News

Bassist/Writer/Producer Dave Pomeroy is digitally releasing a 4 song EP, United We Stand, by Dave Pomeroy & Friends, on streaming services via his label, Earwave, on Monday, June 8, 2026. The EP contains 4 original songs, three written by Pomeroy inspired by his experiences as a musicians’ advocate, and “World Peace,” a duet with Regina McCrary and featuring the McCrary Sisters on background vocals.

Musical collaborators on this project include Sam Bacco (percussion), Pat Bergeson (harmonica), Sam Bush (mandolin), Pat Coil (keyboards), Billy Contreras (fiddle), Smith Curry (steel guitar, lap steel), Owen Fader (saxophone), Barry Green (trombone), Rick Lonow (drums), Kenny Vaughan (electric guitar), Biff Watson (acoustic guitar), and Regina, Ann, and Alfreda McCrary on background vocals.

“What Unions Did for You” is a straightforward list of all of the things that organized labor has done to help working class Americans. “Respect the Band” articulates the decades-long injustice of U.S. terrestrial AM/FM radio refusing to pay artists, backup musicians, and singers anything for the use of their work, as every other civilized country in the world does. “The AI Blues” is a tale of awareness of the danger of Artificial Intelligence compromising the artistic integrity and human element of music creation. The EP closes with “World Peace,” co-written and performed with Regina McCrary and featuring the McCrary Sisters, a plea for sanity and humanity in these complicated times. Dave plays multiple basses on that recording with Sam Bacco on percussion.

At a time when negativity is trying to rule our daily lives, United We Stand is a statement of unity, positivity, and optimism, that by respecting one another, we can make the world a better place. Thanks for listening, and let’s stand together for the good stuff!

I am pleased to announce that I am running for re-election for the position of AFM International Vice President at the upcoming 103rd AFM Convention, June 2026, in Ottawa, Canada. I have been an AFM member for 48 years, and have dedicated myself to helping to raise the bar for all musicians. I have been President of AFM Local 257 for 18 years, and was on the Local 257 Hearing Board for 10 years, followed by the 257 Executive Board for 6 years. I was elected AFM International Vice President in 2023 after 13 years on the International Executive Board.

As a working musician, I have been very blessed to work with many of my heroes and be a part of the development of many artists’ successful careers. I started out my career touring, and gradually got into full-time studio work, and doing my own projects on the side. All of these experiences have helped me to understand the different areas of the music business much more thoroughly and look for innovative yet practical solutions to the problems we face.

Some of what we have accomplished in Nashville includes development of the Single Song Overdub agreement for home recording, paid on a per-song basis that allows the musician to contribute into their own pension. Tracks on Tour also came from Local 257 as a way to get studio musicians compensated for the use of their tracks onstage. It is now a part of the SRLA contract and we have collected more than $800K for our members. We spent years lobbying the city to make home studios a legal home business, which we achieved in 2020. We negotiated a 100% AFM member discount with Metropolis Parking, allowing members to save hundreds of dollars a year. We have diversified our membership and are conducting a series of monthly musical events that are open to the public, including Jazz, Soul, and World Music nights, a Songwriter/Musician Workshop, and various music business educational events as well.

On the national front, I have testified and advocated on behalf of AFM musicians in Washington D.C. on a variety of issues over the past 18 years. These include working with the FAA to codify regulations for musicians to carry instruments on planes, and performance rights and intellectual property issues for recording musicians. In February 2022, I testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee in support of the American Music Fairness Act, which is still making its way through Congress. Passage of the AMFA would correct a nearly century-long injustice and free up hundreds of millions of dollars in international airplay royalties for AFM musicians.

I wrote and performed original songs for the AFM “Respect the Band” campaign for streaming residuals, the AFL-CIO’s “Save Our Pension” rally in Columbus, Ohio, performed my new song “The AI Blues” at the AFM’s Times Square rally during our negotiations with the record labels, and created the “Welcome to the AFM” video. I attended the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property summit in Beijing, China, participating in negotiating an international treaty with 131 countries on important intellectual property issues, and continue to be proactive in this important area for the future of our business.

I look forward to seeing my fellow AFM representatives and officers in Ottawa, and continuing the work that our AFM leadership team led by Tino Gagliardi, aka Team Progress, has done over the past 3 years. It will be my honor to continue this with another term as AFM International Vice President, and I respectfully ask for your vote.

Dave will be performing at the Grand Ole Opry on Wednesday, June 10, as part of the Opry’s tribute to Don Williams. More details coming.