Where is the band? The trend of recorded music for live performances

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America's Work Force Union Podcast American Federation of Musicians (AFM) AWF

Guest Name:

George Troia

Guest Website:

detroitmusicians.net

Guest Social Media:

Facebook

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American Federation of Musicians (AFM) Local 5 President George Troia joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed a recent trend in the live performance industry to use recorded music in place of a live band, and its overall impact on the industry.

Local 5 represents about 800 musicians in Detroit.

Troia called the trend concerning because audiences still pay the same ticket price despite receiving a recorded performance. He noted recorded music in place of a band can be particularly prevalent among ballet troupes. AFM firmly opposes the practice because it not only cheats musicians out of their livelihood, but also deprives audiences of the complete artistry of a public performance, he added.

Troia also spoke about efforts to encourage younger musicians to join Local 5. He pointed out the Local maintains a Detroit musician fund, which provided relief during the pandemic for those waiting to qualify for unemployment or for those who were ill. He also spoke about the AFM Music Performance Trust Fund, which sponsors gigs for union jazz musicians.

Troia then discussed ongoing negotiations for contracts, which were extended during the pandemic. Since the contracts were extended, no raises were given to members since the beginning of the pandemic, he said. Troja expects there to be some amount of tug of war to the negotiations, as the new contracts will need to reflect raises covering the last few years, as well as address inflationary concerns.

Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Where is the band? The trend of recorded music for live performances

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