Don't Diminish Your Value: Keith Nelson on Musicians Union Benefits (Episode 93)

Make Music Your Business.

This one was recorded on a break. Nomad and bassist Keith Nelson were in the house band for a David Foster charity event in Los Angeles, and between sound checks, with the crew clanking gear in the background, they grabbed a few minutes to talk about something most players ignore until it is too late: the musicians union.

Keith's credits read like a who's who, from Gladys Knight and Diana Ross to Josh Groban, Chaka Khan and Michael Bublé. He is also, as Nomad explains, the secretary-treasurer of his local of the American Federation of Musicians in the Las Vegas area. So when the topic is musicians union benefits, he knows the deal firsthand. It is a quick episode with a clear message: get involved.

A union is not a solo

Keith's first point is in the word itself. A union is a uniting of people. It is not about one player; it is about everyone supporting each other, because the stronger each person is, the stronger the whole is.

And the benefits are long game: health benefits, working conditions, a pension the employer pays into. If the employer is paying it, Keith asks, why wouldn't you take it? Then make your own investment on top of it.

"There's nothing worse than someone who shared the love of their instrument and the beauty of music for 20, 30 years without anybody making any contributions into their future."

Keith Nelson, 5:00

His advice to younger players: look 10, 20, 30 years down the line. Get up, dress up, show up and be involved.

Every era speaks its own language

Keith knows the business has changed, and he wants the younger generation to tell the veterans what they need. The people you went to school with are going to be running the businesses one day. Speak up, and help shape the union into what works for your era. As Nomad put it, methods change but principles remain the same.

Don't diminish your value

"Don't diminish your value. You have high value. When someone wants you, they're not going away from you to go someplace else."

Keith Nelson, 12:17

If they want your sound, your tone, your look, it is fine to say: this is great, and I just need to put it on a contract. Then the union can track it and go after the royalties for you. That is Savvy from the ETHOS code.

What it has paid Nomad

After the break, Nomad shared his own story. When he moved to Nashville from Fort Lauderdale to be a session player, friends told him to join the union. Within a few years of playing on records, he started getting special payments checks: a fund built from record sales and split among the musicians who played on those records. Moving to Los Angeles for film and TV in 2005, he learned about the film music secondary markets fund, which pays players on movie scores when films sell to secondary markets. He also mentioned the AFM and SAG-AFTRA fund for TV and film work.

His bottom line: those payments were always far more than his dues. And when a label has dragged its feet or a client has not paid, his local's recording department has followed up and chased the money for him.

His insider tip for live broadcasts: if there is a microphone in front of you and you sing on the broadcast, you can earn more. He always made sure he had one.

The takeaway

You learned how to make music. Nobody taught you how to make a living making music. Part of making a living is protecting the money you have already earned. Get to know your local, put your work on contract, and think about where you want to be in 30 years. As Nomad says, you are worth it, you are talented, and you are capable. When you are ready to land the next one, start with the free Get the Gig guide.

Get the gig. Keep the gig. Build the career.

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