In a precedent setting agreement, Local 802 of the American Federation of Musician and Variety Arts reached an agreement allowing the use of a virtual orchestra machine at an off Broadway theatre. The use of virtual orchestra's have been at the center of a dispute and caused a strike last spring by Broadway musicians, which in turn led a producer of the machines to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The agreement is seen as a win for both the union, which allows use of the machine only by its consent and the theatre whose production can continue without disruption. The machines are still banned from use on Broadway.
See Jesse McKinley, The New York Times, April 13, 2004