The International Executive Board of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) has recognized the Freelance Musicians Association (FMA) as an official AFM player conference which entitles it to representation at the 103rd AFM Convention in June.

“I am excited to announce the board’s unanimous decision to grant player conference status to the Freelance Musicians Association,” says AFM International President Tino Gagliardi. “Freelance musicians are the backbone of our Federation. By formalizing the FMA as a player conference, musicians who lack easy access to traditional union collective bargaining will have a pathway to institutional structural support necessary to protect their standards and strengthen their voice within our union.”

As a binational body of working musicians, the FMA is dedicated to improving the economic security and professional standing of those in self-directed and multiemployer work. In collaboration with Federation leadership, AFM locals, and allied organizations, the FMA provides a structured space for coordination, problem-solving, and collective action.

The FMA joins the ranks of the AFM’s established player conferences: the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM), the Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA), the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians (OCSM), the Recording Musicians Association (RMA), and the Theater Musicians’ Association (TMA).

As a formal AFM player conference, FMA will be entitled to send a delegation to the 103rd AFM Convention in June to represent the interests of freelance musicians in the union’s legislative process.

For more information on the FMA, visit: https://afmfreelance.org/