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Press mentions of the Future of Music Coalition and its board members

Want more? Check out our library for an in-depth list of suggested articles, reports and books, or the newsstream for more current articles.

2004

[FMC/Pew Survey] How do musicians feel about Internet file-sharing?
With all of the hullabaloo about music file sharing on the Internet, perhaps it's time to ask the musicians themselves about how they feel. The Pew Internet & American Life Project has done just that, surveying 2,755 musicians and songwriters between March 15 and April 15. Interestingly, the responses are far from uniform.
By Eric Sinrod
USA Today, May 12, 2004

[Summit 04] Bowie looks for diamonds among the remixing dogs
There is no black-and-white answer to mashing, in terms of either law or morality: such albums pose the hardest questions of the internet age. Is it lawful to mix the vocals of one artist with the instrumentals of another, without permission, and defend the outcome as a new work of art, rather than a mere collage of copies? Or is that what used to be known as theft - before technology made it just so easy to do?
By Patti Waldmeir
Financial Times (London), May 10, 2004 [subscription required]

[Summit04] Musicians Score a Date With Lobbyists
Evidence of the "rock-star effect" was on display earlier this week as lawmakers, think-tank experts, professors and scads of musicians gathered at The George Washington University to debate the politics of media consolidation, music royalties and peer-to-peer file swapping at the fourth annual Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit.
By David McGuire
washingtonpost.com, May 6, 2004

[Summit04] Record Industry Wants Still More
It's not enough for the music industry that legal music downloads are gaining popularity. Company honchos want to raise song prices, gain more control of distribution and collect higher royalties. Michael Grebb reports from the Future of Music conference in Washington, D.C.
Wired, May 5, 2004

[Summit04] FCC Member Rips Colleagues Over Consolidation
"We are skirting dangerously close to taking the public interest out of the public airwaves," Copps said at the Future of Music Coalition's policy summit, a conference of musicians, record industry executives, lawmakers and civil liberties activists.
By Brooke Brody-Waite
Reuters, May 4, 2004

[Summit04] Coleman: Music industry must adapt to technology
"You are the creative force in America; be creative," Coleman said. "I don't believe you can stop illegal use by suing a few people."
By Emily Johns
Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription), May 4, 2004

[Summit04] Harmony Rules in the Future of Music
Future of Music Summit Offers an Interlude in the Online Piracy Cacophony
By David McGuire
washingtonpost.com, April 30, 2004

[Summit04] Future of Music Coalition conference
p2pnet.net News:- Coming up on May 2 - the Future of Music Coalition policy summit in Washington, DC. And it's going to be a truly amazing event.
p2pnet.net April 9, 2004

[FMC] Band Aid for an Ailing Musician
In any given week, there seems to be a benefit for some Washington musician. Rock A Mole Productions, an activist cultural group based in Los Angeles, recently did a national survey of musicians and estimated that more than a thousand benefits each week are done by musicians for other musicians in health crises. Almost 90 percent of the musicians surveyed had played a benefit for another musician, though even the most successful benefit seldom makes more than a symbolic dent in typically huge health care debts.
By Richard Harrington
Washington Post, April 9, 2004

[FMC] Industry change eyed at music conference
Seattle Post Intelligencer, March 19, 2004

[FMC] Webcasters to Report and Pay
In April, the feds will require webcasters to track playlists and pay royalties to artists and music labels. Naturally, the recording industry is delighted, but small webcasters call the requirements onerous.
By Joanna Glasner.
Wired, March 15, 2004

[FMC] Health Insurance Crisis Lingers for Biz
The number of uninsured musicians remains high
By Chris Morris
Billboard, March 13, 2004

[FMC] Polishing the Brass
Judging from last week's Music Law Summit West, the future of the music biz is unclear -- but that's not what the RIAA wants you to think
By Garrett Kamps
San Francisco Weekly, March 3, 2004

[FMC] The Future of Music?
As new technologies and economics shake out the music business, hitting the road and making personal contact are more important than ever  
By Fiona Morgan
Durham Independent Weekly, February 17, 2004

[FMC] Jenny Toomey, Rocking the FCC
NPR's Neda Ulaby reports on Jenny Toomey and the FMC
NPR, February 12, 2004

[FMC] Dumptruck reissue conjures up the record industry's ugly past
There's no question that these are not the best of times for aspiring rock and pop musicians. Many have detailed the plight of musicians trying to land or even retain major label contracts at a time when media consolidation has resulted in fewer labels offering fewer contracts to a narrowing range of artists. This drumbeat of dire tales may have created the impression that the record industry has never been more inhospitable to aspiring young talent. But it's worth remembering that the industry's "good old days" were often just as awful.
By Rick Reger
Chicago Tribune, January 13, 2004

2003

Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, others target media consolidation on tour
by Rob Evans
LiveDaily, October 13, 2003

Record Companies Sue New Jersey Flea Market
[...] "No one in the music community would argue that the industry should not be vigilant in addressing that kind of piracy," said Michael Bracy, director of government relations for the Future of Music Coalition, a nonprofit group that promotes broadcast diversity. "The more difficult question is how the industry is responding to the new technologies that are flourishing and allow for digital transmission of music." [...]
New York Times, October 10, 2003

SEPTEMBER 2003

Clear Channel to Begin Tie-In to Restaurant
[...]Jenny Toomey, executive director at the Future of Music Coalition, another advocacy group, said that consumers knew and resented Clear Channel's sprawling reach. "Unless there's a huge shift in American sentiment, I can't imagine why anyone would want to go buy a Lowry-burger," she said, referring to Lowry Mays, the company chairman and chief executive.[...]
New York Times, September 29, 2003

Debating digital media's future
...Still, the radical changes now going on in consumers' listening habits should motivate the recording industry to explore compulsory licensing, said Walter McDonough, general counsel of the non-profit educational organization the Future of Music Coalition. "The record companies are becoming more like licensing companies rather than companies that manufacture disks. It will be a sustainable business model," McDonough said. "(But) we do need a process to determine what the rate (of the tax) is."
By Martin LaMonica
CNET News.com, September 18, 2003

