Pros and Cons of joining a Musicians Union?

[Billystrat]

I talked to a guy last night who used to be a touring musician and he was saying how much joining the Musicians Union saved him many times. Anyone have any Pros or Cons about joining this? Thanks.

[BlueStrat]

Bah. Utterly worthless, IMO. I was a member for 10 years, because back when I was a full time road band, you had to be. Every week, like clockwork, the little gray haired guy with the plaid pants and the corduroy jacket with the patches on the elbows (there's one in every town) would show up with his briefcase to collect job tax and trespassing fees for playing in someone else's local.

 

We got stiffed once- called the union. Sorry, they said, we're not a collection agency. You'll have to get a lawyer and sue to get paid. So what good were they? Well, they made sure the club would be blacklisted and wouldn't get any more union bands. Well, except for the union players who would play there anyway without filing contracts. Big whoop.

 

Need gigs? Sorry, we're not a booking agency. You'll have to hire your own. If we get any weddings or something come up, we'll call you. After we call the other 25 bands ahead of you on the list.

 

What I hated about them is that in my area, anyone with 15 bucks could join-the guy next door who plays a bad harmonica, my mom, who plays nothing-even my dog. There were no proficiency tests or experience requirements. You just had to be a warm body with some cash. And these people are the ones who vote in officers, who in turn set scale, usually based on what a guy who plays trombone in a swing combo would like to get paid on a Saturday night at the Elk's club. Last summer I did a MPTF (Musician's Performance Trust Fund) gig at a city park. the scale for the gig was $75/man. It took almost two and a half months to get paid (the checks are cut in NYC) and about 13 bucks was withheld for taxes and SSI. So I got 62 dollars. Yippee! Booking on my own, without the union, I could get gigs like that for 200+ a man.

 

So, to recap: My union didn't collect money for me when I got stiffed, didn't get me gigs, and didn't require anything of members to join. Scale is far below what I could get being non-union. But what they did do was take my money and tell me where I couldn't play.

 

Gee, I wonder why the union died?

 

To be fair, I realize in some cities the union is quite different, and among major live theater gigs, some Vegas and Atlantic City clubs, and places like NY and Nashville, the union might have a pretty decent benefit to belonging. But that wasn't my experience in playing 6 western states and 3 Canadian provinces.

[lowbasslowbass]

Thank you, BlueStrat, that was a very interesting post. Generally speaking, unions in Europe are as useless, too.

[danrothmusic]

...but you get health insurance!

[Premier202]

I gave up my membership in the AF of M a number of years ago after I received an invoice for work dues for a job we hadn't played yet. Not long after we played in Ottawa (Canada's capital!) as a duo over 200 times in two years and never saw a union rep or were asked to show a union card to an employer. The only one making money because of the union at that time was a guy named Petrillo.

If I worked in Vegas or the Tonight Show it might be worth it. Haven't played for union scale in over 30 years.

[ZigZagWanderer]

I'm not in the union, and I don't really know that much about ins-and-outs of membership, so I will defer to the others who have actual experience with it.

 

However, there have been a lot of threads lately on the Backstage forum about playing 'free gigs'...the basic theme was that bands who played for free or who undercut the going rate in a particular market (usually because they are amateurs with good day jobs) hurt the scene in the long run because their actions devalue live music. In my view, that is exactly the sort of situation that calls for some sort of union, i.e. some policing of the clubs to make sure that musicians are paid. I doubt the AFM would be able to do that, but something along those lines might emerge.

 

I don't know how much it has been studied, but I have heard arguments that the core reason live musicians can't make money like they used to is because the union has lost all of its leverage. The specific example I read about was a comparison of a Doors show at the Whiskey in '66 or '67 compared with another band 30 years later in the '90s--the point was that the Doors made $400 bucks that night in the mid '60s (in '60s dollars, no less) while the band in the '90s made something trivial like $50--and that the high pay scale in the '60s was because of the union.

