From the Corner Office

By Randy Himes
Assistant National Executive Director, Sound Recordings & Executive Director, Nashville Local

As we round the corner into 2014, I wonder what happened to 2013. Seems like most of that year was a blur. We’ve now been merged almost two years, and members and staff are settling in to the groove of our new family. We’ve had elections, convention, adjusted budgets and we continue to work out the “kinks,” all while your elected leadership and staff work at a frenzied pace to deliver services to members in this new union.

Currently, we are preparing for negotiations for a new SAG-AFTRA Sound Recordings Code. We made some significant gains in the last negotiations related to the collection of digital download monies for our studio session singers. Nashville continues to lead the nation in the number of sessions processed through the union, and Nashville singers receive a significant share of monies distributed under this contract provision.

We will have meetings in Nashville, Los Angeles, New York and other production centers to create proposals for our negotiations. Currently, the anticipated start date for the first negotiation is late April.

Just a reminder of all the custom SAG-AFTRA contracts available to members to get your work protected and to receive health and retirement contributions to your account:

Nashville Songwriter Agreement: This agreement enables songwriters to receive health and retirement benefits from compensation paid under their publishing agreement. This agreement has covered hundreds of songwriters and many publishers have signed or are signed to this agreement.

SAG-AFTRA Touring Agreement: This agreement protects and provides benefits to singers and dancers who tour with our recording artist members. This agreement makes all tour compensation SAG-AFTRA compensation so that singers and dancers receive valuable health and pension benefits. The agreement also protects tapings and televised performances from the tour. In late 2013, Justin Timberlake stepped up and signed the Experience 20/20 Tour to this agreement. Read about it here.

SAG-AFTRA Independent Artist Label Letter Agreement: This agreement is custom made for our independent artists. All sources of income (touring, merchandise, licensing, physical/digital and publishing) are all SAG-AFTRA-covered earnings. Having such a broad scope of related covered earnings means that independent artists can continue to maintain health benefits while they work as independent artists.

Nashville Publisher Demo Agreement: This agreement is now in its third decade of providing a source of employment and income for so many singers who perform on songwriter/publisher demos. There are actually more demo sessions than master sessions under the SAG-AFTRA Sound Recordings Code.

SAG-AFTRA is not some other people in a far off place, or a building or staff on Music Row. SAG-AFTRA is you, along with 165,000 professional members who are working together to make life as a performer or broadcast professional a paying and rewarding career and not a non-compensating hobby.

Here’s to a safe and successful 2014! Let us know how we can be of service to you.