With a little help from its friends
Eclectic Seattle radio station KEXP thrives with billionaire patron, fans worldwide
By Michael Ross
MSNBC.com, September 14, 2003

Fear May Not Spur CD Sales
The recording industry's latest batch of lawsuits may ignite fear among file traders. But whether it deters music swappers, or convinces them to buy more CDs, is another question, industry watchers say.
By Joanna Glasner.
Wired, September 9, 2003


Recording industry has tough sell to beat 'free' music

Marin Independent-Journal, CA

Giving price cuts a spin
By Chris Gaither
Boston Globe, September 4, 2003

FCC Radio Rules Under New Scrutiny
Reuters, UK

JULY 2003

New life for little radio?
Opposition to Big Media could invigorate low-power FM radio.
By Eric Boehlert
Salon,com, July 23, 2003

Congress to Big Media: Not so fast
The backlash against the FCC's media consolidation scheme is growing -- and could claim the head of chairman Michael Powell.
By Eric Boehlert
Salon.com, July 23, 2003

Jenny Toomey on NPR's Talk of the Nation: Music File Sharing

Last week, the recording industry announced plans to sue people who download music without paying. Since then, fans continue to swap songs illegally and there's a more intense effort to create file-sharing technology that keeps the user anonymous. Join Lynn Neary for a look at the future of music on the Internet.
Guests:
Matt Oppenheim: Senior VP of business and legal affairs, RIAA
Wayne Rosso: President of Grokster, an online file sharing program
Tom Adams: President, Adams Media Research
Jenny Toomey: Executive Director of the Future of Music Coalition
NPR's Talk of the Nation, July 1, 2003


JUNE 2003

RIAA Plans to Sue Music Swappers
No More Warnings to Individuals
By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post, June 26, 2003

What's Left of the Dial: One nonprofit helped save radio. Sort of. For now.
"Radio is a victory--a small one, but a win we will take for now," Toomey says. "It's also a mixed victory. We prevented further erosion of the limits on the number of radio stations a single company can own, but it's also just preventing further disaster and further problems. These days, in the context of the most massive weakening of media-ownership regulations in history, that should be considered a victory. We need to take victories where we have them."
By Robert Wilonsky
Dallas Observer, June 19, 2003

The station masters

Relaxation of radio ownership laws means that foreign companies will soon be able to control more British stations. One of those likely to be bidding is Clear Channel - which some say is responsible for the decline of radio in the US. Should we be worried?
David Teather
The Guardian (UK) June 16, 2003

Media-Rule Thrill Ride Still Rolling
...The Future of Music Coalition (FMC) hopes Congress will step in to modify the new FCC rules. "It comes down to what could be really bad vs. what's tolerable. A year ago, the talk was all about lifting small market caps. Today, radio's the cautionary tale, and the FCC kept existing radio caps in place," FMC government relations director Michael Bracy says....
Billboard/Reuters June 07, 2003

MAY 2003

Conquering the air waves: Coporate control of radio is fast becoming the rule
... have very few gatekeepers and those gatekeepers are huge conglomerates
trying to make a profit," says Michael Bracy, co-founder of the Future
of Music Coalition ...
By Jen Arnoff
Daily Northwestern, May 29, 2003

Ideologically Broad Coalition Assails F.C.C. Media Plan
By STEPHEN LABATON
New York Times, May 27, 2003

FCC to Vote on Media Ownership Rules
GUESTS: former FCC Commissioner Richard Wiley, and Jenny Toomey, Future of Music Coalition
Judy Woodruff
CNN, May 27, 2003

Last stop before the media monopoly

FCC chairman Michael Powell is likely to get media ownership deregulated -- even though public comment is running 97 percent against it.
By Eric Boehlert
Salon.com, May 23, 2003

The big blackout
Surprise, surprise: The TV networks that will benefit from the new FCC rules on media ownership have been keeping their viewers in the dark about the changes.
By Eric Boehlert
Salon.com, March 22, 2003

Musicians blast FCC plan
Members of R.E.M., Pearl Jam decry radio consolidation
[...] Mills of R.E.M. finds it "incredibly stifling" and "very disturbing" that one company could end up owning all the TV and radio outlets in a town, plus promotion companies and performing venues across the country. "That makes it very threatening for any band that wants to make statements contrary to the proper American way of doing things." [...]
By Joanne Ostrow
Denver Post, May 22, 2003

Rock stars rap FCC proposal
by Greg Gatlin
Boston Herald, May 22, 2003

Sounds Familiar For a Reason
By Marc Fisher
Washington Post, May 18, 2003

Musicians Against Media Monopoly
By John Nichols
The Nation, May 1, 2003


APRIL 2003

Artists Fight Radio Deregulation
Thirty major recording artists sign a letter to be sent to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission that warns against further deregulation of the radio industry. They say it will 'impede the functioning of our democracy.'
Wired, April 30, 2003

Working to Tame the Giants
Four who fight against media consolidation (including FMC's Jenny Toomey)
By Mark Jurkowitz
Boston Globe, April 30, 2003

Can't Buy a Thrill
"Clear Channel is in the middle of a charm offensive," says Michael Bracy, who founded the Future of Music Coalition with indie rocker Jenny Toomey. "The FCC is right now considering rules that would make this look like child's play."
by Josh Goldfein
Village Voice, April 16, 2003

We haven't seen the last of pay-for-play

...Instead of funneling money through independent promoters to radio stations, record companies will now have to deal directly with Clear Channel programmers in seeking access to the airwaves. And, as in all things radio, money will talk. The radio giant said as much in a statement announcing the move, in which it promised a "new, restructured relationship with the recording industry . . . on specific group-wide contesting, promotions and marketing opportunities."
By Greg Kot
Chicago Tribune, April 13, 2003

