When Musicians Contact was founded in1969 we thought it would be the connection place for non-union musicians, since the LA Musicians Union members already had their established place.  But within a few months we attracted union players seeking gigs and after three years our members were comprised of almost HALF Musicians Union members.  Why did these players need us?  What weren’t they getting at their own union?

First, their union supplied no RESUMES.  They simply provided a little phone book of all members consisting of name, street address, and phone – that’s all.  Style of music was not stated, no age, nothing else.  Second, they had no organized method of distributing job offers, only a bulletin board with paper ads like those found in music stores, whereas we offered a call-in service to give our members gigs over the phone.

Because we supplied complete resumes on all of our members, Union bands came to us to find a needed player instead of going to their own union.  And most didn’t care if their chosen prospect was a Union member or not because a non-union guy could always join later.  Consequently, some of our members joined the Musicians Union as a result of getting a job through US!

LA was usually considered to be a “weak” union town compared to some other large cities.  The Union had a tight grip on recording sessions and classical performances, but not on clubs.  My only personal experience with the Union happened in 1975.  My band was playing a wedding reception at the Hyatt House hotel, (better known as the Riot House), in Hollywood.  After only four songs a guy came up and asked to see our Union cards.  None of us had one, so he told us to stop because it was a Union venue.  So we packed up and left.  (Thankfully the groom still paid us).

In the 1980’s and 1990’s fewer and fewer Union bands that used our service to find musicians seemed to care whether their new player was in the Union or not.  We met with various Union officials over the years, and although they supported our cause, they could never really “endorse” us because we dealt with non-union players.  By 2000, and for the past 25 years, no one seems to mention the Musicians Union anymore.

Have YOU had an experience with the Union, good or bad?
Let us know: info@MusiciansContact.com