Dear President Obama and Vice President Biden,
We, the undersigned, are just a few of the more than 11 million artists living, working, and creating across the United States. Our work brings significant cultural and economic value to our society - and contributes $1.52 trillion to the nation's GDP. Yet that value is being disregarded as our rights and incentives to create are increasingly under threat.
Hear us as we speak with one voice about the importance of creators' rights.
We are the essence of America. Since the founding of our country, our work has provided light in the darkness of conflict, humor in the depths of sadness, beauty in the face of ugliness, and reason in the dysfunction of division.
We serve as the foundation of our communities; you find us in schools, performance halls, libraries, museums, community centers, and movie houses. We enrich our culture with a wide range of creative expression, including music, film, software, video games, writing, photography, graphics, and other visual arts.
We contribute in some way to every single industry in the country. Many of us are self-employed. All of us work hard and pay taxes.
Yet, we are under assault. Our rights to control the distribution, use, and reproduction of our works in our vibrant digital age are dismissed by many who do not understand the value we bring to society. They tell us to work harder, create better, and give our works away. Some think that they should control our works and that they should be able to appropriate, perform, and copy them how they please, without our consent, benefit, or participation.
Our freedom as creators lies in the Constitutional rights we cherish, rights given to us to promote our culture. Without these rights, our ability to pursue our creative dreams and to meet the high expectations of those who benefit from our creative works is significantly diminished. As a result, all Americans will suffer.
Mr. President and Vice President, hear our call. We know you understand the value our creative contributions bring to our society and economy, and we know you can encourage our citizens to respect our rights. Please pursue policies supportive of the rights of artists and the encouragement of our creative efforts. Without the proper respect for our rights and works today, it will become even more difficult for us to create in the future.
Sincerely,
| # | Name | City | State | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9300 | Nick Pucci | Brooklyn | NY | graphic |
| 9301 | BJ Diamond | West Hartford | CT | Music |
| 9302 | bethany barr | lake st. louis | mo | actress/singer |
| 9303 | Marshall H. Cohen | Cohen | D.C. | Photojournalist |
| 9304 | Margaret Brettschneider | Colorado Springs | CO | Novelist |
| 9305 | William E. (Billy) Strange | Franklin | TN | Composer/Songwriter |
| 9306 | Marvin Gohman | Burnsville | MN | songwriter |
| 9307 | Jane Sterrett | Hoboken | NJ | Visual aptestArtist |
| 9308 | Jane Sterrett | Hoboken | Nj | Visual artist |
| 9309 | Bruce Young | Lexington | VA | Photographer |
| 9310 | Heather Lee | Encino | CA | Actress |
| 9311 | Gina Lento | Patchogue | NY | Fine Artist/Pastelist |
| 9312 | Karen Glenn | Valley Village | CA | lyricist/musical composer |
| 9313 | Bob Blount | Huntington beach | CA | P |
| 9314 | Gerald Berns | Los Angeles | CA | screenwriter/actor |
| 9315 | Lindsay Straw | Boston | MA | musician |
| 9316 | Birgit Staudt | Broooklyn | NY | Composer |
| 9317 | Magdalena Contreras | Apopka | FL | Graphic Designer |
| 9318 | Javier Zapata | Apopka | FL | 3D Animator & Graphic Designer |
| 9319 | Forrest Hall | Temple Hills | MD | Songwriter/Producer |
| 9320 | George Dalton Tolbert IV | Takoma Park | Md | Photographer |
| 9321 | Mark Trickey | Indian Trail | NC | Photographer |
| 9322 | Margeaux Bestard | Los Angeles | CA | Photographer |
| 9323 | Kay Diehl | Pasadena | CA | writer |
| 9324 | Crystal McDowell | Antioch | Tn | Photographer |
| 9325 | Mark | Pankler | Ca | musician |
| 9326 | Donna Davis | Berkeley | CA | actor |
| 9327 | Elizabeth Dimon | Lake Worth | FL | Actor |
| 9328 | Elizabeth Dimon | Lake Worth | FL | Actor |
| 9329 | Michael G. Seamans | Fort Collins | CO | freelance photojournalist |
