The Recording Musicians Association held their biennial Conference over the two days of January 10-11 2025 in New York, hosted by the American Federation of Musicians in their offices in midtown Manhattan.

Our intention was to have an entirely in-person Conference, for which some of the Officers and Delegates were already in New York due to the AFM Videotape negotiations which concluded that week.

The in-person part did not go according to plan. By Tuesday, January 7, we began to hear news of fires breaking out in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, and within hours it became apparent that this was a major catastrophe, both for the Los Angeles area, and in particular for the hundreds of musicians who lived in those two areas. We created hybrid meetings so that Delegates and others could participate via Zoom, and moved ahead with the Conference.

The Conference provided a forum for reports and sharing. There were reports from our Officers, our Chapters and specific discussions focused on contracts. We were addressed by AFM President Tino Gagliardi, as well as the AFM’s key staff: Director of the EMSD John Painting, Director of Governmental Affairs Ben Kessler and Director of Organizing Gabe Kristal.

The Conference schedule was organized to allow for conversations to develop, and we were able to engage over a number of topics, including film/TV tax credits, the recording scene in Nashville and other cities, AFM enforcement of contracts, the new streaming residual and the recent success with the Live TV/Videotape Agreement. We also spent a great deal of time talking about the catastrophic fires burning in Los Angeles, and how we could prepare to help affected musicians after the Conference.

On Saturday, we discussed the formation of new committees, including committing to a bi-coastal tax credit committee and a bi-coastal committee on new signatory companies for our film and television contracts.

We held our election, and the results were:

• President Marc Sazer, President
• Lara Wickes, Secretary
• Martin McClellan, Treasurer
• Devin Malone, First Vice President
• Joanna Maurer, Second Vice President Maurer
• Chris Anderson-Bazzoli, Roger Blanc, Executive Officers
• Allen Fogle, Delegate to the AFM Convention 
• Diana Wade, Alternate Delegate to the AFM Convention

Los Angeles, CA: The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on the Basic Theatrical Motion Picture and Basic Television Motion Picture contracts. The agreement, unanimously recommended by the bargaining committee, represents a significant victory for musicians working in film and television.

“This agreement is a major win for musicians who have long been under-compensated for their work in the digital age,” declared AFM International President and Chief Negotiator Tino Gagliardi. “We have secured historic breakthroughs in streaming residuals, established critical guardrails against the misuse of AI, gained meaningful wage increases and made other important improvements. This agreement represents a watershed moment for the artists who create the soundtracks for countless film and TV productions.”  

Full details of the contract will remain confidential until the agreement is approved for a ratification vote by the members who work under this contract.

“I want to congratulate our AFM Fair Share for Musicians bargaining unit members for their unwavering commitment to fighting for a contract that fairly compensates them for their invaluable contributions to film and TV and protects them in the ever-changing film and television industry,” Gagliardi concluded. “We were not alone in this negotiation, and we were proud to have the full backing of fellow unions: SAG-AFTRA, Writers Guild of America, IATSE, and the Teamsters. It was yet another powerful reminder that when we have solidarity in the labor movement, we can achieve great things. We also would like to thank Carol Lombardini, president of the AMPTP, as well as the AMPTP and its member companies, for helping bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.” 

The tentative agreement will now be submitted for ratification by the members working under the Basic Theatrical Motion Picture and Basic Television Motion Picture contracts, pending AFM International Executive Board approval.

News Flash

The RMA General Conference was held on December 5th and 6th, 2022. Elections were held on the 5th. The elected officers include the old and the new, and we are looking forward to working with our new RMA Executive Board:

Marc Sazer, President
Lara Wickes, Secretary
Martin McClellan, Treasurer
Devin Malone, First Vice President
Joanna Maurer, Second Vice President
Brian Fullen, Executive Officer
Chris Anderson-Bazzoli, Executive Officer
Sidney Hopson, Delegate to the AFM Convention
Chris Anderson-Bazzoli, Alternate Delegate to the AFM Convention

The Recording Musicians Association held their biennial Conference on Friday, December 18, 2020. Officer elections took place, and the Officers of the RMA for 2020-2022 are:

Marc Sazer, President
Danny Rader, 1st Vice President
Roger Blanc, 2nd Vice President
Lara Wickes, Secretary
Martin McClellan, Treasurer
Don Foster, Executive Officer
Devin Malone, Executive Officer
Don Foster, Delegate to the AFM Convention
Devin Malone, Alternate Delegate to the AFM Convention

more to follow….

The Recording Musicians Association, a player conference of the American Federation of Musicians, embraces AFM President Ray Hair’s recent statement on Black Lives Matter, and acknowledges the 8 minute 46 second video from Minneapolis and what it laid bare: systemic racism persists and is embedded in our national culture in profoundly disturbing and insidious ways. Our thoughts are with the family of George Floyd and the families of all victims of racially motivated violence everywhere. 

