[Fmpro] AFM Union Threatens $50k Fines Against Composers and other AFM Members for Seattle Recording

[Mark Northam]

Hi Mark -

Good points. Thing  is, when an A-List composer goes to London to record
with a big orchestra, that costs US AFM players far more in terms of lost
wages than when a lower-A-list or B-list composer records in Seattle. And
for what it's worth London, as well as Seattle, have their own fully
recognized musicians unions - the Seattle players broke away from the AFM
some years ago and formed their own union which now includes the Tucson
Symphony, the Seattle Symphony and others.

The AFM Bylaw prohibits AFM members from working on any non-AFM work,
whether it be in London or Seattle. So why doesn't the AFM apply their
bylaws equally to London and Seattle?  That's a question that NOBODY from
the AFM will touch...

So to me, this really isn't a matter of union vs. non-union, or "under the
table", it's a matter of different musicians unions who have different rules
- London and Seattle offer buyouts, the American Federation of Musicians
doesn't (in the US, that is - they do offer a low-budget buyout in Canada,
interestingly.). 

As composing is a non-unionized craft, I have to wonder whether composers
shouldn't be free to work with musicians from whatever union best serves the
business and creative parameters of a project. If you can go to Seattle or
Europe and get significantly more players for the same price and their
orchestra fits the need of the project, or if the production company says
"No AFM recording" on their composer contracts, as is happening now more and
more, and the composer either has to turn down the job or record non-AFM, it
seems that composers should have as many options open to them as possible to
create the best score under the business conditions laid down by the studio.


Best,

Mark Northam





On 8/17/06 7:32 AM, "Mark Henderson" <mark at dirtydogproductions.net> wrote:

> No doubt that the union is strong arming here, but a
> friend of mine  
who is a first call LA player (on a first name basis with
> John  
Williams and James Newton Howard) told me in May when I was visiting
> 
LA, that in the last two years, the under the table recording going  
on in
> Seattle was starting to impact the business in LA. The A-roster  
composers
> still work in LA or London, but a lot of small and middle  
size productions
> are doing non union in Seattle.


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Mark Northam - Publisher
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