Embattled channel searching for clear daylight

By Abigail Rayner
London Times, April 12, 2003

Clear Channel listens to its critics
In a move that could dramatically change what gets played on the airwaves, the country's largest radio station owner, Clear Channel Communications, said Wednesday it will sever ties with independent music promoters.
By L.A. Lorek
San Antonio Express, April 10, 2003

MARCH 2003

Look who's standing
up to big media
Local media magnates will join activists at an FCC hearing to oppose deregulation
By Fiona Morgan
Durham Independent,
March 26, 2003

A Sad Salvation
At SXSW, you couldn't hear the bad news over all that music.
[...] It would have been far better had SXSW chosen for its keynote speaker the ubiquitous Jenny Toomey, the unlikely revolutionary whose Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Future of Music Coalition has become the record-buying, radio-listening public's best and loudest voice in the debate over government deregulation of all things media. Toomey, whose bright red hair makes her look like a flaming matchstick held over a short fuse, has spent the last year testifying about the evils of deregulation before Congress and the Federal Communications Commission; her organization has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on studies that prove the damage done when companies like San Antonio-based Clear Channel, which owns more than 1,200 radio stations nationwide, seize control of the public's airwaves. If rock and roll has a future, it will be Toomey and others like her who extend their hands to keep it from tumbling down the cliff. "But I bring 30 people into a room," she said when told she should have been the keynote speaker, implying she doesn't draw like Lanois. Never has a revolutionary been so modest; then again, this is a revolutionary whose new album is filled with nothing but torch songs, not Molotov cocktails.[...]
By Robert Wilonsky
Dallas Observer, March 20, 2003

Culture Watch: A Clear Channel With Nothing On
The high cost of corporate radio.

by Danny Duncan Collum
Sojourner Magazine, March-April 2003

Media Giants Stage a Quiet Takeover
By John Nichols
Capitol Times (Madison, WI), March 6, 2003

FEBRUARY 2003

Not Enough: FCC public hearing allows only one hour for citizen input
Jay-Anne Casuga
Richmond.com, February 28, 2003

Media Democracy's Moment
By John Nichols and Robert McChesney
The Nation

Media Meltdown Obscures FCC Debate
As if there was need for more evidence that major media is neglecting to cover Federal Communications Commission deliberations on whether to fundamentally alter media ownership rules, a new survey shows that 72 percent of Americans know "nothing at all" about the debate in which FCC Commissioner Michael Copps says "fundamental values and democratic virtues are at stake."
By John Nichols
The Nation, February 27, 2003

'Five years from now you'll see virtually no CD stores'
On the eve of the Grammy Awards, the recording industry is under siege: As the Internet drives a file-sharing revolution, it's the end of the (music) world as we know it
By Joan Anderman
Boston Globe, February 23, 2003

CLEAR CHANNEL: Not the Bad Boys of Radio
Lowry Mays and sons made enemies building Clear Channel into an empire.
By Christine Y. Chen
FORTUNE, February 18, 2003

Crunch Time at the FCC
...Media watchers like the Media Access Project, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumers Union argue that this concentration has led to far less coverage of news and public interest programming and less localism. A study by the Future of Music Coalition strongly suggests that consolidation has led to the homogenization of music....
by FCC Commissioner Michael Copps
The Nation, February 3, 2003

JANUARY 2003

Press clips about the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing on Media Ownership: Radio January 30, 2003. Statements from all testifiers are available online. Also see the Newsstream for more clips.

Radio Giant Defends Its Size at Senate Panel Hearing
By Jennifer Lee
New York Times, January 31, 2003

Eagles Rocker Rues State of Radio
Associated Press
Wired, January 30, 2003

Singers Take On Big Radio

Rock stars squared off with the nation's largest radio station company at a Senate hearing Thursday, accusing it of crippling rival concert promoters, accepting fees to play songs and helping turn the radio dial into a bland stew.
By Paul Davidson
USA Today, January 30, 2003


Empire of the Air
by Jenny Toomey, Kristin Thomson, Peter DiCola and Michael Bracy
The Nation, January 13, 2003

Press clips from the Third Annual FMC Policy Summit

View these clips and more as a PDF

Music for the Masses
By Pat Aufderheide
In These Times, January 17, 2003

Summit explores solutions to off-key music industry
By Greg Kot
Chicago Tribune, January 12, 2003

Feingold Leads Fight for Diversity on Radio Stations
by John Nichols
Capital Times (Madison, WI) January 8, 2003

Senator Moves Ahead With Bill To Probe Radio Giants
by Bill Holland and Matthew Benz
Billboard, January 8, 2003

Radio-market consolidation hits sour note
by William Glanz
The Washington Times, January 8, 2003

Feingold sets sights on radio industry

Deregulation reduced choices, Wis. senator says
By Brian Tumulty
Green Bay Press-Gazette, January 8, 2003

Radio: Where's the Diversity?
by Michael Grebb
Wired, January 8, 2003

Music Biz: Compromise is Key
by Michael Grebb
Wired, January 7, 2003

THE LAST DJ?: Finding a Voice on Media Ownership
Remarks by Jonathan S. Adelstein, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
at The Future of Music Policy Summit 2003, January 6, 2003

New commissioner urges FCC caution on media caps
by Andy Sullivan
Reuters, January 6, 2003

The Fight for the Future of Music

by John Nichols
The Nation, January 6, 2003


AROUND THE DIAL: Surveys seem to conflict
By Steve Carney
Los Angeles Times, January 3, 2003

FCC Preparing to Overhaul Telecom, Media Rules;
If All Proposals Are Enacted, Major Firms in Field Will Be Less Regulated and More Free to Expand. 
by Jonathan Krim
Washington Post, January 3, 2003