We further commit to acknowledging the true history of the United States, one which honestly bears testimony to the subjugation of Black people, and to bear personal responsibility to advocate for equality of justice and opportunity not only under the law, but as seen through the lens of 400 years of Black experience in this country.

We pledge to further our commitment to a more diverse and inclusive RMA. 

Our Pension Fund recently hosted a Webinar that all participants were invited to attend. One message came through loud and clear.

The proposed Federal legislation that could help us is evolving (as legislation always does). The deadline for the Joint Select Committee is NOVEMBER 30! [Update: The Joint Select Committee will keep working past the deadline in order to reach a solution]

LEGISLATORS NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Please follow this link to contact each of the Senators and Congressmembers on the Joint Select Committee now.
The Pension Fund has made it easy to email each one, but phone calls are a powerful way to go above and beyond to make our needs heard. Below is a full list of the members of the Joint Select Committee, with their phone numbers. Please click here for bullet points and helpful information.
Or, you can download letters to send to

ISN’T YOUR PENSION WORTH IT?

• Senators    
• Sherrod Brown (D-OH)    202) 224-2315
• Orrin Hatch (R-UT)    (202) 224-5251
• Joe Manchin (D-WV)    202-224-3954
• Lamar Alexander (R-TN)    202-224-4944
• Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)    (202)224-2043
• Rob Portman (R-OH)    202-224-3353
• Tina Smith (D-MN)    (202) 224-5641
• Mike Crapo (R-ID)    (202) 224-6142
• Representatives   
• Richard Neal (D-MA)    (202) 225-5601
• Virginia Foxx (R-NC)    (202) 225-2071
• Bobby Scott (D-VA)    (202) 225-8351
• Vern Buchanan (R-FL)    (202) 225-5015
• Donald Norcross (D-NJ)    (202) 225-6501
• Phil Roe (R-TN)    (202) 225-6356
• Debbie Dingell (D-MI)    (202) 225-4071
• Dave Schweikert (R-AZ)    (202) 225-2190

RMA General Conference

The 2018 Recording Musicians Association General Conference met on November 2^nd and 3^rd at Local 802 in New York. Delegates from New York, Nashville and Los Angeles gathered to share reports, discuss issues, hear from Local and American Federation of Musicians Officers and staff, and hold elections.

This year a new generation of Delegates attended, bringing together varied experiences and perspectives. New faces included Devin Malone from Nashville and Martin McClellan and Allison Allport from Los Angeles. Our newly elected RMA Executive Board reflects this new generation of musicians:

Marc Sazer, President
Danny Rader, First Vice President
Roger Blanc, Second Vice President
Martin McClellan, Treasurer
Allison Allport, Secretary
Devin Malone, Executive Officer
Lara Wickes, Executive Officer
Steve Dress, Delegate to the AFM Convention
Devin Malone, Alternate Delegate to the AFM Convention

On Friday afternoon, November 2, RMA hosted a forum at Local 802, open to all AFM musicians, titled “Musicians/Media/Union”. The panel presented a PowerPoint presentation focusing on the history behind our current pay structure for streaming in Live TV, Film and Television Film. A successful, wide-ranging roundtable discussion with the attendees and panel followed the presentation, ending, as Local 802 meetings often do, with musicians leaving for work on Broadway shows and concerts.

AFM Secretary-Treasurer Jay Blumenthal gave a wide-ranging report on AFM finances, AFM negotiations, the status of the move of AFM offices, preparations for the AFM Convention in 2019, and other issues that affect us all. Local 802 President Tino Gagliardi welcomed the Conference, and described his history of involvement with negotiations both on Broadway and national contracts, as well as his long participation in RMA. Pat Varriale, Director of the Electronic Media Division of the AFM provided a comprehensive report on the status of negotiations, and current media issues, and participated in discussions with the Delegates as a valued team member throughout the Conference. John Painting, the Supervisor for Recording at Local 802, also participated and helped us analyze wage and other data that is critical to our understanding of employment trends across the different contracts and cities. Jason Poss, AFM Rank and File Representative for Live TV negotiations, joined our Conference as a guest, and participated in our Open Forum as well. His broad knowledge of the history of negotiations, contract issues and real-life functioning of our contracts greatly enriched our discussions.

One issue that we discussed in some depth was the importance of touring in musicians lives and finances. AFM Director of Organizing Michael Manley, whose previous position with the AFM was as Director of Touring, spent a very productive session with the Delegates from each of the cities, discussing the different kinds of tours that travel on a regular basis across the continent, and what strategies the AFM might employ to bring benefits, coverage and predictability to at lease some parts of this industry.

The Conference reviewed reports prepared by the Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund, the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Fund, and more, We walked our way through the pension fund website online, reviewing the professional and effective legislative advocacy resources available to all participants.

A new committee was formed to help musicians lobby the U.S. Congress on behalf of pension reform that will provide a lifeline to our pension fund, an effort we have shared with you in the past, but which we will all be ramping up.

RMA would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Officers and staff of Local 802 for being such gracious hosts. We came away from NYC with a new and energized team – stay tuned; you’ll be hearing more from us soon!