State of the Local - Dave Pomeroy

“When you go to the polls Nov. 8, we ask you to vote NO on Tennessee Amendment 1, which proposes enshrining the right-to-work legislation passed in 1947 into the Tennessee State Constitution.”

Music changed my life, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I had not followed my dream of a career doing what I love. I will always be grateful for the joy that it brings, and for the comfort of knowing it can be a healing force as well. If life was always a breeze, music might not have the power that it does, especially in times of trouble. As musicians and creators, we should take every opportunity to direct our creative energy in a positive direction.

As I come to the end of my 14th year as president of Local 257, in some ways it seems like a long time, yet in many other ways it feels brand new. We have had several changes in personnel here at the office over the past year, which always brings new perspectives on what we do and how we do it. It also renews the understanding of our core mission: to promote respect for musicians and the work that they do, and the intellectual property they create.

Dec. 2, 2022, is the 120th anniversary of the founding of the Nashville Musicians Association, AFM Local 257. I’m sure that the seven musicians who signed the original documents would be surprised to see where we are today. Once they got over their shock, I think they would be proud of the gradual evolution of Nashville into Music City. It didn’t happen overnight — it was the result of a huge collective effort over many years. People like Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins took a stand that if companies were coming to Nashville to make money on hillbilly music, they should treat the musicians they hired with respect, and put their work on AFM contracts. This has allowed us to obtain compensation for musicians and their beneficiaries for the use of records recorded decades ago. The power of an AFM contract protects your work and ensures that you can get paid more than once when your work gets used again. That is the key element to Music City – a tradition of respect for intellectual property.

Constantly evolving technology has brought new methods of creating, sharing, and selling music that has changed our industry in many ways, both good and bad. This mirrors what is happening in the world, and when we retreat into the world of technology vs. human interaction, the downside can be that we don’t listen to each other enough. Music can bridge that gap and bring people together, even if they have philosophical or political differences.

Over the past decade, we have expanded our reach into new areas and have come up with innovative ways to accommodate the inevitable changes technology brings. This includes the Single Song Overdub contract, designed for home recording and file sharing situations that were previously difficult to accommodate. The $100/song minimum scale allows the flexibility to be properly compensated at a higher rate as well as keeping simpler overdubs affordable. Tracks on Tour, which we brought to the 2017 SRLA Phono negotiations and successfully bargained into the contract, has paid studio musicians more than $600,000 to date for the use of their studio tracks on major tours.

There is legislation moving through Congress that will have a huge effect on the lives of musicians. The American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), cosponsored by Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, will be a game changer by freeing up hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign airplay royalties for artists, labels, and backup musicians and vocalists as well. The whole world pays these royalties, except for a few exceptions – Iran, China, North Korea, and (gulp) the United States! Our AM/FM radio broadcasters refuse to pay anyone but songwriters. This has been going on far too long, and we are closer than ever to fixing this decades-long injustice. The AMFA bill is written to ensure that small radio stations and nonprofits are not unduly burdened, and contains language that ensures no money will be taken out of songwriters’ pockets. Please let your U.S. Representatives and Senators know that you support this long overdue legislation.

When you go to the polls Nov. 8, we ask you to vote NO on Tennessee Amendment 1, which proposes enshrining the right-to-work legislation passed in 1947 into the Tennessee State Constitution. This would make the already-existing right-to-work (for less) law much harder to modify or undo. Because of the hard-won respect for musicians championed by the founders of Music Row like Bradley and Atkins, we have thrived in spite of this law — not because of it. It is worth noting that the rise of major labels, publishers, and an unparalleled songwriter and musician community in Nashville, all happened in the decade after that legislation was adopted in 1947. The high level of voluntary compliance by employers working on AFM contracts has made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of musicians. We need to vote down Amendment 1, or we will face even more obstacles to making sure musicians are being properly compensated and their intellectual property is protected.

When I came to Nashville, I never thought that one day I would be leading Local 257 through the challenging transitions of the 21st century. I will honestly say that if I couldn’t still play the bass, I’m not sure I could handle the pressure of it all. Making music can help makes sense out of this crazy, complex world we are living in. I am honored to represent all of you, and appreciate your support, feedback, and loyalty to the only organization looking out for U.S. musicians.