicians who continued to lose work because of recording. As a result of his efforts, the AFM and the recording companies agreed to create the Recording and Transcription Funds (later the Music Performance Fund) which continues today to promote music appreciation and music education through sponsorship of free public performances throughout the US and Canada.
In 1944, the union had obtained its first written collective bargaining agreement with the motion picture industry. Through negotiations with the record industry, the first AFM pension (AFM Employers Pension Welfare Fund) was established.
During the 1960s the AFM organized its political lobbying efforts, creating the TEMPO political action committee. Among the hot issues of the day were government funding for music programs and repealing the 20% Cabaret Tax.
In 1955 the AFM formally asked Congress to subsidize the arts industry. The Federation cited its concern for preserving America’s cultural heritage and protecting the country’s less commercially viable styles—jazz, folk, and symphonic music.
The effort paid off in 1965 when President Johnson signed the Arts and Humanities Foundations bill, creating the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). At the 1966 AFM Convention, the initial $2 million in NEA appropriation was announced. Much of the subsequent growth in professional symphony orchestras in the US was a direct result of the NEA. Keeping the NEA strong has continued to be a focus of the Federation. In 2015, the NEA budget was $146 million.
In the 1990s, the progressive new Low Budget Film and Low Budget Phono agreements increased opportunities for musicians to work under union conditions. Brand new contracts covered growing multimedia technologies like CD-ROM, CD-I, and the Internet.
Even before 9/11, musicians were plagued by disparate airline policies regarding the transport of instruments. After years of lobbying, the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 658) was passed in 2013. It mandated uniform musical instrument policies and procedures for US airlines. Following three more years of negotiations and lobbying, details of the Department of Transportation rules for carriage of musical instruments were finally announced.
In the twenty-first century, the AFM continues to represent musicians on issues like piracy, payola, media consolidation, government support of the arts, airline restrictions on carrying instruments, and collective bargaining agreements with the major symphonies.