I searched the forum for posts regarding musicians union and didn't find any which surprised me, since I thought that would have a lot of relevancy to careers in music. So I wondered if maybe unions aren't considered relevant to most musicians.
I had some questions regarding musicians unions such as the afm.
Are the benefits of joining a union only relevant to certain musicians. For example, musicians who work on broadway, or session musicians as a opposed to musicians who are in a working band?
If you are not a career musician (i.e. Your primary career is not in the music industry) are there still advantages to joining a union?
Are there any disadvantages to joining a union? For example are you subject to restrictions against working at non-union venues or with non-union musicians or working at below scale. I ask this, because if you are not a career musician this could be a big problem.
Also if you are a career musician is joining a union a big plus in people's opinion.
I'm sure answers to the above differ from country to country, and I'm mainly interested in the USA, but people from other countries may be interested too, so I'd like to hear from everyone who has something to say, just please indicate what country you are refering to.
I'm interested because although I'm not planning to change my career to music anytime in the future. The cost of joining a union seems so inexpensive that there would be no reason not to unless there were some disadvantages to it.
I see the union as serving two roles, as a labor union to negotiate fair wages and labor standards, and as a professional society, a way to connect with other professionals.
Even though my playing hasn't quite progressed to the level where someone would pay me to do it, I'm anticipating it will improve at some point, so this is more for future reference. Also I imagine others on the forum may be interested in the same things.
Also I'd like to hear any other comments people may have related to unions that I didn't specifically address.
Thanks, I look forward to hearing what people have to say.
Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it you play the guitar on the MTV
I don't know if this is still true, but if you belong to the musicians union, then you can't play a gig that doesn't follow the rules for pay-scale etc.
Often, young musicians join the union only as part of their first real business contract, which may require it.
But so long as you're playing the bar circuit, it's actually not a good idea.
This is probably 20 years out of date...
-Laz
Union membership is essential for certain career paths (jingle work, major classical orchestras, broadway orchestras, etc.). If you're not a card-carrying member, you can't work in those areas.
On the other hand, you may run into trouble if you play non-union venues, as Laz notes. How much trouble depends on how strong the local is.
There are some benefits to union membership... you'll be in the directory of your local. If 'mister first call' can't make the gig, and 'mister second call' can't either, a producer may call the local office for more names, so you can actually get some sideman work out of being a union member. (Don't count on it, though)
You know how much you're going to make. Minimum rates, called scale rates, are fixed by contract for periods of time. The minimum will vary by the type of work you're doing, and you'll get extras for stuff like working premium hours (say, after midnight), working on holidays, playing additional instruments (called doubles), having a recording you made for one use, like a radio commercial, being used for another medium, like TV (called an upgrade), or for a commercial being used for a longer period of time (called a reuse). Some of these, like upgrade and reuses, amount to getting paid for going to the mailbox.
Rates vary by type of work, and sometimes by budget. For recording sessions, for instance, there's a 'standard' scale, but lower rates are available to producers on limited budgets can issue contracts under 'low budget' or 'limited pressing' rules and pay less. Certain industry sectors have different agreements, so you'll make less on a public radio or TV station gig than you will on a commercial one.
Your gigs will be under contract, so they won't be cancelled at the last minute.
You get some money into a health account, and into a pension account. If you work enough, you can get health insurance through the union... if you don't work that much, you may be able to get some medical reimbursement from your health account at the local.
The downsides: it costs you some money. Initiation fees to start with, then annual dues will nick you for a couple hundred bucks. It may be a bit cheaper if you're under 21 or over 65. There are some procedures you'll need to follow on getting gigs under contract, or transferring to a different local if you move. Locals set their own rates -- only part of your dues will go to the AFM (the parent union) -- so how much it costs depends on where you live.
In the end, if you want to build a career in classical, jazz, or studio work, I'd join up right away. Otherwise, wait until you need to -- when you're going to be booked into a union venue, or going on a foreign tour.
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Thanks, Noteboat, that was a very thourough reply. That's exactly what I was interested in hearing. I think a lot of people on this forum will find that information helpful as well.
And that comfirms what Laz had to say still applies today.
Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it you play the guitar on the MTV
