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Presenters

Each event will have a combination of presenters that bring their collective expertise as musicians, label owners, technologists, lawyers and policy experts to the conversation. Click on a person's name to see their bio.

Rich Bengloff Executive Director, American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)

Michael Bracy Policy Director, Future of Music Coalition

Ann Chaitovitz Executive Director, Future of Music Coalition

Jean Cook Deputy Director, Future of Music Coalition

Pete Donnelly Musician, Writer, Record Producer

Chhaya Kapadia Events Organizer, Future of Music Coalition

Jim Mahoney Vice-President/Membership, American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)

Alex Maiolo Coordinator of FMC's Health Insurance Navigation Tool (HINT) Project

Charlie McEnerney Founder and Producer, Well-Rounded Radio

Tim Quirk Executive Editor, Music, Rhapsody America

Paul Rapp Professor, Albany Law School, entertainment attorney and musician

Stuart Shapiro Attorney, Cohen & Lombardo, P.C.

Kristin Thomson Education Director, Future of Music Coalition

Ann Chaitovitz Executive Director, Future of Music Coalition
Ann will be at: Buffalo

Ann Chaitovitz is an attorney with more than 15 years of copyright experience representing songwriters, publishers and recording artists. From 2005 to 2007, Ann was an attorney-advisor for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), specializing in domestic and international copyright law. Prior to the USPTO, Ann worked as a labor associate at New York law firm Milgrim, Thomajan & Lee, then as a staff attorney at ASCAP, where she practiced copyright law, and finally, as the National Director of Sound Recordings at AFTRA, the labor union representing recording singers, as well as performers and broadcasters in radio and television. At AFTRA, Ann worked on domestic and international copyright issues. She worked to repeal the amendment to the 'work made for hire' definition of the US Copyright Law, to ensure the direct payment of digital performance fees to artists and to change the structure of SoundExchange, so that artists would share control. She also focused on the rights of U.S. performers internationally and negotiated with foreign countries' collecting societies to ensure that U.S. performers receive their share of royalties. Ann has served on the Boards of Directors of the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) and SoundExchange.

Michael Bracy Policy Director, Future of Music Coalition
Michael will be at: Rochester | Syracuse | Albany

Michael co-founded the Future of Music Coalition and currently serves as board chair and Policy Director. He is also a partner in the government relations firm Bracy Tucker Brown and Valanzano and co-owner of Misra, an independent record label based in Austin, Texas. Michael is known for his policy work in front of Congress and the FCC, including media consolidation, radio regulation (including Low Power FM), and ensuring public interest principles are at the heart of the legal structures that will help dictate new technological frameworks. Michael is a recognized public advocate both for the music community and for the need for increased citizen participation in the policy process. He speaks often on these issues at conferences and in the media, including CNN, MSNBC, New York Times, Billboard and elsewhere. Michael attended Georgetown University, where his courtship with his future wife, Kelly, began in earnest when they co-hosted a radio show on the campus station. After graduation, Kelly and Michael spent seven years in Seattle, where Michael worked in the educational communications field specializing in producing and directing live, interactive educational and government television programming.

Jean Cook Deputy Director, Future of Music Coalition
Jean will be at: Buffalo | Rochester | Syracuse | Albany

Jean has been playing violin since 1979. She is a founder and director of Anti-Social Music, a New York-based new music collective. She currently records and tours with Beauty Pill, Gena Rowlands Band, Ida, Jenny Toomey and Jon Langford. Recent performances and recordings also include with Tom Abbs/Frequency Response, Assif Tsahar, Sabir Mateen/Juxtapositions Plus!, and Taylor Ho Bynum/Spidermonkey Strings. Jean produced and hosted "The Twentieth Century String Quartet" on 89.9 WKCR-FM, New York from 1995-1996. She was the publicist for Washington Performing Arts Society (WPAS) for three years before moving back to New York in 2000. She recently curated a western classical recital series for WPAS and produced a multimedia DIY opera called The Nitrate Hymnal. In 2004 Jean worked for Air Traffic Control, a political action group helping musicians to be more effective in the last election cycle. She began working with Future of Music Coalition to help them expand the work they do with the classical and jazz communities in January 2005.

