Work Rules for Commercial Announcements

  • Every session must have a Leader.
  • Contractor required for 10 or more musicians (including the Leader).
  • Leader, Contractor or Musician performing alone – Double the Basic Scale.
  • When a leader or contractor also performs as a side musician, the scale payment for the leader or contractor includes the performance of a single instrumental part. The scale payment for any additional instrumental part(s) as provided in Section 16 of the agreement shall be side musician’s scale for each part.
  • Cancellations: No cancellations or postponements without consent of the Federation.
  • Hold Period: 40 Minutes beyond the length of the call.
  • Rest Period: 5 minutes first hour, 10 minutes each subsequent hour.
  • First Air Date: Employer must submit first air date reports when spots air.

Premium Pay: All work done between midnight and 8:00 am; on Sundays; and on the following holidays is paid at double the applicable scale: New Years Day, Labor Day, President’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Memorial Day, Christmas, and Independence Day.

Cartage: If a public carrier (i.e. cartage company) is used, Employer will pay cartage bills as submitted. If a private transportation is used, the Employer will pay a musician cartage fees as follows:

  • $50 for harp, keyboard, string bass and timpani ,marimba, chimes, vibraphone.
  • $25 for tuba, all drums, all amplifiers, baritone sax, bass sax, cello, accordion, cordovox and contra-bass clarinet.

Maximum Number of Announcements Claimed: A maximum of three (3) commercial announcements (spots) may be claimed for any original one-hour minimum call session. One (1) additional commercial announcement may be claimed for each additional 20 minutes or part thereof that has been paid as part of the original session.

Initial Use: This use payment entitles the Employer to use all commercial announcements claimed from the same original session for the initial cycle from the date of first use of each spot.

Dubbing, (Reuse): transfer of a music track into a commercial used in the same broadcast medium – 75% of 1-hour Session Fee
New Use: transfer of music track into a commercial used in a different broadcast medium -75% of 1-hour Session Fee
(Reuse and New Use fees are paid the scale amount in effect at the time of the Dubbing or New Use)

Use/Reuse Payments

  • Reuse of a spot for 13 weeks in television or radio – 75% of the Session Fee.
  • Use or reuse of a spot for 8 weeks in radio only – 80% of 13 week cycle payment.
  • Use and reuse fees are paid under scale in effect at the time of the original session.

Internet Use: The same payment structure exists for commercials “made for” Internet use and “moved over to” the Internet. The Employer has the option to select an 8-week, 26-week, or 52-week Internet use cycle; such cycles need not be consecutive and may alternate under the following scale wages:

  • 8-week cycle: $104.56 side musician/copyist, $209.12 for leader/contractor/arranger/orchestrator
  • 26-week cycle: $209.12 side musician/copyist, $418.24 for leader/contractor/arranger/orchestrator
  • 52-week cycle: $313.68 side musician/copyist, $627.69 for leader/contractor/arranger/orchestrator

Sideline Musicians:

  • Minimum call for sideline musicians is 8 hours
  • Overtime is paid per 15 minutes
  • Single musician sidelining alone pays $261.40
  • “Silent” or Speaking Bits are paid per SAG-AFTRA scale

This summary is for informational purposes only; it is intended to summarize the relevant terms and conditions of the AFM Commercial Announcements Agreement. The terms and conditions of this AFM Agreement shall prevail over any interpretation of any information contained herein. The complete governing Agreement is available from the AFM or your music contractor.