AGMA’s collective power flows not only from the engagement of its members, but also from the pooling of its members’ resources in the form of union dues. From the employment of a highly skilled professional staff to the negotiation and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements and the education and training of elected union officers, delegates, and the general membership, your union dues help provide the structure and the people to support you, the membership, as you fight to improve your lives and industries. If you have worked under an AGMA contract, or are currently or about to work under an AGMA contract, and have not yet submitted a membership application, please click here to apply.
The initial cost to join AGMA and become a member in good standing is $150. This represents the $100 Basic Dues for the current year plus the first installment of $50 toward AGMA’s Initiation Fee. See below for complete details on AGMA’s dues structure.
AGMA DUES STRUCTURE
As an AGMA member, you pay a one-time Initiation Fee of $1,000, one of the lowest among performing arts unions. This Initiation Fee will be reduced by 50% for artists joining AGMA who are working in a newly organized company or who are members of Actors' Equity Association (AEA) or the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).
This fee can be paid off in installments of $50 per month (i.e. 5% of your initiation fee per month). Please note that Initiation Fee installment payments are only required during months in which you are working under an AGMA contract, and as long as you remain current on your payments, you remain a member of AGMA in good standing. If you would like to set up an Installment Plan, you have the following options:
- Download and fill out the Installment Plan Registration Form and email the completed/signed form to installments@musicalartists.org. (Please note - this form includes your credit/debit card information.)
- Call the AGMA Membership Department at 212-265-3687 ext. 450 to submit the information on this registration form to an AGMA Staff Representative over the phone - including authorization to charge your credit/debit card on a monthly basis.
Payment of your Initiation Fee or registration for an Installment Plan should be arranged within one week of the first rehearsal of your first AGMA job.
Changing or Pausing Your Installment Plan
- Should you need to need to change or update the credit card information that AGMA keeps on file for processing your automatic monthly installment payments, you may:
- Complete the “Change of Credit Card” form and email it to installments@musicalartists.org; OR
- Call (212) 265 – 3687 ext. 450 to update this information with AGMA’s Finance Department by phone
- To pause your Installment Plan:
- Please email installments@musicalartists.org with your inquiry AT LEAST 3 BUSINESS DAYS BEFORE your next installment payment is due / is scheduled to be charged on your card.
*IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PAUSING YOUR INSTALLMENT PLAN: You only have the option to pause installment payments if you are not working under AGMA contract. It is your responsibility to notify AGMA to pause payment at least three (3) business days before the installment payment is due, and it is your responsibility to notify AGMA to restart your plan once you start working under an AGMA contract.
Basic Dues are the annual minimum payment that all AGMA members make to support the continuing operation of their union.
All AGMA members pay Basic Dues in the amount of $100 per year. Basic Dues are billed annually and are due on January 1 of each year. Dues can easily be submitted online by logging into your MyAGMA account.
Please ensure that your Basic Dues are submitted in a timely fashion to avoid any suspension of your membership.
Working Dues are the payments that all AGMA members make when they are working under an AGMA contract.
All AGMA members working under an AGMA contract will have 2% of the first $100,000 of gross annual AGMA income (maximum of $2,000 per year) deducted from their paychecks and remitted by the employer to AGMA, according to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
Submitting Payment
You can pay your Dues and Initiation Fee online, through your Personal Portal. This requires you have access to MyAGMA, via a username and password. To set up a payment plan or speak to AGMA's membership department, you can email membership@musicalartists.org or call 212-265-3687 ext. 2.
JOINT MEMBERSHIP WITH THE ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA)
A reciprocal arrangement allows AGMA members who have been in good standing for at least one year and who have worked under an AGMA contract to be eligible to join Equity. Both AGMA and Equity members in good standing are permitted to attend each unions’ auditions.
Additionally, Actors’ Equity members in good standing will have their AGMA initiation fee reduced by 50% - meaning the total AGMA initiation fee becomes $500.
JOINT MEMBERSHIP WITH THE STAGE DIRECTORS & CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY (SDC)
A reciprocal arrangement allows a prospective AGMA member who is an active member in good standing of Stage Directors & Choreographers Society (SDC) to join AGMA at a reduced cost. Members in good standing at SDC will have their AGMA initiation fee reduced by 50% - meaning the total AGMA initiation fee becomes $500.
QUESTIONS ABOUT DUES?
Please reach out to your AGMA Staff Representative with questions or inquiries regarding any aspect of membership classification, the Initiation Fee, Basic Dues, or Working Dues. You can also reach out to the Membership Department at (212) 265-3687 or (800) 543- 2462, or email membership@musicalartists.org.
SUSPENSION FROM MEMBERSHIP
Please note that as of January 1, 2022, individuals whose membership has been suspended for four (4) or more years will be removed from AGMA's membership rolls. An individual who has been removed from AGMA's rolls will be treated as a new member in the event they reapply for membership and required to fill out a Membership Application and pay AGMA's $1,000 initiation fee.