<h1>AFM Appoints New Director of Electronic Media Services</h1>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2014

Contact: Antoinette Follett
(315) 422-4488 ext. 106
<a href="mailto:afollett@bentley-hall.com">afollett@bentley-hall.com</a>

<strong>New York, NY</strong>—American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) International President Ray Hair is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Thomas to the position of Assistant to the President and Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD) Director, joining the AFM’s West Coast Office as a senior staffer.

“Bill Thomas brings years of accomplished, result-oriented media relations experience to the table and I bid him a hearty welcome to our team,” said Hair. “As we transition toward a more open, action-oriented organizing approach to the problems faced by professional musicians in the world of global media, I believe Thomas is the right person, at the right time, to direct the Electronic Media Services Division of American Federation of Musicians.”

Thomas brings more than two decades of senior level media industry executive experience to the Federation, most recently as Executive Director of the Los Angeles chapter of AFTRA, now SAG-AFTRA, a post he held from 2006 until 2012. Prior to his service with SAG-AFTRA, Thomas was Assistant to the Vice President and Chief of Staff of ASCAP’s New York office for 14 years.

Former Assistant to the President and EMSD Director Dick Gabriel retired January 16, after more than 35 years of distinguished and dedicated service to Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), the AFM, and AFM members throughout the US and Canada. Gabriel has had a wonderful, storied career serving the interests of recording musicians, first as a recording representative with Local 47 during the mid-1970s, then as head of the AFM West Coast Office, and later as EMSD director, assisting every AFM president from Victor Fuentealba onward. Gabriel will continue to serve as a consultant to the AFM.

<strong>AFM Praises Film Incentive Reform Act of 2014</strong>

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2014

CONTACT: Antoinette Follett
(315) 422-4488 ext. 104
<a href="mailto:afollett@bentley-hall.com"><span style="color: #0066cc;">afollett@bentley-hall.com</span></a>

<strong><em>New York, NY</em></strong>— Legislation was introduced today in the U.S. Congress to amend Section 181 of the US tax code that would disqualify producers from obtaining taxpayer money to subsidize their films if US jobs are offshored. Section 181 is currently worth $400 million in yearly subsidies to the motion picture industry.

H.R 5497, the Film Incentive Reform Act of 2014, sponsored by Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN) and supported by the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) would close a loophole in current law which qualifies a film for subsidies if only 75% of a film’s production is spent in the US. The AFM has estimated that musicians lose $30 million in salaries each year through offshoring of TV and film music soundtrack jobs.

“There is no justification for Congress to provide corporate welfare to the US film industry when producers take taxpayer money and offshore US jobs,” said AFM International President Ray Hair. “Film tax incentive provisions were originally intended to encourage domestic motion picture production, but in the case of musicians who record the film and TV scores, the producers are hurting us.”

“Current tax loopholes put hard-working musicians, whose names might not be well-known but who work hard for minimum pay because they love music, at a disadvantage,” Congressman Petersen said. The Film Incentive Reform Act of 2014 would close this loophole, ending the tax break to companies that send American jobs offshore. This legislation will save taxpayer money and keep more jobs in the United States,” he said.

In 2004, the AFM, in coalition with other entertainment unions and producers, successfully lobbied Congress to include Section 181 in the American Job creation Act of 2004, which outlines “Treatment of Certain Qualified Film and Television Production” for the purposes of providing tax subsidies to domestic film production activities produced in the United States.

Nearly a decade later, Section 181 tax credits provide more than $400 million each year for US film producers. Congressman Peterson’s legislation would modify the law to require a subsidized film production to spend 100% of its production costs in the US, effectively keeping taxpayer money at home.

<em>October 14, 2014</em>
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<h1>AFM Appoints New Director of Electronic Media Services</h1>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2014

Contact: Antoinette Follett
(315) 422-4488 ext. 106
<a href="mailto:afollett@bentley-hall.com">afollett@bentley-hall.com</a>

<strong>New York, NY</strong>—American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) International President Ray Hair is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Thomas to the position of Assistant to the President and Electronic Media Services Division (EMSD) Director, joining the AFM’s West Coast Office as a senior staffer.

“Bill Thomas brings years of accomplished, result-oriented media relations experience to the table and I bid him a hearty welcome to our team,” said Hair. “As we transition toward a more open, action-oriented organizing approach to the problems faced by professional musicians in the world of global media, I believe Thomas is the right person, at the right time, to direct the Electronic Media Services Division of American Federation of Musicians.”

Thomas brings more than two decades of senior level media industry executive experience to the Federation, most recently as Executive Director of the Los Angeles chapter of AFTRA, now SAG-AFTRA, a post he held from 2006 until 2012. Prior to his service with SAG-AFTRA, Thomas was Assistant to the Vice President and Chief of Staff of ASCAP’s New York office for 14 years.

Former Assistant to the President and EMSD Director Dick Gabriel retired January 16, after more than 35 years of distinguished and dedicated service to Local 47 (Los Angeles, CA), the AFM, and AFM members throughout the US and Canada. Gabriel has had a wonderful, storied career serving the interests of recording musicians, first as a recording representative with Local 47 during the mid-1970s, then as head of the AFM West Coast Office, and later as EMSD director, assisting every AFM president from Victor Fuentealba onward. Gabriel will continue to serve as a consultant to the AFM.
<h1>AFM President Blasts NFL Super Bowl Halftime Kickback Scheme</h1>
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Antoinette Follett
(315) 422-4488 ext. 106
afollett@bentley-hall.com

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<strong>New York, NY</strong> – In what could be deemed the most colossal pay to play scheme ever, the National Football League (NFL) has reportedly asked potential Super Bowl halftime performers if they would be willing to pay the league to play at its big game.
“It’s not like the NFL and its Super Bowl organizers don’t have any money and can’t afford to pay for halftime show performances, it’s about the insatiable thirst for profits at the expense of great musical entertainment and those who create it. You can find kickback schemes like this coming from unscrupulous bar and nightclub owners, but for the NFL to descend to such depths would be unconscionable,” said American Federation of Musicians International President Ray Hair.
The AFM will bring the matter up for discussion with the AFL-CIO’s Department of Professional Employees which includes representatives from all US art and entertainment unions, including the NFL Players Association.
Though the NFL doesn’t usually pay the performing halftime acts, this seems to be a new low. The NFL has reportedly shortlisted its choices for next year’s Super Bowl halftime show to Rihanna, Coldplay and Katie Perry, and was also reported to have requested a portion of post-show tour earnings to secure the booking. A 30-second TV commercial cost $3.8 million and there were 45 minutes of advertisements during the game. The league’s annual revenue is more than $9 billion, and Commissioner Roger Goodell says he would like to reach $25 billion by 2027.

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