A Call To Action: Please Donate to TEMPO

Many of us in this union were greatly disappointed at the results of the election last month.
Some of you may not have been; but whatever your political persuasion, it is certainly clear that
Donald Trump and his fellow billionaires he is creating government positions for have no interest
in helping working people in general, and certainly not unions or artists.

What I want to talk about is one way in which we can all help our fellow musicians specifically. This is the giving season, and one of the best ways I can think of to help support our colleagues is to donate to TEMPO.

TEMPO stands for Taskforce for Employment of Musicians, Promotional Organization. It is the
AFM’s Legislative Action Fund and political action committee. The long term success of its non-
partisan efforts depend on making sure that our allies in Congress, of both political parties,
remain in office. The best way to do this is to donate to their re-election campaigns, but since it
is illegal to use funds from the general treasury for political donations*, it is vital that we increase
donations to TEMPO in these difficult times for musicians.

In recent years, with help from TEMPO, Congress has protected our pension fund and
sustained funding levels for the performing arts. TEMPO has also lobbied federal agencies on
the regulatory side on issues like instruments as carry-on baggage on airlines, and ivory in bows
for stringed instruments, etc. There is much more work to be done in these areas.
Legislatively, TEMPO is fighting hard for a full performance right on all sound recordings,
guaranteeing that musicians would be paid fairly when their work is played on AM/FM terrestrial
radio (the specific bill is called the American Music Fairness Act). We are fighting for stricter
copyright measures, which would protect musicians’ hard work from theft and misuse. The tax
reform act passed in the first Trump administration needs to be fixed to restore employee tax
deductions for musicians (the bill is the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act). Artificial Intelligence is
becoming more and more of a threat to musicians, and TEMPO is lobbying for smart legislation
to control this and ensure our livelihoods (the bill is the NO FAKES act). TEMPO also works
hard in support of Arts in Education programs, so future generations of musicians will be able to
have the tools they need to learn their craft.

For those of you who already have donated to TEMPO, we thank you, and ask you to continue
your support, and increase your contributions if you can. If you have never donated to TEMPO
before, there has never been a more important time to start. I would highly recommend
becoming a TEMPO Signature Member, which is a donation level of $1 a week, made in a once-
a-year $52 payment – if you are interested in that, that application can be found here. As
International President Gagliardi recently said, we need to do everything we can to invest in the
resources to educate and guide Congress and federal agencies on everything to do with
musicians. TEMPO is the best vehicle for this.

There are two ways to donate. The first is online at afm.org. You will be prompted to confirm your email
address (check your spam folder if you do not receive it), after which you will get a payment
instruction page. The other way is to send a check made out to the AFM TEMPO Fund. You
can send it directly to the fund at 1501 Broadway, Ninth Floor, New York NY 10036, or send it to
us here at the Local office, and I can transmit it to the fund for you. There are a couple of very
important notes – you cannot combine a TEMPO donation with your dues payment, it must be a
separate check. Also, your contribution is not tax deductible, and can only be made from hour
personal banking or credit card account.

*AFM TEMPO may accept contributions only from members of the American
Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, executive and
professional staff of AFM and its affiliates, and their immediate families living
in the same household. Only United States citizens and lawful permanent
United States residents may contribute. AFM TEMPO makes contributions
and expenditures in federal, state, and local elections. All contributions are
voluntary, and an individual may refuse to contribute without any reprisal.
Any guideline contribution amount is merely a suggestion, and an individual
is free to contribute more or less. The AFM will not favor or disadvantage the
individual by reason of the amount of a contribution or a decision not to
contribute. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and
report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of
individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in a calendar year.
Contributions and gifts to AFM TEMPO are not tax deductible. Contributions
by foreign nationals, corporations or companies are prohibited.