On 6/14/00 we published our first press release. Among other issues we questioned the sincerity and appropriateness of the RIAA’s recent congressional activity lobbying on behalf of "the artists" when that organization is funded by record labels that have a history of exploiting and devaluing the labor of these same artists.

A journalist from Soundbytes.com contacted the RIAA for comment and got them on the record. A representative from the RIAA confirmed that their group represents the major labels and not the artists. We applaud the RIAA’s candor and look forward to representing those musicians whom that organization is no longer publicly pretend to represent.

Jennifer Toomey, Brian Zisk, and Walter McDonough attended the MP3 Summit, in San Diego, CA, and connected with programmers and members of the music/technology community to discuss their ideas and concerns regarding the impending technologies. If you’re curious, you can watch the excellent Summit panels (of which Pamela Samuelson’s speech on Wednesday afternoon was particularly noteworthy) at http://www.mp3.com/summit/webcasts.html?mc=hptn07 .

Group Summit Highlights

* On Tuesday, June 20th at the "Models for Monetizing Music" Panel, Jenny raised a question that tried to direct the discussion away from "pie in the sky" solutions (i.e. Sting’s Internet partnership with Jaguar) and refocus the issue on solutions more appropriate for the great majority of artists who do not have entree of someone like Sting. She was rewarded for her efforts by a flurry of support and business cards. There are a lot of influential people who will remember this day as the first time they actually met Jenny Toomey.
* On Wednesday Brian represented iCAST on the MSP vs. Radio panel where he exemplified the reason, innovation, and optimism that he is known for.

* Walter split his time between The Summit and Tuesday, June 20th’s University of Southern California Symposium regarding Copyright in the Digital Age. He raised questions regarding the Digital Performance Royalty for Sound Recordings (DPRSR) controversy and the "Digital Black Box."

* Watch for Jenny’s upcoming CNet opinion piece regarding the Summit’s "Transitioning between the Major Labels and the Online Industry" panel.

You have to know where you are going in order to get there. That’s why Brian, Walter, & Michael all agreed to separate interviews with Jenny to focus their goals for The Coalition. Specifically:

1. Why each member formed his/her area of The Coalition;
2. What the most important music/technology issues are affecting their area of expertise; and
3. Action items for their respected focus areas of The Coalition over the next 6 months.

*Check out Walter’s drive to clarify the royalty distribution process through the AHRA. At http://www.insound.com/machine/essay.cfm?id=32

*Watch Brian question the closed SDMI process. At http://www.insound.com/machine/essay.cfm?id=39

*Read about Michael’s plans to represent The Coalition’s concerns in congress. At http://www.insound.com/machine/essay.cfm?id=36

Jenny Toomey has taken a 3-month leave of absence from her position at The Washington Post in order to help effectuate the goals outlined in the board-member interviews. She is currently the Future of Music Coalition’s Acting Executive Director.

She will also be working directly with The Coalition board members and with experts in the music/technology community to develop original research in areas that remain too cloudy. This research will focus on a broad variety of subjects such as:

1. Artist compensation (i.e. understanding how and where Indie artists make their money and what effect the new technology is having on their livelihood).
2. Strengths and weaknesses of encryption and watermarking technology.
3. The effects of the DMCA and the AHRA on the value of the labor of independent artists.

The Coalition for the Future of Music wishes to invite all of you to a two-day music/technology event in December. Our main goal is to invite experts and artists to represent their perspectives in Washington. It is our hope that that by holding an event such as this one in Washington DC, the seat of American government, we might facilitate a more nuanced understanding of these complicated questions by our newly elected government officials. We believe this is crucial, as it is these officials who will be passing legislation that will have lasting affects on music/technology.

If you haven’t read and signed the manifesto please do so at http://www.futureofmusic.org/manifesto/. It is imperative that we document the large number of musicians, programmers and music fans whose pro-technology/pro-compensation perspective is not being represented.

Tell your friends, link to us from your sites http://www.futureofmusic.org/movement.cfm , and spread the good word! And if you don’t agree with the manifesto, write us an e-mail and tell us why? We have no desire to operate in a vacuum.

Check out the "News" section of the Coalition’s website for a list of links to articles and interviews about the Future of Music that have run in Wired, The Industry Standard, NPR, and elsewhere. There have been a lot of interviews so you can expect more press in the near future.

We may not have the solution to the problem that Napster and its ilk present, but we can try to explain the problem clearly. Our newest piece of original research is an article by Peter DiCola, (which can be found at http://www.insound.com/machine/essay.cfm?id=38. It describes the basic economic forces that have led to the music industry’s current plight. It demonstrates why artists and labels are going to have more and more trouble receiving money in return for their recorded music (which is why you indie artists and indie labels really should read this.) We’re very excited to have Peter helping out. This is the first in a series of articles that will appear in The Machine about economic and business issues in the music/technology area.

If you have any feedback, questions or suggestions please drop us a line to any of individually, or to feedback [at] futureofmusic [dot] org.

Thanks for your support.

xjenny toomey
Acting Executive Director of The Coalition for the Future of Music and friends.

Please donate to the cause - PayPal donations welcome at paypal [at] futureofmusic [dot] org.