Clash of the Titans, AFM vs. RMA, Part I

Attempting to comprehend the RMA/AFM conflict.

For weeks now I have been trying to understand the discourse between the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and the Recording Musicians Association (RMA).

Normally I would leave a topic like this to the people that are “in-the-know.” However since I spent so much time looking into this conflict it felt appropriate to post something – to promote the issue and perhaps to help others to understand and take interest. It is an important issue that may well affect all union musicians.

The RMA is one of several conferences within the AFM network. Others include the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) and the Regional Orchestra Players Association (ROPA).

Musicians belonging to conferences are AFM members by default, yet the conferences apparently have very little or no voting power in determining the national AFM agenda.

This factor is fundamental to the current conflict.

Warning bells

At The AFM Observer, Robert Levine has been writing about the AFM/RMA conflict for some time. He has an informed perspective: 20 years with the Milwaukee Symphony, a Chairman Emeritus of ICSOM, and an AFM Local 8 President.

I did not always understand the finer points of his posts but I read with captive interest nevertheless, based on his strong authority.

The August 2008 ICSOM Senza Sordino newsletter set off another alarm bell. In his Chairperson’s Report, Bruce Ridge warns:

I’m saddened to tell you that the relationship between the AFM and RMA has worsened, and indeed I feel that the very survival of this union is at risk.

That is quite a statement. Still, beyond a few cryptic references there was nothing concrete explaining exactly what the conflict is, so I remained a bit confused.

Video games

With a Variety article later in August 2008, one aspect of the total picture became clearer. The conflict in the West coast is related to lucrative video game soundtrack sessions, studio musicians and Los Angeles AFM local 47.

Most videogame scores are recorded by non-union musicians in locations that range from Seattle to London and even Eastern Europe. The reason? Videogame publishers want to own their music outright without any future financial obligations to composers or musicians, should those games find success in the marketplace.

Non-union locations offer what is known as a “buyout”: paying musicians a lump sum up front for future uses of the same music (such as for a soundtrack album), thus avoiding a backend “new use” payment later. AFM has never approved buyouts in the past, mainly because the reuse of music in other media reduces work for union musicians overall.

Yet a recent AFM-sanctioned game deal eliminated the backend payment — and RMA execs decried it not as a “buyout” but a “giveaway,” since the musicians were already taking a major pay cut to get the work. San Francisco Local 6 has used it to lure game-scoring work to the Bay Area, effectively pitting its union musicians against L.A. union players.

In the attempt to keep video game soundtracks under union control, the AFM has sanctioned a deal that creates a dog-eat-dog environment harmful to its members’ long-term interests.

This is only the tip of the iceberg – a symptom of a larger, national problem.

> CONTINUE to Part II