FAQ – AFM Fair Share For Musicians

Frequently Asked Questions

Most frequent questions and answers

What is AFM Fair Share for Musicians?

AFM Fair Share for Musicians is the campaign to organize musicians in preparation for negotiations of the AFM’s Basic Theatrical Motion Picture and Basic Television Motion Picture Agreements, which begin January 22, 2024.

We are the musicians of the AFM who record for motion pictures and television shows heard around the world. We are members of the American Federation of Musicians of the U.S. & Canada (AFM) working together to achieve a fair contract from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Who is the AMPTP?

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is the trade association responsible for negotiating virtually all industry-wide guild and union contracts, including those with American Federation of Musicians (AFM), Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 724 (LiUNA), Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Teamsters Local 399, and Writers Guild of America (WGA) among others.

What are we fighting for?

Many of the same things our fellow workers in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have been fighting for: Streaming residuals, AI protections, and sustainability. This is about ensuring that current and future generations can make a middle-class living doing this work. This includes fighting against the use of “yellow dog contracts” which companies often impose on composers to evade union coverage, incentivizing non-union work, and runaway production.

A new, younger and more diverse generation of world-class musicians on our scoring stages are struggling to make a living. AI issues threaten our futures alongside those of writers and actors as well. Musicians will demand a fair share and a fair deal when we sit down with the AMPTP.

Do we have any power?

Absolutely! We are stronger together. The power of a union comes from the rank-and-file membership. The more unified we are within the AFM, the more we can build solidarity with our sibling unions. For example, the power of the WGA is not because of their importance within the industry, but because they have worked hard on organizing. Their “captain” system that has been in place for 15+ years empowers their members to be unified in their messaging and actions. The more we are able to coordinate our actions together, the more powerful the impact will be.

What is the timeline for contract negotiations?

Our negotiations are coming up soon! They generally happen once every three years. While we cannot predict how these negotiations will go, our contracts are up in November, so we will be at the negotiating table before then. AFM President Tino Gagliardi, in consultation with our negotiating committee, will schedule dates with Carol Lombardini, the lead negotiator of the AMPTP.

How do the negotiations work?

The AFM will be represented by a caucus of AFM musicians, leaders, and staff — as many as we can get into the building, led by the negotiating committee. Basic negotiations take place “across the table” in a large room divided by a long table, with company representatives on one side, and musicians on the other. We will frequently retire to a large caucus room we can use to have discussions, make decisions together, and use as a home base. There will sometimes be smaller meetings between the negotiating committee and some AMPTP reps “in sidebar,” but the basic decision-making process happens democratically in our AFM caucus room.