When Hollywood Union Members Embraced Artificial Music

In 1929, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) railed against the growing trend of recorded music in movie theaters instead of live musicians - a trend kicked off by ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927.

The AFM mounted an amusing and costly advertising blitz—costing $9 million in 2025 dollars - with the goal of shifting public sentiments about the use of ‘canned music’ in movie theatres.

The adverts were emblazoned with titles like “Banish Music?” and “Is Art to Have a Tyrant?” and depicted a looming “Robot at the Helm” imperilling classical ensembles, “Making Musical Mince Meat!” all in the name of a soulless “Profit Without Honor.”

It was an early example of conflict borne of automation changing the relationship between businesses and creatives. One we see repeated today in new conflicts between unions and Hollywood - but with one key difference: local Hollywood union members were anything but outraged…

Musicians in Hollywood suddenly saw their earnings sky rocket, since their performances could be captured and re-used. One paper reported in 1929:

“Local musicians are making, for the first time in their lives, concert artists’ wages recording this very ‘canned music’ against which their less fortunately situated brethren are protesting.”

Ironically the AFM would impose caps of 9 hours of work per week on members in Hollywood, for fear their newly enriched members would no longer see the need for collective bargaining.

Some of the ads they ran even alluded to these very union members, highlighting that 300 Hollywood musicians were supplying all the music for theatres.

The AFM wasn’t wrong that recorded sound was reducing demand for live musicians in theatres - but it was wrong for wasting time, and $9 million dollars of union members money - protesting the inevitable, all while barring Hollywood musicians from increasing their earnings.

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