Today, an artist-label relationship can appear more of a “you vs. The Man” relationship. So artists are looking for the help that other entertainers sought in the recent past: unions.

With individual contracts providing fodder for artists’ lawsuits against their big labels, unions cannot intervene on behalf of the artists they represent. However, this may not be the case for much longer. Kim Roberts Hedgpeth, national executive director for AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) hints that the unions plan on being more involved in artist-label negotiations in the near future. When the AFTRA contract is up for renegotiation in 2010, the union expects some changes to be implemented, digital rights being a key issue.

Hedgpeth indicates that artist involvement in the change will be imperative, “This period of time between 2008 and 2010 is a window of opportunity for artists to come together through their union to address an issue collectively that heretofore they have looked at as an individual issue… It’s going to be very complicated and is going to need the input of artists as well as their managers.”

So, unless you’ve got the finances and cojones of the Allman Brothers Band, who recently filed a class-action suit against SONY BMG over digital downloads and ring tones, it’s a good idea for all musicians to start thinking about what they can do for their union, not what their union can do for them.

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