DECEMBER 2002

Disney Creates a Star?
by Laura Sydell
National Public Radio story, December 18, 2002

Several major record labels say they'll change the accounting methods they use to calculate artist royalty payments
by Rick Karr
...Ms. JENNY TOOMEY (Future of Music Coalition): There's really absolutely no real reason for an artist in 2002 to receive 15 percent less of their standard royalty for a breakage clause because we don't really put out acetate records anymore....
National Public Radio story, December 16, 2002

Lessons from SoundScan

by Johnny Temple
..."The Future of Music Coalition, an advocacy group for recording artists that studies the effects of new technologies on the business, reports that SoundScan is prohibitively expensive for many independent stores and labels. FMC executive director Jenny Toomey argues further that "SoundScan ushered in the age of 'scientific spaghetti'--i.e., you throw everything against the wall and 'know' in a week what has the best chance to stick over the long haul."
Publishers Weekly, December 16, 2002


NOVEMBER 2002

Effects of consolidation of radio stations
by Jon Heasman
Music and Media (UK), November 30, 2002

Merger Foes Slam Fauxmats;
Radio format diversity is a sham, critics tell FCC
by Bill McConnell
Broadcasting and Cable, November 25, 2002

Report Says Format Choice Too Limited
by David Hinckley
New York Daily News, November 19, 2002

Think tank report says deregulation hurts radio
by Craig Havighurst
The Tennessean, November 19, 2002

Music coalition study blasts radio consolidation in U.S.
by Brooks Boliek
Hollywood Reporter, November 15, 2002

Study Shows an Increase in Overlap of Radio Playlists

The report by an artists' rights group says that more stations with different formats play the same songs. Industry officials disagree.
By Jeff Leeds
LA Times, November 15, 2002

The Future of Music is Now
A feature on Jenny Toomey and the War on Corporate Music
Georgetown Voice, November 14, 2002 [registration required]

OCTOBER 2002

Coalition Fights for The Future of Music
By John Nichols
The Capital Times, (Madison, WI) October 10, 2002

Fencing Off the Public Domain
"The copyright office isn't like the patent office, which must decide which patents and trademarks will go to companies," said Walter McDonough, general counsel for the Future of Music Coalition, a nonprofit group monitoring the major record labels. "The patent office grants rights, but the copyright office records what has been done. Since the patent office grants rights, they keep records for when those rights expire."
By Brad King
Wired, October 9, 2002

SEPTEMBER 2002

Stars Come Out Against Music Piracy
..."I'm excited to see musicians take a more active role regarding piracy, accounting practices, radio consolidation, contract reform and other structures that impact their livelihood," said Jennifer Toomey, executive director of Washington's Future of Music Coalition and a singer-songwriter. "We hope that piracy [will] not be used as a code word to cover up the recording industry's slow adoption and licensing of new technologies -- technologies that may create a more efficient and equitable industry for musicians and citizens."
by Frank Ahrens
Washington Post, September 26, 2002

AUGUST 2002

EMP panel: Music biz, as it exists, is doomed
By Paul De Barros
Seattle Times, August 31, 2002

Listen to a digital archive of the event courtesy of KEXP Radio, Seattle

JULY 2002

Webcastrated
Will Independent Webcasters Survive The New Copyright Royalties Recently Adopted By The Library Of Congress?
by Joe Bonni
Boston's Weekly Dig, July 24, 2002

Music Revolution or a King on the Loose? Keepin' It Real?
Michael Jackson and Al Sharpton take on the music industry
by Norman Kelley
Village Voice, July 9, 2002

JUNE 2002

Will Congress tackle pay-for-play?
Radio-station owners are shocked -- shocked! -- as the music industry's payola scandal widens. Record-label execs aren't buying it (and neither should you).
By Eric Boehlert
Salon.com, June 25, 2002

Survey Shows Opposition to Radio Consolidation
Radio listeners want local disc jockeys to have more control over programming, and they oppose federal laws that encourage more consolidation among radio conglomerates, according to a recent survey conducted by the Future of Music Coalition, an artists rights group based in Washington.
By Laura Holson
New York Times, June 20, 2002

Survey shows radio listeners turned off by payola, playlists
Denouncing everything from the shrinking number of independent stations to music playlists influenced by payola-like practices, a survey of radio listeners across America was released Wednesday that adds to the growing list of voices expressing dissatisfaction with the state of commercial radio.
By Greg Kot
Chicago Tribune, June 20, 2002

Radio Consolidation and Payola

Commercial radio consolidation is making it harder for artists to have their voices heard, and is reviving the bad old days of payola, if in more indirect forms. So says a wide coalition of groups that have come together to express concerns about the state of radio. CounterSpin will hear from the director of one of the groups, the Future of Music Coalition's Jenny Toomey.
Counterspin (radio), June 18, 2002

Common Foe for Musicians and Labels

In the next few weeks, United States lawmakers are expected to introduce legislation backed by both artists and recording companies who are suddenly joined against what they consider their newest enemy: the radio conglomerates whose practices, they contend, cost them millions of dollars each year.[...]
By Laura Holson
New York Times, June 17, 2002

Recording Industry: Now It's Time to get Paid
Toomey believes small Web casters shouldn't be tagged with a "one-size-fits-all" rate that treats them the same as large radio corporations that also happen to stream songs. The coalition also argues that the panel's playlist reporting requirements were too harsh for small Web stations. [...]
By Alex Daniels
Washington Post, June 4, 2002

Blacked Out
Hip-Hop and R&B Artists MIA in Music Industry Struggle
By Norman Kelley
Village Voice, June 3, 2002

We Have No Weapons!

