The American Federation of Musicians (AFM/AFofM) is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada.

The American Federation of Musicians was founded in 1896, at which time it took over from an older and looser organization of local musicians unions, the National League of Musicians.

Among the most famous actions by the AFM was a ban on all commercial recording by members in 1942–44, in order to pressure record companies to make a better arrangement for paying royalties to recording artists. This was sometimes called the Petrillo Ban, because James Petrillo was the newly–elected head of the union. Petrillo also organized a second recording ban in 1948 (from January 1 to December 14), in response to the Taft–Hartley Act.

Most recently the AFM has been involved in dealing with problems caused by virtual orchestras. Many producers are now trying to save money by eliminating live musicians and using this device.

Presidents

• 1896–1900 Owen Miller
• 1900–1914 Joseph Weber
• 1914–1915 Frank Carothers
• 1915–1940 Joseph Weber
• 1940–1958 James Petrillo
• 1958–1970 Herman D. Kenin
• 1970–1978 Hal Davis
• 1978–1987 Victor Fuentealba
• 1987–1991 Martin Emerson
• 1991–1995 Mark Massagli
• 1995–2001 Steve Young
• 2001–Present Tom Lee