Washington, DC—The Copyright Alliance, which represents the copyright interests of over two million individual creators and more than 15,000 organizations across the spectrum of copyright disciplines, announced the addition of a new member—the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) of the U.S. and Canada. AFM is an AFL-CIO affiliated labor union representing 70,000 professional musicians. Founded in 1896, it is the largest organization in the world representing musicians from all fields and genres, including freelance gigging musicians, DJs, session and touring musicians, recording artists, composers/arrangers—from nightclubs to theater pits to concert halls.

In a statement about becoming a member, AFM International President Tino Gagliardi noted, “As an organization that is committed to representing the rights and benefits of our members through collaboration, negotiation, and advocacy initiatives, we are pleased to join the Copyright Alliance at a time when it’s more critical than ever to protect the work and livelihoods of musicians. Working with the Copyright Alliance team and fellow members will enable us to achieve our goal of supporting tens of thousands of professional musicians who comprise our membership. We look forward to being a part of the collective advocacy that the Copyright Alliance affords us.”

According to Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid, “We are thrilled to have AFM join us as a member during a time that’s crucial for music creators. Like so many other organizations, AFM relies on copyright to protect its members and therefore it brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the table. We look forward to working with AFM as we continue to fulfill our mission of educating and advocating regarding the importance and value of copyright.”

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ABOUT THE COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE

The Copyright Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest and educational organization representing the copyright interests of over two million individual creators and over 15,000 organizations in the United States, across the spectrum of copyright disciplines. The Copyright Alliance is dedicated to advocating policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright, and to protecting the rights of creators and innovators. For more information, please visit our website.