On May 24, 10 music organizations, including the Recording
Industry Association of America, the Future of Music Coalition, and the American Federation of Musicians, issued a "Joint Statement on Current Issues in Radio." (The faint tinkling audible when those three groups agree on anything
is the sound of icicles in hell.) [...]
By Douglas Wolk
Village Voice, June 3, 2002


MAY 2002

Power to the Peer
You can lead consumers to music, but can you make them pay?
"Getting content is next to impossible," says Brian Zisk, the director of technology for the Future of Music Coalition, who also worked on a content-distribution network called Peer Genius, which for a time had episodes of The Simpsons on its servers. "But once we closed everything off and tried to get legitimate content," he says, "we got almost none. I had friends at the record labels who had always called me back. As soon as I was calling them trying to get content, they stopped returning my phone calls."
By Judith Lewis
LA Weekly, May 17-23, 2002


APRIL 2002

Forget Love - All They Really Need is Health Insurance
"The Recording Artists Coalition's fight against the seven-year contract statute and the music business' losing battle against downloading may get the headlines. But to thousands of musicians, there's an urgent issue that could prove the catalyst for organizing into a cohesive body: health insurance.

That's the belief of Jenny Toomey, an independent musician and executive director of the Washington-based Future of Music Coalition."
by Steve Hochman
LA Times, April, 28, 2002 (registration required)

Expert Sound-Off: The Law that Could Kill Webcasting
Brian Zisk discusses the recent Copyright Office licensing and reporting requirements that have many webcasters up in arms.
by Brian Zisk
CNET, April 24, 2002

Musician to Napster Judge: Let My Music Go

A 1960s-era recording artist says he can't get Sony to pay royalties, so his psychedelic pop might as well be free.
by Damien Cave
Salon.com, April 23, 2002

MARCH 2002

Bang to Hype
At SXSW, it's all about the buzz, not the Buzz Band
By Robert Wilonsky
Dallas Observer, March 21, 2002

Record Companies: Save Us From Ourselves!

With payola up but profits down, labels are wondering if paying $100 million to middlemen "fixers" is still a swell business idea
B y Eric Boehlert
Salon.com, March 13, 2002

Artists Strike a Chord
by Johnny Temple
The Nation, March 4, 2002


FEBRUARY 2002

Morpheus' File-Trading Fiasco
By Brad King
Wired, February 28, 2002

Some Cheer, Others Fear Net-Radio Royalty Plan
By Kevin Featherly
Newsbytes, February 26, 2002, 8:55 AM CST

Royalty payments enter new age:
SoundExchange delivers money from broadcasts on digital services

By Craig Havighurst
The Tennessean, February 3, 2002

 

JANUARY 2002: FMC Policy Summit Press Clips

[download Summit press clips as PDF]

The Titanic Sails at Dawn
commentary by Dave Marsh
Starpolish, January 21, 2002
Attack of the Widget People

by Alec Hanley Bemis
LA Weekly, January 18, 2002

Thoughts about the Future of Music Policy Summit
by Anne Freeman
Music Dish, January 18, 2002

Future of Music Policy Summit
by Theodore Defosse
Splendid EZine, January, 2002

CD Copy Protection Debates
video coverage of conference from TechTV, January 15, 2002

No Future for Who?
commentary by Dave Marsh
Starpolish, January 14, 2002

The Many Futures of Music, Maybe One of them Real

By Jon Pareles
New York Times, January 10, 2002

The Scratchy Record Of the Online Music Debate
At Conference on Future, Stuck in the Old Groove
By David Segal
Washington Post, January 10, 2002; Page C01

'Creators' preparing to push Congress on music issues
By Craig Havighurst
The Tennessean, January 10, 2002

Bill May Limit Musician Contracts
A California state senator introduced legislation Monday that would pave the way for free agency for recording artists, potentially adding fuel to a movement that appeared to be picking up steam in the nation's capital.
By Jeff Leeds, Times Staff Writer
LA Times, January 8, 2002

Lawmakers Deaf to Music Reform
Legislation to force music industry reforms ranging from limits on artists' contracts to bolstering consumer access to digital music is unlikely to pass Congress this year, a top Democrat said Tuesday.
Reuters
Wired, January 8, 2002 2:55 PM PST

D.C. Plays a Little Lobby Music
The future of music, it seems, is right here in the nation's capital.
When about 200 music executives, artists and lawyers gathered at Georgetown University, the topics on the conference agenda were lofty enough: What new business models may emerge? How are other countries handling things? Should unions be involved?
By Declan McCullagh
Wired, January 8, 2002 2:00 AM PST

Conyers to Press for Tougher Enforcement of Laws on Payola

Broadcasting: Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee plans to call hearings this year.
By Chuck Philips
LA Times, January 7, 2002

Music industry still in first gear online
Despite a year of headline-generating turmoil, musicians, techies, media executives and lawmakers gathering for the second Future of Music conference on Monday will find that much remains unresolved on the digital-music landscape.
By Reuters
CNET, January 7, 2002

Calif. lawmaker wants music contract law repealed
A California state senator on Monday launched a legislative assault against the music industry on behalf of recording stars like Courtney Love and Don Henley who have been crusading to free artists from record company control.
By Sue Zeidler and Andy Sullivan
Yahoo News, January 7, 2002

Lawmaker Promises Changes to Online Copyright Law

A U.S. congressman said on Monday he intended to change a controversial copyright law to allow consumers to override technologies that prevent them from making digital copies of music, movies, and software.
By Andy Sullivan
Yahoo News, January 7, 2002
CNET News, January , 2002

Napster CEO seeks Congress' Help

The head of Internet music service Napster asked the U.S. government on Monday to force recording companies to share their catalogs with independent digital music sites.
By Reuters
CNET, January 7, 2002

Meeting probes music, technology
Jen Waters
Washington Times, January 7, 2002

Jenny Toomey and Michael Bracy Preview the FMC Policy Summit

Washington Post, Online Live
Friday, January 4, 2002 1:00 PM ET. Listen


DECEMBER 2001

Future of Music Policy Summit 2002
By Mike Darrah
WinAmp News, December 15, 2001

News Bites: Krist Novoselic, Amy Ray...
by Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna
AllStar News, Dec 13, 2001

