Future of Music Newsletter #80 | Sept 15, 2009

In just three weeks, hundreds of musicians, technologists, lawyers and policymakers will be convening in Washington, DC for our eighth Future of Music Policy Summit. And, honestly, it’s our best yet.

> > > Click here to register < < <

In this newsletter, we’re going to make the case why you should join us.

If you’re a musician…

• Sunday afternoon’s programming is chock full of practical advice to help you navigate the new digital landscape. We’ll review of many new business models available to musicians, how to use social networking tools to build buzz, getting paid in the digital age, and a musician-friendly policy primer that will highlight the issues that affect artists.

• On Sunday and Monday, FMC’s HINT coordinator Alex Maiolo will be on hand to provide free, private, personalized advice to musicians without health insurance. Musicians: apply for a scholarship today.

If you’re an attorney…

• Our programming on Monday and Tuesday has been approved for 7.5 CLE credits – including 2 of those elusive ethics credits – by the Virginia Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board, all for the low price of $349. Approved CLE credits from PA and VA may be claimed by attorneys in CA, NY and IL as reciprocal credits. Check out the CLE details here.

If Inside the Beltway is your scene…

• On Monday, October 5, Senator Franken will be delivering a keynote address on net neutrality. Then, right after his speech, he’ll sit down to be interviewed by Mike Mills of R.E.M. On Tuesday, Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) will take part in a similar chat with New Jersey singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins. Look out, Katie Couric.

• We’re especially honored to announce that FCC Chair Julius Genachowski will be joining us on Monday. The recently appointed FCC chief will deliver a keynote speech to eager ears in the Beltway and beyond.

• Panels on Monday are packed with representatives from some of the most important organizations in the music/technology/policy space including RIAA, AFM, CEA, Public Knowledge, Copyright Alliance, Google, the Justice Department and the US Copyright Office and more.

If you love to network…

• Start at the Copyright Criminals screening on Sunday evening, followed by the not-to-be-missed Pho Dinner at Nam Viet in Arlington, VA, where you can share a crowded table and boisterous conversation with dozens of other panelists and attendees.

• Make your Twitter followers and FB friends jealous by live tweeting or blogging from the Summit. #FMC09.

• Rub elbows with other conference attendees at our cocktail parties and our Monday night rock show!

If you live on the bleeding edge of music/tech …

• …then get a front row seat on Monday morning when journalist/author Greg Kot leads a conversation on the new ways that musicians and indie labels are leveraging their multiple assets to take control of their careers, including Ian Rogers from TopSpin Media, Bertis Downs from R.E.M, Mac McCaughan from Merge Records, manager Emily White, and musician Erin McKeown.

• You’ll also love to hear the Tuesday morning presentations from Daniel Ek from Spotify and Brian Message from Courtyard Management (co-manager of Radiohead).

• During Tuesday afternoon’s breakout sessions, listen to Jim Griffin describe the Choruss music project, or let legendary producer Sandy Pearlman blow your mind as he discusses music in “the cloud” and the paradise of infinite storage.

• Then hop over to the breakout session featuring some of the most innovative ideas in the music/tech space, with reps from Kickstarter (microfunding startup), Band Metrics (cross-platform data analysis for musicians) and more.

If you’re a data geek…

• Check out the breakout about metadata and its importance for artist compensation in the future, featuring Rob Kaye from MusicBrainz, Jim Selby from Naxos, Peter Jenner and Joe Wallace from Mediaguide.

If you’re a music critic…

• Join the “Condition: Critical” conversation that’s bringing a dozen of the nation’s most influential music journalists together for a discussion about the future of their craft. Panelists include Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune and Sound Opinions), Fiona Morgan (Durham Independent), Maura Johnston (Idolator), Todd C. Roberts (The Daily Swarm), Eliot Van Buskirk (Wired), Howard Mandel (jazz critics), David Malitz (Washington Post), Alan Light (Rolling Stone), Tom Moon (1000 Recordings You Need to Hear, All Things Considered) and Scott Plagenhoef (Pitchfork).

If you’re an activist…

• Learn how dozens of musicians have pitched in to support the rebuilding of New Orleans’ unique music community following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina from Jordan Hirsh, director of Sweet Home New Orleans.

• Check out the breakout session on Tuesday afternoon discussing musicians as agents of social change, featuring Erin Potts from Air Traffic Control, veteran political organizer Scott Goodstein and musician Wayne Kramer.

• Then roll right over to the breakout on State and Local Policy, where regional organizers will talk about how musicians can get involved in their own community to effect change.

Check out the entire schedule and register today!

Scholarships for Working Musicians: $10

As always, we’re offering scholarships to musicians to ensure that their voices are not left out of these important debates. These are going fast, so apply now.

Other perks

Special discount rates for students
Media credentialing
CLE credit for attorneys
Want to volunteer?
Make an appointment with HINT’s Alex Maiolo
Policy Summit 2009 page

Can’t make it in person?

Web.illish.us will be there producing a high-quality interactive live webcast of the entire conference, for those of you that absolutely, positively can’t make it to DC. Head here to reserve your spot to virtually attend Summit 09, sponsored by LiveStream.

