Joining a Film Union · American Federation of Musicians
Musician / Composer: how to join the AFM
Scoring musicians, orchestrators, and composer-conductors record the music on union scoring stages. AFM membership is open: you apply to your area local, and contractors' call lists are what book the sessions.
Good to know
The AFM is unusual: membership is open, so you apply to your area local rather than banking days or waiting to be Taft-Hartleyed. The gate that actually matters is the contractor's call list, since scoring sessions are booked off relationships, so the work is in getting onto the right contractors' rosters.
Roles in this craft
The jobs that make up this craft, each with its own page on pay, the day-to-day, and how to break in.
How to join, step by step
Know your union
- Scoring musicians, orchestrators, and composers are the American Federation of Musicians.
- Membership is open: you apply to your area local, with no day count.
Play at session level
- Scoring sessions demand sight-reading and studio discipline: that is the bar.
- A reputation for nailing it in one or two takes is the currency.
Get on contractors' lists
- Sessions are booked off contractors' call lists, not applications.
- Relationships with contractors and fellow players are how you get called.
Join your local
- Apply to your area AFM local and pay the initiation and dues.
- Then it is about staying on the call lists.
What you’ll need
- Your instrument/book ready: membership is open to working musicians
- Local application + initiation fee
- Annual dues
Find your local
American Federation of Musicians membership runs through a local for your market. Look up the one that covers where you work on the union’s site.