Future of Music Coalition To Hold Conference
by Ben Johnson
Pitchfork Media, December 2, 2001

 

NOVEMBER 2001

Industry Notables To Debate At D.C. Summit
by Jonathan Cohen
Billboard, November 15, 2001

Conference on the Public Domain
November 9-11, 2001, Duke University, Durham, NC
view webcasts of various panels

RIAA's SoundExchange Agrees to Pay Artists Directly
by Jay Breitling
Webnoize, November 8, 2001 [subscription required]

 

OCTOBER 2001

Artists and Lawyers Decry Contract Clause by Bill Holland
front page story in Billboard Magazine [print edition] October 1, 2001

SEPTEMBER 2001

Hot debate over the future of webcasting by Lisa Rein
Cnet.com, September 21, 2001

 

AUGUST 2001

Recording Industry's Top Lobbyist Seeks Harmony in a Time of Discord
by Laura Holson
New York Times, August 20, 2001

Singers to Cash in on Webcasts
by Penelope Patsuris
Forbes, August 13, 2001

 

JULY 2001

Music Industry Will Offer Songs Online
Two New Services Will Charge Monthly Fees for Right to Hear Tunes
(Washington Post, July 25, 2001)


JUNE 2001

Is This the Future of Music?
(Nashville Scene cover story, June 14-20, 2001)


MAY 2001

Who Will Make the Rules? Music Industry Faces Off at DC Conference
Report from the Digital Rights Management Panel
(O'Reilly P2P, May 21, 2001)

Future of Music Coalition
(Boston Phoenix, May 17-24, 2001)

RIAA Banks Webcast Royalties, Drawing Criticism
(Webnoize, May 17, 2001) Subscription required

APRIL 2001

A Royalty Pain
The music industry has a new copyright issue to resolve
(Philadelphia Weekly, April 18, 2001)

Congressional Hearings, Online Music Deals
Report on the Senate Subcommittee Hearing on Music and Technology
(Starpolish, April 12, 2001)

Napster Appears Doomed, Experts Agree
(Newsbytes, April 11, 2001)

MARCH 2001

25 Unsung Heroes of the Web
(Interactive Week, March 12, 2001)

Love Yet to Make Connection with Artists Guild
(Webnoize, March 1, 2001) Subscription required

Rockin' in the Fee World
Jenny Toomey of the Future of Music Coalition featured in Wired
(Wired Magazine, March 2001)


FEBRUARY 2001

Appeals Court Tells Napster to Curb Trades by Tim Jones and Lou Carlozo
Chicago Tribune, February 13, 2001

Rick Karr Reports on the Napster Ruling
[ 14.4 ]     [ 28.8 ]  
(NPR Morning Edition, February 13, 2001)

Jenny Toomey Talks About What's Coming in the Online Music Space
(About.com, February 6, 2001)

 

JANUARY 2001

This Law Goes to 11: Future of Music Coalition Conference Report by Duff Berschback
(musemusemuse.com, January 2001)

What do you get when you mix senators, lawyers, journalists, musicians, and recording industry execs?  
A: One of the most invigorating discussions about music on the 'Net.

(Webreview, January 26, 2001)

Two High-Pressure Patterns Building on Music Industry
(New Media Music, January 16, 2001)

A PDF compilation of press accounts of the Future of Music Policy Summit
(various sources, January 2001)

Examining the Music Business
(New York Times, January 16, 2001)

Fight Rages Over Digital Rights
(Wired, January 16, 2001)

Group Says It Beat Music Security But Can't Reveal How
(New York Times, January 15, 2001)

The Future of Music Is Everyone's Concern
(MusicDish, January 15, 2001)

Future of Music Policy Conference: About Truths, Not Booths
(Digital Music Weekly, January 15, 2001)

Herding Cats, Swinging Tarzans, and Tuning Cars - Metaphorical Highlights From the Conference
(Digital Music Weekly, January 15, 2001)

Future of Music on the Internet
[ Real Audio ]    [ transcript ]
  (WNYC FM, January 13, 2001)

2001 Will Be a Rebuilding Year, Rosen Says; DMCA Strongly Criticized at DC Event
(Webnoize, January 12, 2001)
subscription required

Musicians Remix the Digital-Music Debate
(Washington Post, January 12, 2001)

Industry Leaders Are No-Shows at Digital Music Conference
(CNET, January 12, 2001)

Sounding Off About Music, the Web: Conference Corrals Disparate Groups to Debate Future of Art Form by Lou Carlozo
(Chicago Tribune, January 11, 2001)

Chuck D Raps With Recording Industry Lobbyist Hilary Rosen at the Future of Music Policy Summit
(The Idler, January 11, 2001)

MP3.com Head Says Copyright Law Should Be Clarified
(Reuters, January 11, 2001)

Policymakers Scrutinize Online-Music Stalemate
(CNET, January 11, 2001)

NPR's Rick Karr reports on the effort to put a price on music played over the web.
[ 14.4 ]     [ 28.8 ]
  (NPR Morning Edition, January 10, 2001)

Text of Senator Orrin Hatch's Remarks at the Future of Music Policy Summit
(January 10, 2001)

Kristin Hersh and the Rosenbergs to Perform at the Future Of Music Policy Summit
(Billboard, January 10, 2001)

Punks And Puritans In D.C. - What Does It All Mean?
(Hits, January 10, 2001)

Music Execs, Digital Music Cos. Converge on DC
(Newsbytes, January 10, 2001)

Hatch Urges Recording Industry, Webcasters to Solve Disputes
(Newsbytes, January 10, 2001)

Politicians Try to Hear the Music
(Wired, January 10, 2001)

Hatch Goes to Bat for Napster
(Reuters, January 10, 2001)

Hatch Urges Music Industry to Keep Web Path Open
(Reuters, January 10, 2001)

