Originally in the June issue of Allegro: Musicians and union ratchet up their campaign. As Charlie Parker wrote, now’s the time! This summer, Local 802 and the Local 802 Jazz Advisory Committee will be heating up their campaign to win pension for jazz musicians. We broke this story in the January issue of Allegro, but …
Monthly Archive: June 2009
J4JA Petitioners Increase to over 800
This week we received an unprecedented 300+ petitioners! Included are these folks: James Spaulding Judi Silvano Chris Lightcap Phil Woods David Amram Maxine Roach (daughter of Max) Ed MacEachen Mike LeDonne Butch Miles NY City Councilmember Eric Gioia (D-26, Queens) Amiri Baraka Stanley Crouch If you haven’t yet done this, we urge you to sign the …
Jon Hammond on J4JA
Jon Hammond writes: Here is an excerpt and photos of the very important issues being dealt with head on at today’s Jazz Advisory Board meeting at AFM Local 802 Musicians Union. A ‘who’s who’ of veteran jazz musicians attended and also young pro jazz musicians, including: drummer BERNARD PURDIE, JUNIOR MANCE, BOB CRANSHAW, JIMMY OWENS, …
More Background on J4JA Campaign
For more information about the history of the admissions sales tax, see this comprehensive article from Local 802′s Allegro.
J4JA Adds Facebook Cause Page
Justice for Jazz Artists! has recently added a Facebook “Cause” page. The social networking site allows individuals to connect with like-minded “Facebook friends” and share information, photos and links to other sites. The J4JA Facebook page has already quadrupled in membership in its first week in existence, and we expect users to access it as a …
Fair Standards for NYC Music Clubs
While larger and more financially stable clubs and cabaret spaces offer reasonable compensation to performing musicians, there are a host of smaller venues that do not. The abuse ranges from notorious pay-to-play venues to those that charge for the use of sound equipment or require musicians to guarantee an audience. What can be done? What …
Campaign Picks Up Speed
The Justice for Jazz Artists campaign continues to pick up speed. We now have over 270 petitioners! This number is up from 144 on May 1. We are currently seeking the endorsements of elected officials and religious leaders, even as we build our petition of jazz artists and musicians who work in other areas—particularly on …
How Can I Get a Pension?
Are you close to vesting in the AFM-EPF? How much more work would it take in the coming year to achieve permanent status in the pension fund? While savings and 403-B accounts suffer huge losses in this devastated economy, the American Federation of Musicians and Employers’ Pension Fund remains a solid investment. Check in with …
MusicFIRST Coalition for Broadcasting Royalties
The MusicFIRST Coalition is working hard to help pass legislation intended to provide long overdue royalty payments to recording artists. In December 2007, a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers sponsored legislation to force radio stations to pay record companies and performers for the music they air. Hal Ponder, the AFM’s Legislative Director in Washington, has …
802 Moves To Achieve Pension For Artists In NYC Jazz Clubs
On Thursday, October 16, the Local 802 Jazz Advisory Committee (JAC) met to address the union’s efforts to get pension contributions from NYC jazz clubs. A door tax forgiven by NY State in 2007 will provide the basis for pension contributions. In 2006-2007, the union collected over 200 signatures of prominent jazz musicians in support …