Kristin Thomson Education Director, Future of Music Coalition
Kristin will be at: Buffalo

Kristin Thomson is a community organizer, social policy researcher, entrepreneur and musician. From 1989 to 1992, Kristin was an action organizer for the National Organization for Women. She left NOW to co-run Simple Machines, an independent record label, which released over seventy records and CDs in eight years. She also played guitar in the band Tsunami, which released four albums from 1991-1997 and toured extensively. In 2001, Kristin graduated with a Masters in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware. As FMC's Education Director, Kristin is responsible for project management, research and event programming, including its annual Future of Music Policy Summit. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband Bryan Dilworth, a concert promoter, and their son, where she also plays guitar in the lady-powered band, Ken.

Pete Donnelly Musician, Writer, Record Producter
Pete will be at: Albany

Chhaya Kapadia Events Organizer, Future of Music Coalition
Chhaya will be at: Buffalo | Rochester | Syracuse | Albany

Chhaya has been Future of Music Coalition's Events Organizer since January 2008. Prior to moving to Washington, DC, she spent several years coordinating tours at noted Boston roots music booking/management agency Concerted Efforts for artists such as Orchestra Baobab, Ali Farka Toure, Rokia Traore, Booker T. & The MG's, Yat-Kha and others. She has also traveled internationally tour managing Pape & Cheik and The Holmes Brothers. Chhaya's background in arts management serves her well at FMC where over the past two years, she has had a lead role in management and logistical coordination for the sixth and seventh Future of Music Policy Summits as well as numerous meetings for artists and managers. She received a BA from Emerson College with a major in Audio Engineering and was also previously an in-house engineer with WERS-FM Boston. Chhaya began working for FMC as Operations Coordinator in May 2006.

Charlie McEnerney Producer, Well-Rounded Radio
Charlie will be at: Buffalo | Rochester | Syracuse | Albany

Charlie is the host and producer of Well-Rounded Radio, an interview program (featuring podsafe music, provided for use by the artist, publicists, or record label) that digs deep into the creation of music - and allows songwriters and musicians to reveal what inspires and influences their work. Since 2002, the show has featured music + conversation with Akrobatik, Merrie Amsterburg, Antibalas, Ashby, Atlas Soul, Billy Atwell, The Baskervilles, Brent Bell of PDX Pop Now!, Sarah Borges, Burnside Project, Rachael Cantu, Clint Conley + Holly Anderson, Hector Cuevas and The Boston Latin Band, Tanya Donelly, the Douglas Fir, Mark Dwinell, Natalie Flanagan, Francine, Howard Fishman Quartet, Great Lake Swimmers, Blake Hazard, Greg Hopkins, Bill Janovitz (of Buffalo Tom + Crown Victoria), Eilen Jewell, Jonathan Kane, The Kossoy Sisters, Josh Lederman y Los Diablos, Lovewhip, MahaloMusicBoston, Hilken Mancini, Guy Mendilow, Pete Miser, Mission of Burma, Frank Morey, Múm, Joe Pernice, Piebald, Pressure Cooker, Brad Powell of Calabash Music, Pylon, Josh Ritter, Nicholas Reville (of Downhill Battle + Participatory Culture), The Rudds, Jimmy Ryan, Jeffrey Simmons, The Stairs, Tarbox Ramblers, Balla Tounkara, Twinemen, Tim Westergren of Pandora, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Winterpills, and Dan Zanes.

Alex Maiolo Project Director, HINT
Alex will be at: Buffalo

Alex has worked with FMC for almost seven years, primarily focusing on the health insurance crisis as it relates to the working musician. In 2005, with the aid of a Cummings Grant, the Health Insurance Navigation Tool (HINT) was developed. Musicians in need of health insurance advice can access HINT for free consultations. There's nothing for sale, just free, unbiased advice on how to sift through the complex world of health insurance. In addition, Alex is an active musician who plays in various bands, including the Ambient/Slo-Core staple Hi Fi Sky. He is a partner with an insurance agency in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, insuring anything from typical risks to more specialty related lines. Insurance as it relates to the artist, studio owner, and musician is part of a typical day's tasks. He has been an active musician since he was nine years old, and an active fan since he was learning to crawl. In addition to appearing on various panels (SXSW '06, TapeOpCon '04, '05, '06, Pop Montreal '06, FMC Policy Summits) to discuss the troubling state of health insurance in the U.S., he has given his time to educate young musicians as to how they can stay active in music-related projects for their entire lives.