Music Tech Conference Begins
(Spin Online, January 10, 2001)

Digital Music Biz, Stymied in Marketplace, Descends on Washington to Hash Out Its Future
(Inside, January 9, 2001)

Digital Music Conference: Politics and Fireworks
(Reuters, January 9, 2001)

The Coalition for the Future of Music Policy Conference: An Interview with Jenny Toomey
(The Idler, January 8, 2001)

An In-Depth Look at the Future of Music Coalition
(MusicDish, January 4, 2001)


PRESS FROM JUNE -DECEMBER 2000

RIAA's Webcast Royalty Regime Promises Artists Unprecedented Cut
(Webnoize, November 28,2000)
Subscription required

Labels Seize the Day
(Industry Standard, November 6, 2000)

Group Cautions Feds Over RIAA's Royalty-Collection Plans
(Computer User, October 18, 2000)

RIAA Webcast Royalty Collective Faces New Competitor
(Webnoize, October 9, 2000)
Subscription required

Musicians Unite for Copyrights
(Wired, July 12, 2000)

The Indie Queen of Digital Music
(Wired, July 10, 2000)

Free Indie Music to Fade Away
(Wired, June 6, 2000)

Another Voice Enters the Napster Debate
(Industry Standard, June 5, 2000)



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up front

Musicians Get the Hint About Health Insurance
Two Raleigh concerts in memory of musician Drew Glackin; proceeds go to Glackin’s family and Future of Music Coalition’s Health Insurance Navigation Tool
April 10, 2008
Press release
FMC's HINT program

New York State Music Education Events Examine Crucial Issues Facing Artists
Forums in Rochester (April 28), Syracuse (April 29) and Albany (April 30) to focus on music, media, technology and policy issues for songwriters, composers and performers from all genres.
March 25, 2008
Event details | RSVP

Pop Rockers OK Go "Tour" Congress in Support of Net Neutrality
Damian Kulash and Andy Ross discuss the importance of open Internet structures to musicians; Kulash testifies before House Judiciary Committee.
March 13, 2008
Press release
Spoken testimony

Written testimony

Rock the Net

New York State Music Education Events Examine Crucial Issues Facing Artists
Kick-off forum in Buffalo on April 2 to focus on music, media, technology and policy issues for songwriters, composers and performers from all genres.
March 7, 2008 | Event details

Philly Bands Rocking for Net Neutrality
February 23 Sugar Town show at Tritone in Philadelphia will showcase lady rockers and DJs, as well as musicians' support for net neutrality.
February 15, 2008

OK Go and Bonerama Rocked DC for New Orleans Musicians
Bands also champion FMC's "Rock the Net" campaign for net neutrality
February 2 benefit show at DC's 9:30 Club raised over $8,000 for New Orleans musicians. Bands played cuts off their new benefit EP, You're Not Alone, available on iTunes on February 5.
February 4, 2008

Upcoming Washington, DC show and benefit EP from OK Go & Bonerama
On February 2, OK Go and Bonerama will play a benefit at D.C.'s 9:30 Club in support of You're Not Alone - an EP to support Sweet Home New Orleans and Al "Carnival Time" Johnson.
January 21, 2008

Successful New Orleans Concerts Aid Big Easy Musicians
Last week, two benefit concerts raised over $6,000 for Sweet Home New Orleans - a coalition of non-profit organizations that helps find affordable housing and provides rental assistance for the city's musicians - and Big Easy music legend Al "Carnival Time" Johnson.
January 15, 2008
Press release | Event details

FMC's Latest Fact Sheets
HD Radio
Low Power FM Radio
Public Performance Right for Sound Recordings
Traveling with Instruments
Touring Internationally
SoundExchange
Net Neutrality
Full Power Non-Commerical Radio Licenses
Media Ownership

Ann Chaitovitz Appointed
FMC's New Executive Director
A proven leader in musician and public policy issues, Chaitovitz replaces founding Executive Director Jenny Toomey
January 3, 2008

Concerts for New Orleans Musicians Bring Artists Together
Two New Orleans shows and upcoming benefit CD from OK Go and Bonerama
January 2, 2008

FMC's Jenny Toomey Appointed Program Officer for Ford Foundation
Kristin Thomson to Serve as FMC’s Interim Executive Director Michael Bracy to Chair FMC Board of Directors
November 26, 2007

Seattle "Rocked the Net"
Rep. Jay Inslee advocated network neutrality;
joined by rocker Matt Nathanson, Reclaim the Media, FMC and local music business representatives
October 31, 2007

Rock the Net: Campaign for Net Neutrality Rocks Seattle
Teleconference with Rep Jay Inslee on Tuesday, Oct 30. Matt Nathanson performs at Seattle’s Crocodile Café on Tuesday, Oct. 30
October 26, 2007

Future of Music Policy Summit to Tackle Critical Issues at the Intersection of Music, Law, Technology and Policy
Sen. Byron Dorgan and Sen. Ron Wyden to Deliver Keynote Addresses
Mac McCaughan, Bob Mould, Marybeth Peters of the U.S. Copyright Office and More Than 90 Other Panelists Confirmed.
September 10, 2007
Summit home page
Press Credentialing

AT&T's muting of bands points toward a pattern of silencing political speech
Content monitor did not edit out 20 instances of curse words during Pearl Jam webcast, despite AT&T claim it hires monitors to block "excessive profanity".
August 13, 2007

Top musicians, lawyers, technologists confirmed for FMC's 7th annual Policy Summit
August 13, 2007
Press Release
Summit home page
Press Credentialing

FMC Statement on AT&T Silencing Pearl Jam's lyrics during Lollapalooza webcast

August 9, 2007

Registration Opens for FMC's Annual Policy Summit
July 24, 2007
Press Release
Summit home page
Press Credentialing

FMC Files Request for Declaratory Ruling regarding Clear Channel Actions at Federal Communications Commission
July 13, 2007
Filing | Press release

