Benefits of Joining

The London Musicians' Association (LMA) is Local 279 of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM). The AFM is the largest organization in the world dedicated to representing the interests of professional musicians. As Local 279 of the AFM, the London Musicians' Association represents the world-class professional musicians in the London area.

In addition to providing services at the local level, the London Musicians' Association's affiliation with the AFM provides LMA members with National and International benefits and representation. Whether you just play coffee-house gigs in your neighbourhood, or whether your ensemble is planning a North-American tour, a London Musicians' Association and AFM membership provides many benefits and services necessary for your professional music career.

Some of the Numerous Benefits

Our Booking Referral Service assists potential live music purchasers in our area to find the right group for their event. The London Musicians' Association refers our members that best suit the clients' specific need and requirements, whether it is a wedding, corporate function, party or other event. Additionally, the AFM provides a free on-line referral service to members through its GoPro Music site.
Crossing the border for a gig in the United States can be a hassle. The LMA assists members with immigration issues, and helps our members navigate the confusing path of obtaining work visas.
The AFM performance contract is our way to protect your band from defaulting purchasers. If a purchaser defaults on a contracted payment to one of our members, we will first attempt to resolve the dispute between the parties. If that is unsuccessful, the local and/or the Federation can persue the claim through a variety of legal methods.
The LMA's Member Resource Centre is available to assist our members with their business and promotional materials. Our full-colour laser printer / copier can produce professional-looking promo materials for a fraction of the expense of copy-shops. Our up-to-date computer workstation is available for use by members who need a little more computing power for their graphical, musical, or audio projects than they may have at home, or for members who just need to do some research or correspondence on the Internet.
You may love music, but you'll want to retire someday! Our Pension Fund is a way for musicians to prepare now to be able to retire later. The American Federation of Musicians' and Employers' Pension Welfare Fund (Canada) provides Normal Pension, Early Pension, Disability Pension and Pre-retirement Death Benefits to members who have contributions made towards their retirement.
Take advantage of the many Negotiated Agreements that the AFM and/or the London Musicians' Association have completed on behalf of our members. International, national and local agreements covering all types of musical work ensure fair and timely payments as well as benefits and royalties (where applicable) for the reuse and new use of music recorded under these agreements.
Find AFM-franchised Signatory Booking Agents. The AFM maintains a list of officially franchised booking agents for the US and Canada. The AFM sets strict standards for these franchised booking agents, including negotiated fees, working conditions, and commissions.
Through the AFM's member-exclusive family of GoPro products, you can advertise your services to an international market. Get gigs for your group through your AFM GoPro Music listing. Have students looking for a teacher find you through AFM GoPro Lessons. Buy or Sell items through AFM GoPro Auction. Get discounted website hosting solutions through AFM GoPro Hosting, or get leads by linking up to our MySpace site, AFM GoPro Music on MySpace.
Members receive a free subscription to the International Musician. This official publication of the AFM contains articles of current interest to professional musicians, such as educational resources, labour news, as well as audition notices and help wanted ads. The International Musician is also available online to members through the AFM website.
Economically-priced Insurance is available to members, at AFM group rates. In addition to Equipment Insurance to protect your instrument and music equipment from theft, vandalism and breakage, AFM members can also purchase Liability Insurance (up to $1,000,000 for each occurrence and up to $2,000,000 of aggregate coverage for lawsuits over bodily injury/property damage occuring during your performance) and Travel Health Insurance (direct covering of hospital and medical expenses when travelling out of province) for a cost that is considerably less than an individual could get directly through an insurance company. Contact the LMA office for full details.
And more...