FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - answers from RMA Nashville HQ. Please feel free to submit a question through the Contact page, and we will try to answer it ASAP.
 
 How do I log in to my directory listing and user profile?
 Here's the login/password instructions for new members... In order for members who are on the system, but have not yet logged in, to get a randomly generated password, just do the following:
 
1. Put anything in the “user” and “pass” fields which are at the top of every page on the site.
2. Click “Login”.
3. In the body of the site click on “Forgot Your Password / Username?”
4. Enter the email address that is associated with your listing.
5. Click “Send Login Info”.
 
The user and password will be sent to that email address.
 
Once you have logged in, you can change your user name and password to anything you would like. Make sure to click the edit listing button at the bottom of the page before
logging out.
 
Why should I record "on the card"? It's a lot easier to just get paid on the day  and not worry about it, right?
 
It may seem easier at the time, but by working off the card you are hurting yourself 3 ways -
1.) You won't get a AFM pension contribution, which would pay back its amount many times over when you retire.
 
2.) You are probably working for less than you are entitled to, and
 
3.) If the demo or record you play on gets placed in a movie or TV show, you are completely out of luck. A demo that makes it to a film will pay at least 3 or 4 times what you made originally, and sometimes more.
 
Isn't the paperwork for filing session really complicated? Not really. It's the leader's responsibility to get a Time Card filled out properly, and make sure the Employer is Signatory with the Union. Demo sessions do not need a signatory, but every session will have a pension payment in addition to the appropriate scale paid to the players. A properly filled out Local 257 Time Card has all the information that will be transferred to a contract. The folks in the Recording Department of Local 257 will type a contract for you for $10. and send it to the Employer who then has 15 business days to write the checks and get them to the Union.
 
What does "Signatory" mean? A signatory is an employer who has agreed to work Union and has an agreement on file with the AFM or Local 257, either on a "one off" basis, (the AFM Single Project Short Form, which is free but must be filed for each project individually, is for Masters and Low Budget Masters), a Local 257 Limited Pressing Agreement (which is also free and is designed for independent and custom projects) or a full AFM Signatory Agreement, which costs $100. initially and has no expiration date. A full AFM Signatory will have to periodically report sales to the AFM, but won't be liable for any Special Payments contributions until the record sells upwards of 30,000 units. All Union sessions except Demos must have a signatory when the paperwork is filed, though they can be back dated to the date of a session, within reason. This ensures that the players will be paid in a timely manner and a pension payment will be made on each player's behalf. The Local 257 Recording Department has all the forms that you need and will provide them for you - free of charge of course... all you have to do is ask.