The Program

Panels

Panel discussions in Pollack Hall will bring together some of the brightest minds in the music/technology space for engaging, thought-provoking discussions about some of the music community's emerging challenges. Actual panel topics will be announced in late July but will include:

• The state of the Canadian music industry
• International copyright and licensing issues
• How orchestras are navigating change
• Digital rights management
• Emerging technologies and business models for the music community
• New radio and media issues
• The effect of government support for the arts on musicians, songwriters and composers

Keynotes and Interviews

Panels will be interspersed with keynotes and one-on-one interviews with high-profile policymakers, academics and business leaders. Past keynote speakers have included:

US Senators
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Norm Coleman (R-MN)

US Representatives
Howard Berman (D-CA)
Rick Boucher (D-VA)
John Conyers (D-MI)
Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Mark Foley (R-FL)

State Representatives
CA State Senator Kevin Murray

FCC Commissioners
Michael Copps
Jonathan Adelstein

Business Leaders
Konrad Hilbers CEO, Napster
Rob Glaser CEO, RealNetworks
Michael Robertson, MP3.com

Academics
Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig

Special Sessions

FMC will also be using Tanna Schulich Hall, located in the New Music Building, for special sessions that focus on particular topics. Tanna Schulich Hall, which was built specifically for film scoring work, is particularly suited to sessions related to audio fidelity, production values, and issues at the intersection of film and video including:

• Tradeoffs between audio fidelity and the compression that factilitates the rapid digital dissemination of music
• The changing definition of "indie" as musicians are increasingly participating in TV, ads, marketing campaigns
• Preservation and storage issues.Which platform will be best for preservation of culture?
• Music marketing via Second Life/virtual reality/gaming
• The Future of Musical Instruments. May include a tour of McGill's Music Labs

Workshops

FMC is also working with Pop Montreal to program hands-on, skill-building workshops designed to meet the needs of the independent music community including topics like:

• New Broadasting: Podcasting, Blogs, Video Blogs
• Publishing for Artists
• How to sell your music online
• How artists can participate in the policymaking process
• Touring and international visas
  

*all subject to change