Local 1000 January 2021 Newsletter
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This is our regular monthly email newsletter. It includes reminders, member news and important announcements from the Executive Board and the office.
News from the Executive Board
President’s Message
Dear Union Sisters and Brothers and Friends,
It is an honor to begin my term of service as your Union President. We are facing unprecedented challenges as touring musicians, but our greatest strength is our ability to work together to support each other and to fight for the working conditions and environments that will give us protection in our work.
My background is as an educator, Teaching Artist, and a community organizer. I started my career as a middle school choral teacher and after 11 years in the classroom heard a calling for the road. That calling has led me down many roads, primarily as a Teaching Artist with Young Audiences and Wolf Trap. However, during this time I also directed an inner-city youth development program for 20 years that provided opportunities for middle and high school inner city students to fight for the things they felt they needed in order to be safe and survive. It was during this time that I learned that we won’t get anything we don’t first decide we want together and second fight like hell to make sure together we make it so.
The 20 years I spent accompanying student in their work has laid the foundation for the organizing that is ahead of us as touring musicians. We have to make sure that venues, festivals, and concert promoters pay us a fair wage that includes pension and health. We have to make sure as gig workers we get our fair share of the billions of dollars that are being given out during this pandemic. We need to fight to make sure that online streaming platforms are paying a fair wage to us. We need to face the threats of white supremacy, sexism, homophobia, and classism that weaves its way in our profession.
I am up for the challenge, I hope you are! As the sticker I got from our union says, “Together we are mighty!” That we are friends, that we are!
Forward Together,
Aaron
AFM Local 1000 Zoom Coffee Hours
Local 1000 member Coffee Hours are back this winter & spring, hosted by Annie Patterson. We hope you can save the dates and join us. Feel free to drop in just to say hi or to stay for the duration. It’s a wonderful way for our members stay connected while we are all trying to not get infected.
All dates are on Wednesdays on Zoom @ 4pm Eastern/3pmCT/2pmMt/1pmPacific:
January 13 – bring something to share for the New Year – a joke, a poem, a song, a rant, a wish, an image
January 27 –
February 10 – Share something about yourself that you think others might not know about you–in honor of Valentine’s Day
February 24 –
March 10 – Songs of Struggle
March 24 –
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday January 13
4pm EDT/3pmCDT/1pm PDT
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89063539938
Meeting ID: 890 6353 9938
Password: 651074
Please pass this on to other L1K members who might want to join.
ERF update
Your union has your back when times are tough! We are happy to announce that, due to the continued generosity of our members and fans, we have extended the application period for Emergency Relief Grants into January. Grants are still available to Local 1000 members in good standing for up to $1000 while funds last. To apply, visit the ERF link on our website and log in: https://www.local1000.org/erf-covid-19-grants-available/
MPTF Funds for Streaming Concerts
The Music Performance Trust Fund will now fund up to 100% for a free live streamed concert. This is a great opportunity for members make decent money from an online concert. The concert must be sponsored by another organization, and there are specific rules and steps to go through to have your live performance approved. Please contact the office at together@local1000.org for more information.
Union Protection for Self-Presented Live Streams
The Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) is a simple AFM contract that you can sign for self-presented live stream concerts which will safeguard your performing rights if the content is used by another organization in future. We’d like to encourage all our members to use this contract for self-presented streaming concerts.
Local 1000 Livestream Guidelines
The Local 1000 Fair Trade Music Committee, following on the recommendations from the AFM, has created guidelines for negotiating with venues for live stream concert engagements. These are guidelines to help you negotiate fair deals with presenting organizations that take into account how long a live stream will be left up on the internet, what are minimum guarantees and minimum percentages for income earned through a livestream concert, and so on.
Canadian Corner
Penguin Eggs
Canada’s only folk-focused magazine, Penguin Eggs, has printed its final issue. For the last 23 years, editor/owner Roddy Campbell has produced a world-class magazine that included news and opinion of music centred on Canada but including the music from around the world that has resonated through our country. The final issue includes reviews, interviews and articles about Ian Anderson, Eliza Gilkyson, Pahris and Jason Romero, Elvis Costello, and local 1000 member, Old Man Luedeke. Sad to see such an eclectic magazine go but Roddy can retire knowing that we are richer for his work.
Respectful Workplaces Workshops
Canadian Heritage and the Cultural Human Resources Council of Canada are offering Respectful Workplaces in the Arts workshops to encourage better workplace practices and behaviours. The workshops cover information on Provincial and Territorial legislation, definitions of harassment and bullying as well as case-studies to navigate the complexities of problematic situations. These workshops are not legal nor therapy clinics, they are conversations facilitated by experienced cultural sector leaders. Resources are discussed to help individuals and organizations towards contributing to better work environments and/or to develop their own policies/codes of conduct.
More information here: http://culturalhrc.ca/news/2021/chrc-newsletter-january-2021
Member News
Do you have a new album coming out? Did you recently receive an award?
If you have exciting news to share with Local 1000 members, we want to know. Submit Your News Here!
Member Andy Cohen has recently completed three new album projects. “Tryin’ to Get Home” (for adults) and “Small But Mighty” (for children), are available at www.earwigmusic.com. The third project is a reissue of “Tuxedo Blues” an LP made with Joe LaRose forty years ago. “Tuxedo Blues,” is available through Andy at andy.cohen@riverlark.com.
January Birthdays
Finally, we would like to wish the following members Happy Birthday! If your birthday falls in January and you don’t see it listed below, or if the date is incorrect, please send an email to our Birthday Bunny, Deborah Van Kleef with your birthdate, current phone number and email address.
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Sandra Andina Greg Arnold Daniel Boling Lauren Breunig Chris Bricker Beth Cahill Gerard Del Rosso John Dillon Dave Hawkins Daniel Hawthorne-Foss Colleen Hodgson David Jack Graydon James Michael Johnathon Cindy Kallet Geoff Kaufman |
Chris Koldewey Grey Larsen Brian LeBlanc Zachary Lucky Bob Lusk Robert McKenty Arnie Naiman Kevin O’Donnell Louise Robinson William Rowan Jan Seides Theodora Silverman Karin Stein Pat Wictor Ann Zimmerman |
In Solidarity,
AFM Local 1000