Rich Bengloff Executive Director, American Association of Independent Music (A2IM)
Rich will be at: Buffalo

Richard Bengloff joined the American Association of Independent Music ('A2IM"), as its President in January of 2007. The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM www.a2im.org) is a non-profit trade organization representing Independent music master owners and labels seeking parity in the music business via lobbying, commerce, and member services and includes as members Associate Members who support the Independent music community. Rich has spent much of his career in the music and entertainment industry, having served in various capacities at SONY Corporation of America. As Vice President of Columbia Pictures Entertainment; as Vice President, Finance and Administration at Relativity Records/R.E.D. Distribution; and as Vice President, Distribution Operations for Sony Music Distribution between 1989 - 1998. He then joined Elektra Entertainment Group to become Senior Vice President/CFO, where in addition to the traditional financial role, his responsibilities over the six years spent with the company included pricing strategies, management of marketing spending priorities, and management of new technology implementation. In 2005, he became the WNYC Radio's Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. Rich holds a BA degree from SUNY New Paltz and an MBA from Columbia University. Rich is also a lecturer co-teaching the music industry course in the Media and Entertainment Department of Fordham University's MBA program.

Jim Mahoney, Vice-President/Membership, A2IM
Jim will be at: Rochester | Syracuse

Jim Mahoney has spent nearly 20 years working in various capacities entirely within the independent music sector. Mahoney currently serves as the VP, Membership for Independent label trade organization, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). Prior to joining A2IM, he'd spent the previous seven years as president of Fat Beats, Inc., a tastemaker hip-hop company that operates several retail locations, a wholesale distribution company, and a music label that released 20+ albums during Mahoney's tenure. Earlier in his career, Mahoney served as senior director of urban product development at Roadrunner Records, national director of marketing and promotions at Profile Records, and as a national sales exec for Landmark Distribution.

Tim Quirk Executive Editor, Music, Rhapsody America
Tim will be at: Rochester | Syracuse

Tim Quirk is the Executive Editor of Music for Rhapsody. He spent more than 10 years as the singer and lyricist for the punk-pop band Too Much Joy, then politely eased his way into music journalism. He's been a regular contributor to popular publications including Raygun and The San Francisco Chronicle, and his critical essays have been published in anthologies by the Oxford University Press and the academic journal Popular Music. Tim is also one half of an electro-pop outfit called Wonderlick. Tim received a B.A. in communications from Stanford University, and an M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University.

Paul Rapp Professor, Albany Law School, Entertainment Attorney and Musician
Paul will be at: Albany

Paul Rapp is an intellectual property lawyer who lives and works in Housatonic, MA. Rapp teaches art & entertainment law at Albany Law School, and writes about music, art, and the law for The Artful Mind and Metroland. He's also F. Lee Harvey Blotto, drummer with the Albany rock band Blotto.

Stuart Shapiro Attorney, Cohen & Lombardo, P.C. and Musician
Stuart will be at: Rochester

A partner in the Buffalo, New York, law firm of Cohen & Lombardo, P.C., Stuart Shapiro has been a professional musician and performer since he was 13 years old.

He heads the firm's Intellectual Property Department, practicing in the areas of Copyright, Trademark, and Entertainment Law, while currently specializing in Trial Work and Litigation, including Business and Commercial Litigation.
 
Mr. Shapiro has appeared across the country, and at venues abroad, including such places as the Troubadour and the Comedy Store in L.A., Toronto's Wrecking Yard, the 500 Club in London England, and Buffalo venues including the Tralfamadore Café, Melody Fair, and Kleinhans Music Hall. He has appeared as the opening act for such notables as Paul Anka, Josh White, Michael Martin Murphy, The Buddy Rich Big Band, J. Geils, and John Cougar Mellancamp.
 
An award winning songwriter, Mr. Shapiro represents numerous recording studios, record companies, and film companies, as well as producers, graphic artists, songwriters, media personalities, and performers. He has been a frequent speaker for the Bar Association where he has lectured other attorneys on numerous Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law topics, including: Trial Issues for Planning, Waging, and Winning a Copyright Case in Federal Court; Insurance for Intellectual Property Infringement; and Issues of Jurisdiction in Canadian and U.S. Intellectual Property Matters.

In his spare time, he plays in two bands and continues to do solo performances.