Musician Issues
String Instrument Cost Of Ownership Sneak Peek
Wed, Mar 3, 2017
by Drew McManus
I am all kinds of excited to say that the impending String Instrument Cost of Ownership article is going to be a full blown interactive infographic! All things being equal, it should be up on Friday or Monday and to give you an idea of what’s in store, here’s a sneak peek at the violin
Taking Another Look At Individual Musician Instrument Costs
Mon, Mar 3, 2017
by Drew McManus
Recently, my wife, Holly Mulcahy, wrote an article for violinist.com that chronicles her recent work preparing for the concertmaster solo in Mahler’s 4th Symphony. What makes the solo unusual is it requires the concertmaster to prepare an additional violin tuned higher than the instrument’s regular tuning and use that in addition to his/her regular instrument.
The Recent Round Of AFM-EPF Pension Headaches
Mon, Jan 1, 2017
by Drew McManus
Pensions; can’t live with them, can’t avoid a crippling social collapse without them. Recently, the American Federation of Musicians & Employers’ Pension Fund (AFM-EPF) Board of Trustees sent a letter to plan members explaining how the fund has suffered since the economic downturn and their plan for recovery. Unlike other union pension plans, the AFM-EPF
An Updated Look At Top-Tier Musician Compensation 2016
Thu, Sep 9, 2016
by Drew McManus
Currently, two of the top eight orchestras with the highest base musician annual salary are negotiating new collective bargaining agreements: National Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra. Interestingly enough, both of these ensembles are in positions where the outcome of those negotiations will likely have a larger impact on their future competitiveness than some of the upcoming
Well This Is Handy: Rating Airline Instrument Carry-On Policies
Thu, Sep 9, 2016
by Drew McManus
The International Federation of Musicians (FIM), not to be confused with the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), recently launched a webpage that rates major airline musical instrument carry-on policies (h/t MusicalAmerica.com). Perhaps unsurprisingly, most don’t fare well. According to FIM, the information used to create the ratings came directly from each airline’s website and as
