The AFM and the Twentieth Century

by Frank Amoss

President of AFM Local 7,
Orange County, CA

Those of us who have spent a lifetime engaged in the pursuit of success in the profession of live music have witnessed the advantages of the solidarity created by unionism. A century ago employment as a musician was as tenuous as that of an unskilled laborer. The performing instrumentalist had progressed only slightly from his/her medieval role as minstrel. Little respect or appreciation 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 organizations such as these provided an ideal setting for developing strength through unity. As early as l885, 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 land-sharks and managerial swordfishes of concert companies.” Flowery language aside, by l896 enough musicians subscribed to the philosophy of unification that The American Federation of Musicians was born.

One hundred years later we have seen the strength of this organization reach its peak and enter into a regression that has escalated in direct proportion to the development of the technological wizardry that provides today’s entertainment. Pitting our human resources against this wizardry has resulted in competing among ourselves for the live music opportunities that remain. Being replaced by tape is a a recurring threat, used to whittle away at the wages for which we are willing to perform. That is bad enough. What adds insult to injury is the villainy of fellow musicians who participate in the production of these tapes, no matter how inadequate the wages. Must we regress to the days of a century ago when the AFM was formed to combat the “swordfishes” before we recognize that if we don’t hang together we will hang individually?

There are signs that the value of solidarity is being rediscovered by today’s professional musicians. Some have become fed up with their colleagues who cooperate with contractors of musicians who offer musical services for ever decreasing wages. In a time when the value of musicians’ talents should be increasing, there are, once again, “unscrupulous landsharks” in our midst, lining their pockets as they take advantage of the players’ struggle to make a living. Tired of being caught up in the whirlpool of decline, some musicians are making the Union aware of when and where these travesties are occurring. They are using the Union by providing the needed information with which the process of unifying the musical ensemble can be employed. Local #7 wants to be used in this way and considers such information to be the fuel necessary to do the job for which the Union is intended.

Collective strength is not easy to develop. Length of employment is the most crucial factor. A one-night-stand is not conducive to developing a bargaining unit. The reference to this form of employment as “casual” categorizes it as less than controllable. The notes are played, unretrievable from the ether, the band packs up and, in the absence of a written agreement, there is no evidence that the work was ever performed. Such a scenario is to everyone’s advantage except the musicians’. No responsibility is assumed and the only benefit received is the musicians’ opportunity to participate in his/her lifelong love of making music. We would serve ourselves better by not being so willing to have this opportunity so easily exploited. We must represent ourselves better when approached by contractors and leaders with sub-standard offers of employment. The Union is your representative for dealing with such offers, just as it is for those covered by collective bargaining agreements.

It is the “every man for himself” aspect of the casual business that must be overcome. Until the individual, acting as an apostle of live music, acknowledges his/her responsibility to the preservation of our profession we will continue the regression to the point where a musician is perceived as a hobbyist, willing to accept crumbs for the opportunity to play his/her instrument.

In these times when, to most people, music is something that comes out of a speaker, every “live” musician shares the threat of extinction. It is up to us to gain some control of our own destiny by creating an awareness that musicians are professionals, capable of providing a valuable service in a professional manner. The American Federation of Musicians is the only organization that has a vested interest in preserving the status of the live music profession and its practitioners. The Union has been weakened by the subversion of its own members. Support of the Union can only strengthen our position when the time comes to bargain with a world seeking music that doesn’t come out of a box.

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