CONVENTION UPDATE ONE - SUNDAY
CONVENTION UPDATE I: FOR SUNDAY JUNE 20th - Day 0
Colleagues,
Instead of a long drawn out mailing at the end of the week,
we thought it best to give you a shorter daily offering.
THE COMMITTEE
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I. DISTRESSING DEVELOPMENTS…..
II. AND A BIT OF LEVITY
III. FEATURED LOCAL 47 MEMBER COMMENT ON REBUTTALS
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I. DISTRESSING DEVELOPMENTS…..
Because of the dire economy, it seems many east coast Locals,
most of them small, are unable to attend the convention. This
gives the RMA and their minions a better chance at taking over
the AFM at this convention. It will also require that the NON-RMA
owned Locals band together to fight this coup.
Will LOCAL 47 tout the legitimacy of their LOCAL 47 OFFICER/RMA
OVERLORDS illegal delegate binding? Will the convention allow it
to stand? Stay tuned.
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II. AND A BIT OF LEVITY
The RMA Presidential candidate Ray Hair sent out invites to a
presentation he was giving this morning (Sunday) at the Southern
Conference. He said in the invite that the presentation would be
free.
If the RMA candidate had bothered to contact the Southern Conference
about the presentation earlier, he’d have found out that according to the
Southern Conference’s bylaws, only members of the Southern Conference
can attend their functions for free, all “guests” cost $65!
In this case, “guests” are members of any other conference, including their
officers and delegates, as well as guests of the conference. There were quite
a few unhappy people this morning.
A short aside: The RMA Presidential Candidate and his supporters were fully in
evidence outside of this evening’s reception. Hanging out at the elevator with
handouts for the “UNITY ROOM” for later that night.
RMA? —- UNITY? —– it must be opposite day again.
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III. FEATURED LOCAL 47 MEMBER COMMENT ON REBUTTALS
Bravo for Joe Parente, President Tom Lee and all the AFM Board for
listening to other people NOT in the RMA - about the issues at hand
considering recording contracts, loss of recording work due to
producers finding alternative ways to “get her done”, and the other
problems facing the recording industry. IF anybody doesn’t know -
one of the lawsuits was filed by the “FAREPLAY” organization - a
group formed by the RMALA with a RMALA session violinist (sacrificial
lamb) heading it up - that violinist is in the 100 to 150 players “click”
that works for the LA contractors Sandy DeCrescent and Petter Rotter -
the only game left in LA as far as what little movie recording work
there is left for on a union contract.
The bottom line is that the RMALA and the AFM don’t see eye to eye
because the old guard RMALA folks don’t want any changes to any
union recording contracts because the “system” works for them - the
old recording business models with residuals and Special Payments
(now called secondary markets) from the 60’s and the big payday for
the 100 to 150 people is the issue at hand. Some of those LA session
players that have been recording since the 70’s get 100K, 200K, 300K
or more (before taxes) in that JULY secondary market check (right
around the corner) - so the stakes are huge and the old guard fears
their loss of their lifestyle. Here’s the funny part - since the advent of
digital recording AND broadband internet AND orchestras around the
world willing to record without contracts that include benefits and residuals -
THOSE OLD AFM business models don’t hold water in the good ole USA
anymore. The numbers are in and the proof is with the health of the
sessions happening in Seattle, London, Prague, Bratislava, Sofia Bulgaria
(need I go on?)
The RMALA session players would rather sit around and work just enough
to keep a few movie titles trickling into their secondary market checks -
than have any change in the existing recording contracts - those same
folks in the RMALA want you OTHER rank and file to get behind them and
listen to their reasons for NO change, or you don’t get a chance ever to
play or record with them…….
I don’t have the answer to getting producers to stop running to non-union
scores for movies - yes - you could give away the back end completely - that
would prob stop the “bleeding” immediately - maybe - but I dont think that’s
the whole answer…..the answer is tearing down the old business models and
sitting down with past and future employers and hashing it out so everyone is
happy - A run is a run is a run - the old business models provided a very “good
run” for many AFM session players - times have changed and the AFM and RMA
has not changed ONE BIT. The AFM hinted it wanted to experiment with
capturing recording work that was lost with some new contract adjustments -
a Video game contract was created that is fairly alternative to the old business
models - the RMALA have pretty much blocked it’s use in LA with scare tactics
within the LA session community so now Janet Ketchum up in San Fran is doing
a lot of the video game sessions because the RMALA top players didn’t approve
of this contract - now - ALL of the LA players get lumped in with the RMALA elite
players as being known not wanting to work with any new, experimental contract
adjustments.
Folks, the pension is down because all the players eligible over 55 see or saw the
writing on the wall with the downturn or work so they all decided to grab their
pensions. Some of these pensions are 5 figures a month - they are completely
deserved of it and it’s theirs. The pension fund needs a lot more front end work
to survive obviously. The RMALA last year formed their own little no so secret
Professional Musicians Guild as a group ready to completely defect from the AFM
if the AFM didn’t do their bidding. The PMG was ready and still may be ready to
supposedly be the new “go to” organization for producers to call to record their
movies in LA.
Last I looked we were all AFM members and all you guys say strength is in numbers
and solidarity is in numbers - the power struggle needs to stop - the RMALA needs
to pull their heads out of the sand and see reality - the AFM needs to listen to ALL
who are able to do this recording work in LA, NY and NASHVILLE - the AFM and
RMALA also need to listen and study the producers actions to re-capture the lost
work. The “horse has been out of the barn” since the mid 90’s folks and yes - it
could come back - but it probably has to come back a “changed horse”.
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UNTIL NEXT TIME,
THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47
Visit us at www.responsible47.com
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