(From left: Marc Schmied (MFM member), Eve Harrison (MFM supporter) and Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi (MFM President)
We are the vanguard of the next stage of the history of the music business…
Text and photos by Dawoud Kringle
From left: Dawoud Kringel (MFM member) Paul Testagrossa (Board Of Directors) and Christopher Drapeau (MFM member)
Often, a new or potential member of Musicians for Musicians will find oneself adrift, not sure what’s happening in the organization. And this is perfectly understandable: nothing quite like MFM ever existed before. MFM founder Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi wanted to help. So, on Tuesday, July 24th, 2017, MFM presented an orientation meeting for new members. This is another new thing MFM is doing as a service to its membership.
The meeting began with Sohrab describing the structure of MFM. The “MFM Family” forms around its members. One of the main points Saadat emphasized is that the members are central to the importance and the hierarchy of MFM. Seeing this from a central point, there are four other levels. 1. MFM President (who runs the day to day business). 2. Board of Directors (oversees MFM business), 3. Advisory Committee (advises the president), and 4. The network of Friends and Supporters (friends and allies of MFM, who could be non-members or members, and who may or may not be professional musicians). Ultimately, however, the members are the most important part of MFM. Our importance as advocates and activists cannot be over emphasized.
MFM is fighting to accomplish a number of political goals. These include 1. The Fair Play Fair Pay Act (legislation that demands performance royalties for musicians for FM/AM radio airplay), 2. Support for the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), and PBS, 3. Equal pay for female musicians, 4. Reform of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and the Copyright Law (the former being inefficient and unworkable, and the later likewise, except that it is also outdated and obsolete).
From left: Paul Testagrossa (BOD) and MFM members Christopher Drapeau, Kaveh Haghtalab and Alejandro Berti.
One of the attendees was Marc Schmied, 350brooklyn.org. MFM reached out to Schmied after the publication of an article he wrote in ALLEGRO (the publication for the Local 802 Musicians Union) about his activism and how activism fits in with my life as a musician to address climate change. This is an issue of monumental concern; as the climate change is threatening the survival of humanity. Musicians are obliged to do something to help this.
350 Brooklyn is organizing a comprehensive plan of action. An alliance between 350 and MFM can only produce good results.
Which brings up another point. MFM’s status as a 501(c)6 non-profit organization was explained. Our status allows us to lobby in favor of the needs of musicians. It is no different than the Bar Association representing lawyers, or the AMA representing doctors and medical professionals. One of the advantages of the 501(c)(6) tax status is that it allows organizations to engage in unlimited amounts of lobbying. If musicians lobbied as a large group, we could accomplish the kind of changes in legislation and political influence other groups enjoy.
As it usually happens at these MFM meetings, the planned agenda evolved (drifted?) into a spirited and passionate discussion on all aspects of the idea of musical professionalism. There will always be a difference of opinion among members. This, however, does not detract from the overall mission. We are all moving into uncharted territories. The music business of the past years no longer exists, and nothing concrete and serviceable to the needs of professional musicians has taken its place.
We are the vanguard of the next stage of the history of the music business; and musicians are taking the power, respect, and authority that would otherwise be denied us. This is what MFM is doing.