Benefits of Membership
- AFM membership puts you on the same team with the top professionals in every area of the music business.
- Detroit Musicians Entertainment helps you find work within our community via our website Live Music Detroit, an online showcase of members and their bands. Local 5 also uploads all Registered Acts to AFM Entertainment, the International Referral Service of the American Federation of Musicians. The www.afm.org forums help you find work with traveling bands. Membership assures you of job and wage protection if a local employer fails to pay you, cancels or cuts short your engagement or otherwise breaks a contract.
- Established DFM minimum scales and working conditions enable members to remain competitive with each other without limiting how high their earnings can be. They are also designed to prevent employers from taking unfair advantage of musicians.
- Local 5 and AFM negotiated agreements provide you with broad protection in many fields including studio and other recording work, TV, films, concerts, stage shows, symphony, opera, and ballet work.
- Members receive the Keynote every quarter plus the monthly International Musician, a publication filled with important information including “help wanted” and audition notices.
- Local 5 facilitates the 1.2 Billion Dollar American Federation of Musicians Employers’ Pension Fund.
- The Detroit Federation of Musicians, Local 5 administers the Music Performance Fund, MPF – unique special funds negotiated by the AFM and supported by contributions from recording companies. These funds enable bands to solicit schools and municipalities for live concerts at reduced rates to the purchasers. MPF means extra gigs for working union bands. MPF also administers scholarships for students planning on attending music schools.
- If you become disabled, you are eligible for financial help from the AFM’s Lester Petrillo Fund. The Detroit Musicians Fund, our non-profit corporation, administers the Ted Nelson Fund for musicians needing assistance and the David Kaplan Scholarship Fund at Wayne State University.
- Local 5 membership includes a $1250 Life Insurance Policy with AD & D.