Allegro
Currently Browsing: January, 2013
Union Busting Affects Us All
President's Report
These days, It seems to be fashionable to bust unions. As many of you know, Michigan recently became the 24th so-called right-to-work state in this country. I say “so-called” because the label “right to work” was invented by union
Musicians come together!
Are you a musician who regularly plays gigs under Local 802’s single engagement contracts? Do you often take jobs that you would like to see covered by the union, including corporate events, restaurant gigs, weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, clinics
Moving forward
New year offers challenges and opportunities for union musicians
Looking back on my first term in office as Recording Vice President, I am struck by how quickly time has passed and how much time it takes to accomplish goals the union has set for itself. The two greatest tasks
Your future is in your hands
Financial Vice President's Report
Sometimes you have to name names. In this article, I plan on revealing the names of several ensembles to whom we’ve reached out, but who have so far have ignored us. We think that both the musicians and the managers
A Violinist’s Voyage
Newton Mansfield talks about his musical journey, from Poland to Paris to the New York Philharmonic
Violinist Newton Mansfield was born in Poland. At age two, he and his family moved to Paris. “When I was about six,” Mansfield remembers, “neighbors of ours – two old ladies who were of the Austrian aristocracy and wore black
Show me the money!
The nuts and bolts of digital royalties
Have you ever wondered how royalties are paid out when music is played on Internet radio like Pandora? Thanks to digital performance laws, you may have some money waiting for you. First, let’s tackle the basics. There are actually many
Unearthed: Pandora executives cashing out millions in stock
At same time, lobbying to gut royalties to musicians
While Pandora continues to lobby lawmakers to slash royalty payments to thousands of musicians and labels, top company management at the Wall Street giant have cashed out company stock worth over $40 million since Pandora’s $235 million IPO in June
AFM lobies against bill that would pay musicians less on internet radio
AFM press release
The AFM is pleased to announce that its lobbying efforts against H.R. 6480, the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA), achieved positive results at a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the bill. The hearing by the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition
The Musician’s Voice
The Musicians’ Voice is an open forum for discussion about the state of union affairs. The letters here do not necessarily express the views of Local 802. E-mail letters to Allegro@Local802afm.org or write to Allegro, Local 802, 322 West 48th
Take it or leave it?
In good news for musicians, labor board slaps Jacksonville Symphony management for bad faith bargaining
Harvey Mars is counsel to Local 802. Legal questions from members are welcome. E-mail them to HsmLaborLaw@HarveyMarsAttorney.com. Harvey Mars’s previous articles in this series are archived at www.HarveyMarsAttorney.com. (Click on “Publications & Articles” from the top menu.) Nothing here or
Recording Musicians Association: The voice of recording musicians
Allegro has published a number of recent articles with by-lines featuring members of the RMA-NY Board. So who is the RMA, and what has it done for you lately? Founded locally in New York in 1969 and becoming a national
The Yellow Brick Road to Hell
A musician accepts a non-union tour of "The Wizard of Oz" and learns what exploitation is really like
The yellow brick road to hell started last year when I was forced through my financial circumstances to play drums and percussion on a non-union tour of “The Wizard of Oz.” The tour gave me an old-fashioned schooling on what
My Favorite New Year’s Eve Gig Story
New Year’s Eve gigs can be great, but they are also the stuff that legends are made of. We asked our musicians for their best (or worst!) New Year’s Eve gig stories. Here are some tales you don’t want
‘Twice the Work and Half the Pay’
Musicians put their heads together at a solidarity strategy summit
Artists unite! Earlier this fall, musicians and other workers gathered for a facilitated discussion at Judson Memorial Church, coordinated by the Musicians Solidarity Council, 99 Pickets and OWS Arts and Labor. The event, entitled “Twice the Work, Half the Pay:
The Mamboniks
A true American story of the Jewish love affair with Latin music
Sitting down in a Boston deli one day in 1959, Irving Fields faced a puzzling problem. A pianist and composer who loved Latin music, Fields had just finished recording a new album, and he needed a title. His record was
Reading, writing and rhythm
Creative teaching gigs are now available for musicians and other artists
Do you want to use your music to enrich the lives of public school children – while getting paid? Here’s some news: the Actors Fund has come up with a very creative way for musicians and other artists to do
‘Why we joined the union’
I joined Local 802 initially because I was producing a few records that were union sessions. These days I’ve been on a Broadway job. My musical goal in NYC is to continue to write, record, produce and perform music as
Executive Board Minutes
September 25, 2012 - October 16, 2012
NOTE: The Executive Board did not meet on Sept. 18 or Oct. 2. Tuesday, September 25, 2012 Meeting called to order at 11:17 AM. Present: President Gagliardi, Financial Vice President Olcott, Recording Vice President O’Connor, Executive Board members Burridge, Cranshaw,
The arts aren’t red or blue
Guest Commentary
Every four years America gets another chance to make its voice heard. And every four years the American arts community, in a way, gets a bit of a fiscal makeover. How is that? Well, it has to do with how
January ’13
The Band Room
Jack Tracy sent me a couple of musical puns a while ago, and I just rediscovered them at the bottom of my computer file: King Ozymandias of Assyria was running low on cash after years of war with the Hittites.
Happy birthday, Bob!
Photo Feature
Master bassist and union activist Bob Cranshaw recently celebrated his 80th birthday at Local 802. Friends and fellow musicians partied, paid tribute and jammed. All right! Photos by Kate Glicksberg