Speak your mind about the upcoming election

Just received this in an email from the publisher of Performing Songwriter. Regardless of who you chose to support this election, this seems like an important opportunity. –Eric Nuzum

To all members of the music community:

Lately, with national and world events becoming more and more magnified and urgent, I’ve been thinking about what my role is as the publisher and editor of Performing Songwriter – a magazine I started 11 years ago with a mission statement to provide a sense of community for artists, songwriters and musicians as a whole, and to give that community a platform from which to be heard.

I’ve watched and listened as so many of you have taken stands and made passionate pleas for change in this administration and the way events and policies that affect all of our lives are being handled. And then I decided: The July/August issue is going to be dedicated to the music community’s stance on the importance of this year’s presidential election.

Carole King is our cover feature, and she provides a very rare interview where she talks about her work with John Kerry as well as the environmental issues that she is involved with. We also have artists writing about the censorship issue, the FCC’s continued deregulation of radio and other media and what it means to the music community, and the importance of being fearless and speaking out; an article on grassroots political organizations within the music community that have sprung up; the personal thoughts of artists, musicians and songwriters; and much more.

I have two goals for this issue:

1. To provide a vehicle for your voice to be heard; and
2. To print as large a quantity of this issue as is financially possible in order to get it into the hands of the general public by giving it out to organizations and conventions, showing this country the work your music community is doing and the passion with which you’re doing it.

So I’m sending this e-mail out to ask two things of you:

First, if you would forward this e-mail to any songwriters, musicians or leaders in the music business who might be interested in sending in a few sentences addressing why they feel this election is so important, we can make sure more and more of your voices are heard. And your voices are so important, particularly now, so please speak out because we’re listening. Send a few sentences (please keep it short and concise so we don’t have to edit for space purposes), and your name, city and state in which you live to my personal e-mail address: LydiaHutchinson@performingsongwriter.com
Please note: We need to receive your e-mail by May 7 for it to be included.

And second, Performing Songwriter will commit to covering the cost of the additional pages for this issue for our regular distribution – this issue is absolutely going to happen, and I think be one of the most important ones we’ve ever published. But we need to ask your help in getting as many copies out and into the hands of the public as possible. If you could forward this e-mail to any person, company or organization that might want to advertise-showing their support and message through the ad-the money generated from those ads will go directly toward printing more copies of this issue to be given out everywhere possible. In other words, the more ads bought in support of this specific issue, the more people we’ll be able to get your message to. For information on advertising in this issue e-mail MerlinDavid@performingsongwriter.com We’ll need to have your ad reservation by May 14.

Also, if anyone wants to pre-order this issue at a discount rate of $5, you can do so until May 14 (when we determine our print order) by going to the special page set up at www.performingsongwriter.com

I’m always so moved by this wonderful community of songwriters, and the passion with which you approach everything you do. I made a commitment many years ago to support you in any way that I could because your art has made such a difference in my own life, much less the lives of everyone else. Just so you know, Performing Songwriter remains completely independent, with no corporate or investment ties. There’s no one to say I can’t do something, say something or support what I believe in. And that means YOU have a place where you can say and support whatever you believe in and BE HEARD.

Thank you for all that you do, and all that you give us.

Lydia Hutchinson
Publisher and Editor
Performing Songwriter magazine
www.performingsongwriter.com