WASHINGTON — From September 25 – November 16, 2001 the Future of Music Coalition’s executive director, Jenny Toomey, will be speaking to students, faculty, and the public at ten universities across the nation. The tour has been made possible in part by a grant from the Center for the Public Domain.
The goals of the Speaking Tour are:
to clearly present the key policy issues in the realm of digital technology, artists’ rights, and the music industry, using evidence from the history of policymaking to the outcome of recent court cases and corporate strategies;
to educate students and academics about the real-world challenges that nonprofit think tanks face when participating in policy work on Capitol Hill; and
to engage in a meaningful debate with students, academics, and community members about these critical issues. By moderating a legitimate and informed discussion, the FMC will be better prepared to serve as a representative for the variety of stakeholders who can be affected by changes in communications policy, copyright law and corporate contracts.
During the presentation, Toomey will first outline the traditional business model of the music industry, touching on the power of contracts, the control the industry has over the distribution and promotion channels, and the subsequent economic pressures that force musicians to give up ownership of their own copyrights in order to have access to the star-making machine.
Then Toomey will focus on the technologies developed in the last decade that have provided new opportunities for both musicians and music labels. The Internet, in particular, has shown the potential to provide many new ways for musicians to create, promote, and distribute their work. However, the Internet’s potential has yet to be fully realized in this realm. Not only is the vast majority of major label content still unavailable for legal distribution via the Internet, the major labels have used lawsuits, legislation and their market power to stifle a number of innovative technologies and companies that have provided viable alternatives to the traditional business models.
Throughout the presentation, Toomey will talk about the important balance between the creators and citizens that is codified by copyright law. She will note that, over the past 200 years, the amount of time that a work can remain copyrighted has been continuously lengthened, thus substantially delaying the release of works into the public domain. This has profound implications, not only for musicians, but also for the public at large as more intellectual property and discovery is deemed private property instead of a public good.
Overall, Toomey hopes that the Fall Speaking Tour will help the public to understand the forces at work at the intersection of music, technology, law and policy.
“Primarily I am a citizen and a musician working to extend the general knowledge of certain complicated issues,” said Toomey. “It is my hope that through public dialogue we will be able to raise the level of understanding and insert the citizens’ and creators’ voice into the middle of debates that often take place without their input.”
At many universities the presentation is being followed by a panel discussion with experts from the law, music, and communications fields. The event should stimulate an engaging discussion with students, faculty, and members of the public.
In addition to the public speaking events, Jenny Toomey will be performing almost every night to support the release of her new double CD, Antidote, which is coming out on Misra Records this October. Since 1990 Toomey has been in a number of critically acclaimed bands including Tsunami, Liquorice and Grenadine, which released seven albums combined. Antidote marks Toomey’s first release as a solo artist, but certainly not her last.
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The Future of Music Coalition is a not-for-profit collaboration between leading independent musicians and experts from the worlds of technology, public policy and intellectual property law. The FMC seeks to educate the media, policymakers, and the public about music / technology issues, while also bringing together key stakeholders in an effort to come up with creative solutions to some of the challenges in this space. The FMC also aims to identify and promote innovative business models that will help independent musicians benefit from new technologies. The FMC Board members include Jenny Toomey, Michael Bracy (government relations), Walter McDonough (general counsel), Brian Zisk (technology director), Kristin Thomson (community development), and Peter Dicola (economic analysis).
Jenny Toomey, executive director, is an activist and musician. From 1990-1997
she co-ran the independent record label Simple Machines, which released
over 70 records in an eight year period. She has been in a number of bands
including Tsunami, Grenadine and Liquorice. This October,
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Future of Music Coalition is a national non-profit education, research and advocacy organization that seeks a bright future for creators and listeners. FMC works towards this goal through continuous interaction with its primary constituency — musicians — and in collaboration with other creator/public interest groups. More