American Federation of Musicians Local 47 (Los Angeles)

American Federation of Musicians Local 47 (Los Angeles)
Name	Local 47
Full name	American Federation of Musicians Local 47 (Los Angeles)
Founded	1919
Location	Los Angeles, California
Members	7,000+ (approx.)
Parent organization	American Federation of Musicians

American Federation of Musicians Local 47 (Los Angeles) is a labor union representing professional musicians in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, encompassing performers in film, television, recording, concert, and theater industries. The local has played a central role in labor actions, contract negotiations, and archival projects that intersect with the entertainment industries of Hollywood, the Walt Disney Company, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and major studios such as Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Sony Pictures. Its membership has included performers associated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl, Metropolitan Opera, and numerous session orchestras that supply music for productions by directors like Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, and Quentin Tarantino.

History

Local 47 traces its origins to the post-World War I labor movement and the broader formation of the American Federation of Musicians alongside contemporaries such as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Screen Actors Guild. Early officers negotiated with vaudeville circuits like Orpheum Circuit and Keith-Albee, and later confronted the rise of radio networks including NBC and CBS when musicians recorded for programs voiced by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole. During the Depression and World War II era, Local 47 intersected with institutions like the American Federation of Labor, the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the United States Armed Forces bands, while disputes involved film moguls Louis B. Mayer and Jack Warner. The local played a role in strikes related to the rise of sound film in the 1920s, the recording ban associated with James C. Petrillo, and later negotiations with the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America. In the late 20th century, Local 47 adapted to developments involving MTV, digital audio workstations pioneered by companies such as Avid Technology, and agreements affecting streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

Organization and Membership

Local 47 is structured with elected officers, a board of directors, and committees that reflect bargaining units found in studios, concert halls, and recording studios. Leadership elections have sometimes featured figures connected to institutions such as the Los Angeles County Music Commission, the California Arts Council, and municipal bodies in the City of Los Angeles. Membership spans symphony orchestras like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Pasadena Symphony, opera companies including Los Angeles Opera and Glyndebourne alumni, Broadway touring companies performing at the Ahmanson Theatre, and pit orchestras for productions at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Pantages Theatre. Affiliations with the American Federation of Musicians link Local 47 to other locals including New York Local 802, Chicago Local 10-208, and San Francisco Local 6.

Activities and Services

The local provides services such as contract enforcement, scale setting, pension and health plans administered in cooperation with entities like the AFM-EPF (American Federation of Musicians and Employers' Pension Fund), and recording residuals tied to organizations such as the Recording Academy and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Services include legal assistance, instrument insurance partnerships with firms used by artists like Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, and booking referrals that intersect with promoters such as AEG Presents and Live Nation. Members access rehearsal and audition notices, sample engagements with studios including Paramount Television Studios and HBO, and dispute resolution mechanisms that have been used in cases referencing arbiters from labor law bodies such as the National Labor Relations Board and the California Public Employment Relations Board.

Collective Bargaining and Contracts

Local 47 negotiates a range of collective bargaining agreements covering motion picture sessions, television recordings, video game scoring, commercial jingles, and live performances, engaging counterparts such as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, record labels represented by the Recording Industry Association of America, and producers for streaming platforms like Netflix and Apple TV+. Historic contract actions included negotiations influenced by advances in analog-to-digital conversion, mechanical licensing frameworks administered by the Harry Fox Agency, and synchronization rights overseen by performing rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Agreements define minimum scales, overtime, pension contributions, health benefits, and use fees for residual payments on reissues handled by entities like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group.

Notable Members and Leadership

Local 47’s membership and leadership have included session musicians, concertmasters, arrangers, and composers who worked with figures such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone, Jerry Goldsmith, Leonard Bernstein, Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, and André Previn. Prominent members have performed with conductors and bandleaders like Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta, Carlo Maria Giulini, and Leonard Slatkin, and collaborated with singers and performers including Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, and Lady Gaga. Past presidents and officers have had professional ties to institutions such as the Musicians Foundation, the American Symphony Orchestra League, and educational programs at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and the Colburn School.

Facilities and Archives

Local 47 maintains offices and archival collections documenting session logs, contracts, scores, and sound recordings that relate to productions by studios like RKO Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and to landmark scores used in films such as Star Wars, E.T., and The Godfather. Archives collaborate with cultural repositories including the Library of Congress, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Academy Film Archive, the Music Library at the Los Angeles Public Library, and university special collections at USC and UCLA for preservation of materials associated with composers and sessions. Facilities have hosted auditions, meetings, and recording sessions linked to venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Royce Hall, and the Ford Amphitheatre.

Community Engagement and Education

Local 47 sponsors outreach and education initiatives in partnership with arts organizations and foundations such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, the Colburn Conservatory, the Music Center, and El Sistema-inspired programs, offering scholarships, mentoring, and apprenticeship opportunities. Programs often involve collaborations with nonprofit arts funders like the California Community Foundation, the Getty Foundation, and corporate partners including Sony Classical and Disney Music Group to support music education, diversity initiatives, and workforce development for emerging artists from communities served by the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County.

Category:Trade unions in California Category:Musicians' trade unions