The Steel Guitar Forum

how do you get in the musicians union?

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall.

I heard it only takes a phone call now!..
When I joined you had to audition.. it was a joke.

In the fourties, Local #47 in Los Angeles (downtown on Georgia St.) pretty much controlled all the Ballrooms and Dance Halls. Union Scale for these venues was quite good for the times. If you had a Union Card you could visit other bands and get in free. Also they had one floor of their building set up as a discount grocery store for Union Members. Also, once a year they had a Union Picknic at a local park on Sunday afternoons and whatever bands or combos that were in town came a played for everyone. This included Western Swing bands and the big Pop Bands. Food and drink were free supplied by the Union. To be a member of the Union made you feel proud and gave you prestige. These were the good old days which now are long gone.

Cant you think of a better charity, like the blind!

i know some guys that joined musicians union just to belong to something they didnt know a thing about playing an instument. true story

FOR what it's worth the UNION help ME and my band at the time for better JOBS and better money.TKS. to MR. JOHNNY BONVILION, in NEW ORLEANS, La.also GOT me SOME AIR PLAY on my songs at that time!!!. From NEW ORLEAN, La.to NASHVILLE, TN. TO LOS ANGLES, CA. TKS. ALSO from LEO J. EIFFERT Jr. of EIFFERT RECORDS, bmi, N. TN.

Is there a minimum age requirement?

Nah!!! Just Maximum dues for minimum work.

So here is a question. If I join in Wisconsin and then go to Nashville and work do I have to join there too, or does belonging to just one local all I need to do? That includes if I move there.