| 9330 | Aaron Thomas | Memphis | TN | Instrumentalist / writer |
| 9331 | PAT D'AVERSA | OAKDALE | NY | PHOTOGRAPHER |
| 9332 | Barry Pribula | New York | NY | Photographer |
| 9333 | Walter Mitchell McGuire | new york | NY | actor/writer |
| 9334 | Debra Port Lucchi | Leonard | MI | Actress |
| 9335 | Adrienne Larsen | Fountain Hills | Arizona | Photographer |
| 9336 | Joan Jaffe | New York | NY | Performer |
| 9337 | bryantt miller | nashville | tn | songwriter |
| 9338 | bryantt miller | nashville | tn | singer/songwriter |
| 9339 | ALTON GARDNER | Raleigh | NC | HIPHOP |
| 9340 | Eric Hall | Burbank | CA | Musician |
| 9341 | Mark J. Smith | Oreland | PA | Photographer |
| 9342 | Russell Scheidler | St Paul | MN | Singer/Songwriter |
| 9343 | Susan Kelley | Fairmont | WV | Writer |
| 9344 | Diane Merrill | Colorado Springs | CO | musician |
| 9345 | Connie Richmond | Sherman Oaks | CA | actress |
| 9346 | Nancy Peden | Monterey | CA | writer; web developer; program designer |
| 9347 | bruce AIDELLS | kensington | cA | writer |
| 9348 | Carol Steinberg | New York | NY | photographer and arts lawyer |
| 9349 | John Templin | Bluffton | )H | Digital Prints |
| 9350 | Salpie Proodian | North Hollywood | CA | Retoucher |
| 9351 | Henry Walton | Los Angeles | CA | Author - Photographer |
| 9352 | Liz Queler | New York | NY | songwriter |
| 9353 | Bruce Wheeler | Pooler | GA | Musician |
| 9354 | Peter Lawson | New York City | NY | Producer/Composer |
| 9355 | Robert Thien | Atlanta | GA | Photographer |
| 9356 | Richard G. Whalen | Patchogue | NY | Graphic Designer/Illustrator |
| 9357 | Ghaaziy Machicote | New York City | NY | Record Executive |
| 9358 | Jim Hudak | Clayton | CA | Composer and Musician |
| 9359 | Gerry Drummond | Dumont | NJ | Poet/Writer |
| 9360 | Richard T. Bryant | Carrizozo | NM | photographer |
| 9361 | Michael Penney | Rollinsford | NH | Photographer |
| 9362 | Gregory Alexander | Compton | CA | Songwriter/Producer |
| 9363 | Wayne Eastep | Sarasota | FL | Photogapher |
| 9364 | marcy vaj | venice | CA | musician |
| 9365 | Connie Toops | Marshall | NC | photographer |
| 9366 | Richard Ferrone | New York | NY | Actor |
| 9367 | Stevie Williams | Gainesville | FL | Web Designer/Photography |
| 9368 | Janice Durbak | New Port Richey | FL | Musician |
| 9369 | lynde alvarez | portola valley | ca | photographer |
| 9370 | Margaret Gaspard | New York | NY | Singer/Actress/Writer |
| 9371 | daniel murdock | seattle | WA | photographer |
| 9372 | Dennis Wilson | Hendersonville | TN | singer/writer |
| 9373 | Kevin Smith | Atlanta | GA | Music Producer/Graphic Designer/Motion Designer |
| 9374 | Steve Whittaker | Foster CIty | CA | Architectural Photographer |
| 9375 | Joseph DiPalo | New York | NY | Songwriter |
| 9376 | Joe Howard | Sherman Oaks | CA | Actor/Writer |
| 9377 | Tyson Ellis | Santa Barbara | CA | Photographer |
| 9378 | ValJean Anderson | Vallejo | CA | Photographer |
| 9379 | Jamie Downs | Silver Spring | MD | Painter |
| 9380 | Catrine MacDonald | Washington | DC | Lyricist |
| 9381 | Bob Crawford | New York | NY | Writer/Producer |
| 9382 | Jan Leder | Dobbs Ferry | NY | flutist/songwriter/lyricist |
| 9383 | Marc Giammarco | Grahamsville | NY | Songwriter/Musician |
| 9384 | Michael Geist | Ottawa | ON | legal scholar |
| 9385 | Judith Blumenthal | New York | NY | Songwriter |
| 9386 | amanda grantham | enigma | ga | photography |
| 9387 | Jibril Antar | Boston | MA | artist management |
| 9388 | Gloria J. Barry | San Diego | CA | Photographer |
| 9389 | Dr. Lynn Job | Denton | TX | Composer/Publisher |
| 9390 | pete anderson | glendale | ca. | GUITARIST/PRODUCER |
| 9391 | Anna Chipman | Alameda | CA | Fine Art Photographer |
| 9392 | Joel pomerantz | gaithersburg | md | songwriter |
| 9393 | Leah | Davis | AZ | illustrator |
| 9394 | Margot MacDonald | Washington | DC | songwriter/musician/visual artist |
| 9395 | Anthony Chase | Fort Lauderdale | FL | Photographer & professor of art law |
| 9396 | Glynace Eastham | Houston | TX | performing songwriter/ret teacher |
| 9397 | Dale Effren | Beverly Hills | CA | Dale Effren |
| 9398 | Dale Robertson | Yukon | OK | Actor/Screenwriter |
| 9399 | Leroy Michael Evans Jr | Aurora | CO | Photographer |
