Last Month at the Local
Projects we worked on last month at the Local on behalf of our members.Welcome to the first edition of a new monthly column letting you know what is happening at the Local!
July was a busy month as we attended the AFM Southern Conference in New Orleans. Southern Conference is an annual 2-day event where representatives of all of the southeastern AFM Locals in the AFM (25 of them) meet to discuss issues of mutual concern. Southern Conference is also an opportunity for us to network with officers of other Locals and the AFM officers and staff. In addition to updates from AFM President Hair and AFM Secretary-Treasurer Folio, delegates were treated to a presentation on unionism and the history of Right-to-Work by AFM staff member Todd Jelen. Jelen has been giving this presentation to a number of orchestras across the country. Also noteworthy was the election of 655 Secretary-Treasurer Apana as the Conference's Vice President.
Some of the typical monthly activities at the Local include assisting the AFM and SAG-AFTRA Fund in researching for documentation that helps the Fund make sure musicians receive proper royalty distributions for digital performances. This past month we were looking for report forms for sessions for the artists Lu and Cristian Castro. We also assist the AFM in researching album jackets to make sure report forms were filed for sessions for signatory artists, this month for recent albums from Jamie Foxx and Leslie Grace.
We also assist musicians in getting paid for recording sessions they recently performed. This past month, we worked with the record labels to make sure musicians were paid for upcoming albums from Barry Gibb and Ludacris, and assisted musicians in making sure that they were covered under an AFM agreement for their performance at the Capitol Fourth. We are also researching whether former Florida Philharmonic Orchestra members are due any additional payment for the release of two of their albums on Spotify.
Every month we also field various questions in the office, such as, "how do I obtain an advisory letter for my visa application?", or "where do I need to update my address to make sure that the royalty funds, pension fund, etc. can reach me?" If you have a question for us, please give us a call!
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