Our Commitment to AFM Members

Our profession and our members are challenged in this decade like no other before it. AI poses an existential threat. Political leaders are cutting arts funding and turning a blind eye to arts and culture in their decision-making. Consumers expect our music to be free and experienced through ear buds. Regressive visa regulations restrict our right to work across our common border.

And then looking beyond our industry realities into the big picture: The disruption of the global geopolitical order and armed conflicts are creating tensions that are undermining the North American economy and, as a result, affecting the music industry; legislatures are re-wiring voting rights to block majority opinion; health care for all but the regularly employed (in the US, anyway) is beyond reach; politicians and judges are shrinking individual rights, not expanding them; and unions are becoming marginalized while billionaires and mega-corporations flim-flam the public into thinking that they are our friends.

It's up to us, if we want to change things for the better.

The members of the IEB were elected from different political camps in 2023, but because we all share the same vision of the future for our union, we've evolved into a team - the TeamProgress of 2026 - and with your permission and vote, we'd like to continue as that team into the next term. We've spent 1-½ years in a strategic planning process that looks forward to the next ten years.

Organize to Build Power

Underpinning it all is this very basic imperative:

Organize to build power to enable members to attain fairness in the labor market and justice in the political realm by building membership in touring, freelance, recording and local gig markets and developing power to achieve strong contracts.

TeamProgress' Commitments

• Organizing - We've laid in the foundation for a regional and national organizing structure to support locals.
• Freelance/indie/gig-worker musicians - Beef up the Freelance Services Department with meaningful programs.
• AFM branding - Beef up the Communications Department to increase continent-wide AFM presence.
• Clout in Congress and Parliament - Beef up government relations offices in the US and Canada.
• Leadership education - Deploy a genuinely comprehensive local union leadership training program.