Members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) who perform in the live television industry have voted to approve a new three-year successor Television Videotape Agreement with CBS, NBC, and ABC. The agreement, ratified on December 23, includes significant improvements, including for the first time—a streaming residual for musicians who perform in live television production.

The agreement covers all musicians involved in the production of streamed shows—house bands, guest artists, back-up musicians, and music preparation personnel when shows are exhibited on advertiser-supported (AVOD) streaming platforms. The agreement also includes long-overdue annual wage increases and additional health and welfare contributions.

“The new AVOD residual is a fundamental, structural contract change that would not have been possible without the solidarity, activism, hard work, and enormous time investment of all involved in the negotiations, including musicians who created the #RespectUs campaign to highlight the inequities in their contract,” says AFM President Ray Hair. “I am thankful for the steadfast commitment of the Federation’s negotiating team toward protecting and improving the benefits that our great musicians receive for their talented contributions to the television industry.”

The agreement became effective December 27, 2020.