1930-1939
As recording technology progressed, musicians' workplaces became increasingly diverse. The AFM leadership believed the organization should be progressive and that all musicians should be represented by the union, whether they worked in the most traditional workplaces or with the newest emerging technologies.
The economic problems of the Great Depression killed some recording companies. However, the recording business revived enough by the mid-thirties so that the first Encyclopedia of Recorded Music was published. Newspapers started record columns. Radio, recorded music and music education created a music-conscious nation. Many great musicians and composers came to America to escape the growing conflicts in Europe.
1930 - Still working to save the jobs of musicians who played music for silent movies, the union established the Music Defense League to gain public support for its fight against "canned music" in movie theaters.
1935 - The AFM secured relief for unemployed musicians through the United States government's Works Projects Administration.