Keynote Speakers

Senator Al Franken (D-MN)

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA)

FCC Chair Julius Genachowski

Panelists

Ken Abdo Lommen Abdo Law Firm
Nicole Atkins Musician
Mitch Bainwol CEO, RIAA
Tony Berman Berman Entertainment and Technology Law
Michael Bracy Future of Music Coalition
Helen Bruner Producer, Songwriter, and Grammy-nominated artist, Phil’erzy Productions
Jed Carlson ReverbNation
David Carson U.S. Copyright Office
Ann Chaitovitz Ann Chaitovitz Consulting
Candace Clement Free Press
John Crigler Garvey Shubert Barer
Peter DiCola Northwestern University
Bertis Downs Advisor, r.e.m.
Daniel Ek Spotify
Harold Feld Public Knowledge
Bruce Fife AFM Local 99
Brian Franklin Impact Politics
Duncan Freeman Band Metrics
Scott Goodstein Revolutionary Messaging
Jim Griffin Choruss
Jordan Hirsch Sweet Home New Orleans
George Howard Musician, Producer, Educator and Writer
Seth Hurwitz Chairman, IMP
Ariel Hyatt Ariel Cyber PR
Vijay Iyer Musician
Peter Jaszi American University
Peter Jenner Sincere Management
Maura Johnston Idolator
Rick Karr Columbia University School of Journalism
Roberta R. Katz Special Advisor, Technology, U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
Rob Kaye MusicBrainz
Barrie Kessler SoundExchange
Greg Kot Chicago Tribune
Wayne Kramer Musician
Alan Light Journalist, Rolling Stone, Spin, Vibe
Alex Maiolo HINT Program Coordinator
David Malitz Staff Writer, Washington Post
Howard Mandel Jazz Journalists Association
Mac McCaughan Merge Records; Musician, Portastatic, Superchunk
Charlie McEnerney Well-Rounded Radio
Erin McKeown Musician
Kembrew McLeod University of Iowa
Brian Message Partner, Courtyard Management
Mike Mills Musician, r.e.m.
Tom Moon Music Critic, NPR; Journalist
Fiona Morgan Journalist, the Independent
Andrew Noyes Journalist; Countributor, National Journal
David Oxenford Davis Wright Tremaine
Michael Petricone CEA
Scott Plagenhoef Editor-in-Chief, Pitchfork
Hal Ponder Director of Government Relations, AFM
Erin Potts Air Traffic Control
Tim Quirk VP of Programming, Rhapsody
Casey Rae-Hunter Future of Music Coalition
Paul Rapp attorney
Todd C. Roberts The Daily Swarm;
Ian Rogers TopSpin
Patrick Ross Copyright Alliance
Jim Selby Naxos of America
Johanna Shelton Senior Policy Counsel and Legislative Strategist, Google
Yancey Strickler Kickstarter
John Strohm Associate Attorney, Johnston Barton
Kristin Thomson Future of Music Coalition
Tracy Tucker Vice President and Partner, Bracy Tucker Brown and Valanzano
Eliot van Buskirk Columnist, WIRED
Marcy Rauer Wagman Associate Professor, Drexel University; CEO, MAD Dragon
Emily White Partner, Whitesmith Entertainment
Brian Zisk Co-founder, Collecta; Founder and Executive Producer, SanFran MusicTech Summit and Future of Money Summit

See all panelists

FMC is pleased to announce its participation in a series of free community film screenings organized by PBS’ Independent Lens Series and the Community Cinema program.

D-TOUR follows Pat Spurgeon, whose promising indie-rock career as a member of the Bay Area band Rogue Wave suffers an incredible setback when one of his kidneys begins to fail. D-TOUR chronicles Pat’s search for a living organ donor and the challenges associated with finding a viable match. Pat’s choice to keep touring and working toward the band’s goals is put to the test; the absolute need to perform dialysis daily and to focus on his health became top priority while being on the road. D-TOUR also addresses issues with the health care system, the lack of affordable insurance, and the importance of organ donation.

Spurgeon’s story underscores the challenges that many American musicians face attaining health insurance. FMC began studying this issue early in the decade, and launched its Health Insurance Navigation Tool (HINT) in 2005 to help musicians better understand their health insurance options. FMC staff will be on hand at select screenings of D-Tour to discuss the program.

Click here for a full list of D-TOUR screenings

We’re also partnering with Independent Lens and Community Cinema for screenings of COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS (which we mentioned in the Summit roundup above).

Produced by University of Iowa professor Kembrew McLeod and Benjamin Franzen, this documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. Sampling, or riffing, is as old as music itself, but as technologies developed in the 1980s and 1990s that made it easier to sample existing sound recordings – and when record label company lawyers got involved – everything changed. Years before people started downloading music off the internet, hip-hop sampling sparked a debate about copyright, creativity and technological change, and the debate still rages today.

Additional details about Copyright Criminals screenings

FMC has worked closely with Kembrew since 2007, examining the legal and social challenges presented by this ever-evolving art form. Creative License, a book featuring interviews with nearly 100 participants involved in sampling, as well as a thorough economic and legal analysis of the musical practice, will be published by Duke University Press in 2010.

COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS will also be screened as part of Policy Summit 09 on October 4 from 5-7 PM. On Monday, October 5, McLeod and Creative License co-author Peter DiCola will join entertainment attorney Tony Berman, and AU law professor Peter Jaszi for a discussion about their research and possible ways to make the sample license clearance process more efficient.

Register for the Policy Summit

Future of Music Newsletter #80 | Sept 15, 2009

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