Acronym for various organizations and concepts, most commonly the American Federation of Musicians, a labor union representing professional musicians. Can also refer to Atomic Force Microscopy in scientific contexts.
Formed as an acronym in the 20th century from the initial letters of 'American Federation of Musicians', established in 1896. The abbreviation became standard usage within the music industry for referring to the union.
The AFM was instrumental in the famous 1942-1944 recording ban, where musicians refused to make commercial recordings to protest the rise of jukeboxes and radio threatening live performance jobs. This ban actually helped launch the careers of many vocalists who could still record a cappella!
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