FMC Statement on Federal Trade Commission Report on Net Neutrality
June 29, 2007

FMC files testimony with House Small Business Committee on CRB Webcasting Rates
June 27, 2007
Press Release | Testimony

Clear Channel strips local, independent artists of digital performance royalties

FMC has discovered that Clear Channel's online application for local and independent artists to submit their music for airplay on each of its stations requires the artist to approve a licensing agreement that does away with their digital performance right.
June 22, 2007

Low Power Radio Gets New Push in Congress
Congress introduces bills to create hundreds of new low power FM radio stations to cities and suburbs across the country.
June 22, 2007

FMC Announces Dates for 7th annual Policy Summit
September 17-18, 2007
GWU Betts Theatre, Washington, DC
June 11, 2007

FMC Organizes "Musicians Bringing Musicians Home II"
A Benefit Concert on May 27 at New Orleans' Tipitina's for Sweet Home New Orleans featuring: Indigo Girls, Damian Kulash of OK Go, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Matt Nathanson, Pamela Z...and special guests
May 23, 2007
Press Release | Details

Congressman Mike Doyle to address conference on music, law and technology
May 2 event will bring together leading experts from worlds of music, law, technology and policy.
April 25, 2007

A2IM Endorses Rock the Net Campaign
American Association of Independent Music urges its label members to join the campaign for network neutrality.
April 17, 2007

Music Mashes with Policy at upcoming Technology and IP Policy Day
May 2 event will bring together leading experts from worlds of music, law, technology and policy.
April 16, 2007

FMC Applauds FCC's Payola Settlement
Payola agreement by FCC and big broadcast chains represents a major - but tentative - step toward once again opening the nation's airwaves to local music and voices.
April 13, 2007

Rep. Edward Markey, Ted Leo kick off "Rock the Net"
Nearly 150 artists and labels have already signed onto campaign for net neutrality
March 27, 2007
Press Release | Rock the Net

Major Artists To Join Launch of Rock the Net Campaign for Net Neutrality
March 23, 2007

FMC Statement on CRB Webcasting Rates
March 19, 2007

FMC Statement on FCC's "Rules of Engagement" On Payola
March 5, 2007

FMC Files Reply Comments in FCC Media Ownership Proceeding
January 16, 2007

FMC Statement on FCC Payola Settlement
FMC's statement on FCC's reported consent decree with the broadcast industry in regards to payola.
January 16, 2007

Radio Station Ownership Consolidation Shown to Harm Musicians and the Public
FMC study shows that the rapid consolidation of the commercial radio industry that followed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has led to a loss of localism, less competition, fewer viewpoints and less diversity in radio programming in media markets across the country.
December 13, 2006
Press release
Report details

Jenny Toomey Testifies at FCC Media Ownership Hearing, Nashville, TN
December 11, 2006
Read FMC's testimony
Link to FCC webcast

FMC Organizes Musicians Bringing Musicians Home
Benefit concert at New Orleans' Tipitina's on November 6th featuring Steve Earle, Mike Mills, Allison Moorer, Tom Morello, Boots Riley, Corin Tucker and special guests.
October 23, 2006
Read press release
Read press coverage

FMC and AFM File Joint Comments at FCC in 2006 Media Ownership Proceeding

October 23, 2006
Executive Summary
PDF of comments

Job Losses Associated with Radio Consolidation Undermine Localism and Diversity
FMC, Newspaper Guild and Consumers Union urge FCC to take employment effects of their policies into account during upcoming review of media ownership rules
August 9, 2006

FMC Releases Research on Employment and Wage Effects of Radio Consolidaton
August 9, 2006

FMC on Preserving the Dynamism of the Internet
Opinion Piece on ABC News
June 29, 2006

FMC Statement on Senate Commerce Committee Vote in Support of LPFM
June 28, 2006

FMC Statement on FCC Media Ownership Proceeding
June 21, 2006

Indie-rock revolution, fueled by net neutrality
Op-ed by FMC's Jenny Toomey and Michael Bracy
June 13, 2006

Pearl Jam Donation To Help Musicians Help Themselves
Proceeds From Washington, DC Appearance to be Donated to FMC Artist Research Council
May 25, 2006
Press Release

FMC signs on letter to preserve net neutrality
May 17, 2006

FMC Announces Dates for Sixth Annual Future of Music Policy Summit
October 5-7, 2006
Media Advisory May 15, 2006

FMC Urges FCC to Investigate Allegations of Radio Payola
February 15, 2006
Letter to FCC | Press Release

FMC Statement on Release of Feingold's Radio and Concert Disclosure and Competition Act of 2005
November 18, 2005

FMC Sends Letter to Senate Commerce Committee in Support of a Public Performance Right for Sound Recordings
October 19, 2005

Top Names in Music, Law, Technology and Policy Return to Debate Critical Issues at Fifth Annual Future of Music Policy Summit
September 6, 2005
Media Advisory | Policy Summit home page

FMC Announces Health Insurance Navigation Tool
August 9, 2005
HINT Home Page

5th Annual Future of Music Policy Summit Announced
July 26, 2005
Media Advisory | Policy Summit home page

FMC Statement on MGM v Grokster and Brand X
June 27, 2005
Statement | Links to other organizations' statements

FMC Press Release: Music Mashes with Policy at DC Policy Day
April 8, 2005

FMC's Michael Bracy Testifies in front of House Judiciary Committee on "Digital Music Interoperability"
April 6, 2005

FMC files comments at US Copyright Office on "Orphan Works"
Comments also ask Copyright Office to consider status of out-of-print recordings
March 25, 2005

FMC Sends Letter to Senate Stating Concerns about S 193, Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act
March 10, 2005

FMC and artist groups file joint reply comments at FCC on localism in broadcasting, MB Docket 04-233
January 3, 2005
PDF of document