Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/129167
"I've had many of my recordings used in various ilms, commercial ad campaigns and other media platforms. It's a blessing to know that the folks at the union are keeping tabs on these uses." CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF PETER RIVERA; HATCHER & FELL, COURTESY OF RIDERS IN THE SKY; BLUE SKY RIDERS; ALEX KIRZHNER – PETER RIVERA, ORIGINAL LEAD SINGER OF RARE EARTH "I just kept hearing I should join, so I thought that was the thing to do, but I didn't quite know why," she said. "Until I didn't get paid for a job once or twice. Suddenly, it was very clear. he union stayed on top of it and they got me my checks. I would forget that I had done jobs and I would get paid … and then I really understood what they were doing: hey were keeping track of our work when we weren't even doing that." When it comes to an artist's career, managers and agents can come and go, but the union is there for the long haul. "When you're a union member, you belong to something," adds Dan Navarro, a recording artist who performed in the duo Lowen & Navarro, and who serves as "In this ever-changing entertainment business, the only constants in my career have been The Grand Ole Opry and SAG-AFTRA!" – JEANNIE SEELY a SAG-AFTRA National Board member. "It's an advocate, it's an ally, in a way that I think many artists don't understand during their salad days." hese protections are so important because singing, as a career, takes total commitment. Recording artist Jennifer Warnes, who may be best known for I've Had the Time of My Life, her duet with Bill Medley from the 1987 ilm Dirty Dancing, has been in the business since she was a teenager, and said she is on the verge of signing with a new major label. She is also a strong union supporter who has been active in lobbying for legislation that helps singers. he way Warnes "I don't exaggerate when I say that the beneits I've received through my association with SAG-AFTRA have made a better, and certainly healthier, life for my family. Bless our union." – FRED LABOUR, RIDERS IN THE SKY Flo Rida OWN YOUR MASTERS If you transferred or assigned the rights to your master recordings to a label on or after Jan. 1, 1978, you may be eligible to recover those rights 35 years after having made the transfer. If you think this may apply to you, consult a copyright attorney for further details. SAGAFTRA.org | Spring 2013 | SAG-AFTRA 27