[MDLMUSIC]

My union experiences pretty much mirror Bluestrat's. I was a member back in Pennsylvania, because many of the local clubs wouldn't hire you unless you belonged to the A F of M.

 

Got royally stiffed at a big venue in Harrisburg, and the union basically told us it was our problem.

 

When I moved to California, I never even bothered to look into it and I work now more than I ever did.

[daddymack]

 

My union experiences pretty much mirror Bluestrat's. I was a member back in Pennsylvania, because many of the local clubs wouldn't hire you unless you belonged to the A F of M. Got royally stiffed at a big venue in Harrisburg, and the union basically told us it was our problem. When I moved to California, I never even bothered to look into it and I work now more than I ever did.

 

 

 

When I was starting out in NYC (back when the electric guitar was still considered 'newfangled'), you could not play anywhere without a 'cabaret' card, which only the AFoM could issue...but, yea, MDL, out here...we always said 'huh, what union?';)

[Fernabulax]

Well, unlike Bluestrat, I've nothing nut good experiences with Houston local 65-699. First off, it cost a little over $100 to join. I play Europe once a year and got stiffed at a ski resort in Lenk, Switzerland - since I always use AFM contracts, no matter what gig and no matter the booker sends a contract, the local collected my fee - too over a year, but i got paid - I've collected from deadbeat bookers 3 times in the USA via my local. I also use their credit union for loans and free checking, etc. They replaced a silverface twin and small PA which got swiped at a load-out, thanks to the gear insurance I have with them. In Htown, most of the touring blues guys and divas are members, since we all tour overseas - you have to get a signed AFM contract from every gig you do if you want them to enforce.

 

Anyoo, I recommend joining - it's really worked out for me.

[daddymack]

It depends on the local, I guess, but most locals don't do much except occassionally wander into 'signatory clubs' and ask to see union cards. The union locals I am familiar with never did anything for the players unless they were card carrying in a 'signatory' club, and made sure they got paid scale.

[rhat]

 

I'm not in the union, and I don't really know that much about ins-and-outs of membership, so I will defer to the others who have actual experience with it. However, there have been a lot of threads lately on the Backstage forum about playing 'free gigs'...the basic theme was that bands who played for free or who undercut the going rate in a particular market (usually because they are amateurs with good day jobs) hurt the scene in the long run because their actions devalue live music. In my view, that is exactly the sort of situation that calls for some sort of union, i.e. some policing of the clubs to make sure that musicians are paid. I doubt the AFM would be able to do that, but something along those lines might emerge. I don't know how much it has been studied, but I have heard arguments that the core reason live musicians can't make money like they used to is because the union has lost all of its leverage. The specific example I read about was a comparison of a Doors show at the Whiskey in '66 or '67 compared with another band 30 years later in the '90s--the point was that the Doors made $400 bucks that night in the mid '60s (in '60s dollars, no less) while the band in the '90s made something trivial like $50--and that the high pay scale in the '60s was because of the union.

 

 

 

Hell that sucks for the doors in 60s dollars ,, we used to bang that much money out of a local high school for a prom or a spanish club dance in the 60s. great now i can add we made as much money as the doors to my line of {censored} lol.

 

Live bands made good money back in the 60s because they played good dance music and did it even as teen agers. ,, and no one would be caught dead having someone spinning records at any function. Live music was what people wanted and they were willing to pay for it. Today...people will be happy with a DJ. I can see why since the number of young teen bands that can roll out 3 hours worth of dance music is pretty slim. The music scene has gone original and bands dont have the material to cover a 3 or 4 set gig. They spend their time writing and recording just a few songs and do short sets on multiple band lineups.

 

Back in the day you might see an opening band and a head liner. The warm up band would kick things off with a hour and half and then the head liner would come on. Those were pretty big gigs... and the headliners were signed acts with radio hits. I think I played two gigs in 4 years where we opened for another band......at a normal local band venue. The unions were always after us to join ,,, we were too young for the bars so ,,, we never bothered with the union deal. rat