How are musicians and songwriters compensated when their music is played on the radio, sold on digital platforms, webcast or streamed on interactive services?

We know it’s difficult to keep things straight. That’s why we’ve made these infographics that visualize how the money flows from various services back to labels, publishers, artists, and composers/songwriters. These handy charts are part of FMC’s ongoing work helping musicians understand how they are compensated for their work, and the copyright laws, licenses and agreements that frequently determine who gets paid, and how much. Understanding how these complicated systems work is an important step towards ensuring that musicians aren’t leaving money on the table.

Now that you’ve brushed up on your knowledge with our infographics, are you ready to see how much you really know about money and music?

This month, FMC launched our Money + Music quizzes, designed to test your knowledge of the current music landscape, using relatable, real-world examples of things that musicians participate in frequently — recording covers, doing session work, having their music streamed on interactive services, and dealing with synch requests.

There are four quizzes of different levels of difficulty from Easy to Expert, each with 10 questions. You’ll see your score at the end, and you can share it with friends on Facebook or Twitter.

The quizzes are a natural outgrowth of our Artist Revenue Streams research and other educational resources; your answers will help us identify knowledge gaps and design better learning tools.

Last week, the FCC launched the application process for new low power radio stations, offering communities – even urban communities –  a once-in-a-lifetime oppportunity to double or even triple the amount of low-power stations on the dial. This means more local music, more diverse voices and more civic dialogue – but only if community groups step up and take advantage of this unique moment. Applications will be accepted during a two week window from October 15-29.

Check out the full update from our friends at Prometheus Radio Project, and sign up for one of their free training webinars to get the info you need to take to the airwaves!

Last year, the Supreme Court ruled in FCC v. Fox that the FCC’s current indecency policy was unconstitutionally vauge, and as a result, the FCC is now considering changes to that policy. FMC has continued to participate in this important conversation (we filed a brief in support of free expression in FCC v. Fox) and we recently submitted comments to the FCC with our recommendations.

FMC wants to ensure that artists feel empowered to create challenging material, and policies that are overly restrictive or frustratingly vague can chill creative expression. Hefty fines levied by the FCC can have a detrimental effect on noncommercial stations and we believe that protecting these stations is necessary to ensure a diverse and challenging culture of expression that can be enjoyed by all. 

Check out the full story and read our official filing.

Last week, the Office of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator released its Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement.

IPEC is tasked by the White House with coordinating the many federal agencies that work to prevent copyright infringement and counterfeiting. The new plan is broad, and covers everything from books, movies, and music to software, designer clothes and potentially harmful consumer items.  

Of course, we’re primarily concerned with how the plan impacts musicians.  We see IP enforcement as an essential component of a healthy music ecology, and we’re pleased that the plan touches on many of the issues we’ve raised in our public filings.   We applaud the balanced approach laid out in this plan, and look forward to working with the music community to inform its implementation.  For the full rundown on how this plan connects to music and copyright issues, check out our analysis.

We’re seeking interns for the fall semester working out of our Washington DC office.  Think you’ve got what it takes?  Check out the current openings. Deadline for the fall term is August 2, 2013.

The Future of Music Summit is only four months away! The 2013 event will happen on Monday October 28 and Tuesday October 29 at Georgetown University here in DC.

Ours is the only conference to focus on bridging the gap between musicians, technologists, and policymakers, and once again, we’re putting together a stellar lineup with a truly diverse range of perspectives that you won’t want to miss.

Registration will be opening soon, so mark your calendars, and check out the video archives from last year’s event.

You can always contact us at suggestions [at] futureofmusic [dot] org if you have any questions or feedback.