Re: Musician's Union?

["Bob Maglinte" <bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi
This is a touchy subject because every local is very different and some are
real strong and some are far from it altogether.If you're gonna record on a
major label of any kind, going on the road, playing the better hotel
circuits, show band circuits, symphony orchestras, regular session work in
important studios that do a lot of recording work with major labels, and/or
anything that may be part of a movie/video/televison program, you'd be
advised to join. As far as auditions, etc., you'll need to check with your
are local as each local has a different standard, and that also includes
minimum pay per night. If you're just playing a few local gigs, unless
you're gonna be gigging in any venue that will only hire union musicians,
then you may want to think about it, and IMO, you may not need to because
some locals don't do much, but there are some places tho with a local that's
real strong to the point that you can't work ANYWHERE without your unin
card. As far as sight reading goes, I seriously doubt they're gonna be
bothered with that much these days. If you're going to work with a band that
is in the union, you most likely will need to join. In about 30 years of pro
playing, mainly blues gigs in New England, I can count the number of times
I've seen a Union guy card anyone, but the higher the circuit, the more
likely you'll see it. There's other stuff I can tell you offlist that should
remain that way.

Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
MP3's: http://music.mp3lizard.com/barbequebob/


- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mudharp@xxxxxxx
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 5:24 PM
Subject: Musician's Union?


I've got a few questions regarding joining the AFM. Are the requirements the
same in every city? Are you required to sight read music? Is there a test?
Is it always a requirement to belong to the union if you intend to be part
of a legitimate recording project, or does that vary? Should you try to
avoid it? Pardon my naiveté, but this seemed like a good place to start
asking questions. If you've got AFM experience I'd appreciate any info you
could share on the list.

Thanks in advance,

T. Albanese