The American Federation of Musicians (AFM/AFofM) is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada.
The American Federation of Musicians was founded in 1896, at which time it took over from an older and looser organization of local musicians unions, the National League of Musicians.
Among the most famous actions by the AFM was a ban on all commercial recording by members in the 1940s, in 1942-43 and in 1948, in order to pressure record companies to make a better arrangement for paying royalties to recording artists. This was sometimes called the Petrillo Ban, after the longtime powerful leader of the union, James Petrillo.
Most recently the AFM has been involved in dealing with problems caused by virtual orchestras. Many producers are now trying to save money by eliminating live musicians and using this device.
