American Photographic Artists (APA) Forms Alliance With, Offers Complimentary Membership to Artists Rights Society (ARS)

ATLANTA, April 21, 2011 -- American Photographic Artists (APA) (http://www.apanational.com) is committed to helping professional photographers and creative artists succeed at the business of photography. In past months, APA has taken significant steps to expand advocacy efforts and has formed an alliance with Artists Rights Society (ARS) (http://www.arsny.com). This alliance offers secondary rights protection to APA members by offering them complimentary membership to ARS. This move is in-line with APA's desire to protect artists' rights and will enable artists to receive known and unknown royalties that belong to them more quickly and efficiently.

"APA members now have the benefit of becoming members of Artists Rights Society, which will help them obtain more protection over secondary rights of their work," comments Stephen Best, CEO of APA. "Since our organization supports and lobbies for artists' rights, in addition to many other benefits, this alliance was a natural fit. Now, new and current APA members can join ARS at no charge and have more rights protection and receive royalty checks sooner than they would without membership."

APA has sent out ARS membership information to all current APA members, encouraging them to register with ARS as soon as possible. Artists interested in becoming new APA members are also eligible for ARS membership and can contact Stephen Best directly at [email protected].  

Why Should APA Members Join ARS?

• Because the creative industry is in the midst of a tremendous evolution where photographers' rights are becoming integral to business success. ARS can help protect their work and their business.
• Because when artists are ARS members, their information is on file and they will receive secondary licensing funds more rapidly than if they weren't members.
• Funds distributed by ARS are royalties that artists would otherwise never have known about or had the opportunity to collect.

This alliance with ARS is one of the many benefits offered to APA members. Through ongoing education programs, business resources, and a myriad of other benefits and services, APA has encouraged success and built up artists for nearly 30 years.

About American Photographic Artists (APA)

The American Photographic Artists (http://www.apanational.com) is a leading national organization run by and for professional photographers. With a culture that promotes a spirit of mutual cooperation, sharing and support, APA offers outstanding benefits, educational programs and essential business resources to help its members achieve their professional and artistic goals. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with chapters in Atlanta, Los Angeles, the Midwest, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Charlotte, the Northwest and Washington, DC, APA strives to improve the environment for photographic artists and clear the pathways to success in the industry. Recognized for its broad industry reach, APA continues to expand benefits for its members and works to champion the rights of photographers and image-makers worldwide.

About Artists Rights Society (ARS)

Artists Rights Society (ARS) (http://www.arsny.com) is the preeminent copyright, licensing, and monitoring organization for visual artists in the United States. ARS lobbies for all of these causes in the U.S. and is also a conduit for fees remitted to U.S. creators. Founded in 1987 and based in New York, ARS represents the intellectual property rights interests of over 60,000 visual artists and estates of visual artists from around the world (painters, sculptors, photographers, architects and others). ARS' membership derives from two sources. First, ARS represents American artists who become its direct adherents and it represents foreign artists who are members of affiliated arts organizations abroad. ARS represents the international repertory of fine artists, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Andy Warhol, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Frank Stella.

Press Contact:

Lauren Hunter Public Relations
[email protected]
916-838-2184

APA Contact:

Stephen Best, APA National CEO
[email protected]
800-272-6264 ext. 12

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SOURCE American Photographic Artists