As part of a continuing program of membership education and organizing, the 802 Recording Department holds seminars on how to file a recording contract. While the focus of the seminar is getting the contract filed correctly, much of the content of the proceedings is a detailed review of the economic package that the Sound Recording Labor Agreement contains.

The possibilities for enhancing those packages by using low budget single project agreements and local demo agreements are covered as well.

The presentations used in the seminar are now on the 802 Web site, at www.local802afm.org. Just scroll down the right-hand side until you see “Musicians’ Seminar.”

One of the major economic points of the seminar is the structure of after-session payments.

Nearly every musician who is new to working union but who is playing on hits with major acts will not be familiar with the Special Payments Fund that pays all musicians who work on union-covered sound recordings.

Most musicians are familiar with the idea of the pension fund but many do not understand either how it works or the benefits that it pays.

Payment of all of these benefits — as well as health contributions and protection for re-use — are what getting paid union scale means.

In addition, for those musicians whose music is streamed by Webcasters and satellite radio, there are payments as well.

Local 802’s Web site maintains complete links to discovering money that you may have earned through these after-session or back end payments. This is money that’s waiting for you to pick up!

Nine musicians were present at the most recent seminar. Out came five laptops in addition to my own. Using wireless access, we looked for unclaimed checks.

Much of the seminar was happily interrupted by musicians using their laptops to discover money. Five of the nine musicians found checks that sat waiting for them.

One musician found funds waiting in three different places — totaling up to over the amount of scale wages he had collected for doing the work.

To see if you have money waiting for you, go to www.local802afm.org, scroll down the right-hand side, and look for, “Is There Money Waiting For You?”