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

[Scott Healy]

> Am I pay them $1000
> for the session?

Wow.. I used to be paid this in 1978 !!

Les



My point was that $1000 was substantially overscale for a session, at
least in NY, I don't know where you were playing in 1978! 

I was making twice that on this session because I had been requested by
the music producer and could get paid pretty much anything I wanted, I
was also doing a quick chart, leading the singers. Single scale would be
about 300 and change for a TV date, actually double that since I was the
leader, but with reruns which are 75% and 37.5% depending on the time a
grand would be about the figure that would buyout all this reuse and
incluce the 20% or so pension, h/w, not to mention payroll taxes, don't
forget that most legit sessions go through payroll and that's another 8%
or so. An independent 1099 contractor, ie. Joe Schmoe violinist, on a
buyout session would have to get $1000 or even more to include all this.

Obviously, HBO aint gonna pay no violinist no $1000 for some quick
session if they don't have to. They're gonna offer much less on a
buyout, and the player will get screwed. If I was a composer for the
show, or if suddenly Mr TV producer had said "Healy we need a string
quartet for the wedding scene", what could I do. Quit because they're
non-union? Right. A gig is a gig, people are going to work, and just try
to not get screwed too much. 

But the fact remains that the actor/singers were union, me and all
musicians on the show, including all licensed music, theme, and all
source music were not covered under any labor agreement.
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Les Hurdle [mailto:leshurdle101 at sbcglobal.net] 
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 10:15 AM
To: scotty at bluedogmusic.com; fmpro at nxport.com
Subject: Re: [Fmpro] AFM Union Threatens $50k Fines Against Composers
andother AFM Members for Seattle Recording


On Aug 18, 2006, at 5:48 AM, Scott Healy wrote:

> Am I pay them $1000
> for the session?

Wow.. I used to be paid this in 1978 !!

Les