KEYWORDS:
Associations
By Paul Zollo
AFTRA
The American Federation of Television & Radio Artists is a national labor union representing over 70,000 performers, journalists and other artists working in the entertainment and news media. AFTRA’s scope of representation covers broadcast, public and cable television (news, sports and weather; drama and comedy, soaps, talk and variety shows, documentaries, children’s programming, reality and game shows); radio (news, commercials, hosted programs); sound recordings (CDs, singles, Broadway cast albums, audio books); “non-broadcast” and industrial material as well as Internet and digital programming. AFTRA’s membership includes an array of talent – sound recording membership includes artists who bring pop, rock, country, classical, folk, jazz, comedy, Latin, hip hop, rap and R&B to the world. AFTRA members perform in television and radio advertising, non-broadcast video, audio books and messaging, and provide their skills for developing technologies such as interactive games and Internet material. It advocates on legislate issues that affect the lives of its members, and supports the welfare of its members through programs and benefits.
There is a local Bay Area-based chapter of AFTRA in San Francisco:
350 Sansome Street, Suite 900
San Francisco, CA 94104
(415) 391-7510
(415) 391-1108 fax
www.aftra.org
ASCAP
One of the three American Performance Rights organizations.
BMI
One of the three American Performance Rights organizations.
NARAS
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Science. Most famous for being the organization that awards Grammys annually to celebrate excellence in music, NARAS — also known as The Recording Academy – continues a rich legacy and ongoing growth as the premier outlet for honoring achievements in the recording arts and supporting the music community. The GRAMMYs are the only peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position. NARAS also does much beyond the Grammy Awards — and is establishing itself as the preeminent arts advocacy and outreach organization in the country. The Academy’s mission statement is simple, but represents the heart and soul of the organization’s efforts: to positively impact the lives of musicians, industry members and our society at large. They work for music education in schools with their Grammys In The Schools program; Grammy Camp — a summer camp for high school kids that focuses on music education; Musicares, which raises money for musicians and music-related causes, and much more.
NARAS, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles, has 12 regional offices, including a chapter in San Francisco:
1702 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone 415-749-0779
Email: sanfrancisco@grammy.com
www.grammy.com
SESAC
One of the three American Performance Rights organizations.
www.sesac.com
Songwriters Guild Of America
A non-profit organization dedicated to informing, educating and working for the rights of all songwriters. For 75 years, the Guild has continued to take a stand on every issue of importance to songwriters and the music industry in general, including home taping, source licensing, derivative rights, author’s moral rights, the deductibility of business expenses, compulsory license, copyright registration fees and, most recently, infringement of royalty payment due to digital/Internet piracy. They work lobbying, negotiating and coordinating with other industry groups, and raising the funds needed to get the songwriter’s message through.
www.songwritersguild.com