American Federation of Musicians Reaches Tentative Contract Deal With Studios

Just days after resuming direct talks, the American Federation of Musicians has reached a tentative agreement with the studios and producers.

Unanimously recommended by the AFM bargaining committee, the deal will be submitted to the general membership for ratification in about 10 days, sources tell Deadline. Finalized late last night, the AFM agreement for a new contact with the AMPTP still needs to put into formal language, as is always the case in such negotiations.

Though there is boasts of “historic breakthroughs” in the new deal, specific details of the tentative Basic Theatrical Motion Picture and Basic Television Motion Picture contract were not revealed today. Yet, with the massive rise of music used on streaming platforms over the last decade, residuals from such services was at the heart of this year’s talks with the AMPTP. To that, there is a fair amount of joy today among the AFM and sister unions, well-placed sources say.

“This agreement represents a major win for musicians who have long been under-compensated for their work in the digital age,”AFM International President and Chief Negotiator Tino Gagliardi said Friday as the deal was announced.

“We have secured historic breakthroughs in streaming residuals, established critical guardrails against the misuse of AI, gained meaningful wage increases and other important gains,” the Guild chief added. “This agreement represents a watershed moment for the artists who create the soundtracks for countless film and TV productions.”

“I want to congratulate our AFM Fair Share for Musicians bargaining unit members for their unwavering commitment to fighting for a contract that fairly compensates them for their invaluable contributions to film and TV and protects them in the ever-changing film and television industry,” Gagliardi went on to say.

The former president of AFM Local 802 in NYC, Gagliardi was elected head of the overall union back in June 2023.

Coming off the long and often bitter strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA last year, and talks for IATSE and Hollywood Teamsters looming, the AFM International president made sure to spread the gratitude wealth around — including to the AMPTP.

“We were not alone in this negotiation, and we were proud to have the full backing of fellow unions: SAG-AFTRA, Writers Guild of America, IATSE, and the Teamsters. It was yet another powerful reminder that when we have solidarity in the labor movement, we can achieve great things. We also would like to thank Carol Lombardini, president of the AMPTP, as well as the AMPTP and its member companies, for helping bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion.”

Unlike its sisters unions, the AFM never held a strike authorization vote going into initial talks last month. However, with strong public and potentially picket line support on January 23 from IATSE, Teamsters Local 399, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the AFM brought some serious muscle to their negotiations this time round.

Muscle that seems to have hit all the right notes.