Audio from Congressional Internet Caucus Panel on "Net Music"
Panelists:
- Jerry Brito, Senior Research Fellow/Professor of Law - George Mason University [Bio]
- Delida Costin, General Counsel, Pandora [Bio]
- Michael Huppe, President, SoundExchange Inc. [Bio]
- Lee Knife, Digital Media Association (DiMA) [Bio]
- Casey Rae, Deputy Director - Future of Music Coalition [Bio] - Moderator
Over the years Congress has played key roles in how music is distributed through every new medium such as radio, cable, and satellite. From compulsory licenses to royalty schemes Congress often acts as a veritable policy DJ in the music marketplace. In the mid-1990’s Congress once again stepped up to the turntables, put on the headphones, and crafted a law for how music over streamed through the Internet — prescribing a licensing and royalty schemes for services like Slacker Radio and Pandora. Other NetMusic applications, such as digital downloads/lockers (e.g. iTunes Music Store, Amazon on Demand) and interactive services (e.g. Spotify, Rhapsody) operate with very little — if any — Congressional involvement. Yet debate continues about which way Congress should spin the policy turntable — for music generally and for NetMusic specifically. Since this is the State of the Net our panel will focus only on existing and proposed legislation aimed at spurring innovation and creativity in the Internet music space. The question for our panel is whether such rules help or hinder technological and/or creative innovation.