Casey's Picks for Policy Summit

Why, hello there! My name is Casey Rae-Hunter, and I’m one of the FMC gang. Specifically, I’m Mr. Communications Guy (official title!), so regular readers of this here blog have probably stumbled across a few of my posts.
I wanted to tell you about what I’m really, really looking forward to about the 10th Anniversary Future of Music Policy Summit, which takes place from October 3-5 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.(Musician scholarships available! Tickets going fast! Regular registration prices go up Sept. 10! Do it!)
One of the best things about working at FMC is seeing our three-day flagship event come together. Actually, I’m always amazed at how we manage to make it happen with such a small staff. I guess we’re just that awesome. If you’ve attended our previous conferences, you know that they’re a fantastic place to learn, exchange ideas and help build the future of music. Feisty panels, interactive “supersessions,” cocktail parties, presentations, movie screenings and live music… makes me wanna take a nap just thinking about it. In a good way.
Summit 2010 happens to coincide with FMC’s 10th birthday. (Hmm, it’s almost like we planned it that way!) To celebrate, we’ve put together what will surely be our most kickass conference yet. We’re still crossing a few t’s and dotting a few… quarter notes? But the majority of the pieces are in place, and we’re ready to rock and/or roll! We’ve got incredible speakers like Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Damian Kulash of OK Go, T Bone Burnett and a staggering assortment of managers, academics, legal eagles, policymakers, media mavens and more set to appear — don’t miss the action, kids.
Here’s a glimpse at what I’m most looking forward to about Summit 2010 (check out the full schedule with descriptions here):
To-Do’s and You: The New Artist Checklist
As a musician myself, I understand how daunting it can be to figure out what exactly needs to be done, when and the most appropriate way to go about doing it. Add to that the fact that the music marketplace isn’t exactly stable, and you’ve got a recipe for WTF? Take a deep breath and say it with me: “nothing is f*cked.” In fact, there’s a short list of things that can help square your career right out of the gate, and they’re all pretty much DIY. Our panel of experts — Bryan Calhoun (VP of New Media and External Affairs, SoundExchange), Paul Rapp Attorney, Musician, Community Radio Leader and Writer; Adjunct Professor of Law, Albany Law School), Perry Resnick Senior Manager, RZO, LLC) and Marcy Rauer Wagman Attorney; Associate Professor, Drexel University;CEO,MAD Dragon) — will break it down for ya.
Monsters of Data
What the heck is going on out there? it seems that everyone in the music business — from budding artist to big-time brand-builder — is trying to wrap their heads around the new marketplace. Sometimes you gotta go to the geeks (again, this is meant in a good way). This panel of superstars will fill you in on what’s really happening in the world of fan behavior and how it impacts the entire music ecosystem. No wishful thinking or crying over spilled milk here: just the facts. And fact number one is that the music world would do well to listen to the likes of danah boyd (Social Media Researcher, Microsoft Research New England; Fellow, Harvard University Berkman Center for Internet and Society), Eric Garland (Founder, BigChampagne Media Measurement), Erin McKeown (Musician) and Tim Quirk (Musician; Recovering online music executive).
Partly Sunny with a Chance of Fog: Forecasting “Music in the Cloud”
Remember the space race? Well, maybe not remember, per se, but you’ve probably heard about it. From the mid-1950s to early-’60s, the superpowers of the world (all two of ‘em) pulled out all the stops to be the first in orbit, and then the first to the moon. This is like that, but different. It seems like every major player in music and technology are currently engaged in a “race to the cloud” — which basically means creating an economically viable (and suitably licensable) music service where listeners either: a), stream music they don’t physically own to a range of devices through paid subscription or ad-suppoted systems; b), access they music they already purchased and that exists on their hard drive “on the go” and across a range of devices; or c), some combination of a or b. Sounds pretty great for consumers, but how would it work for musicians, songwriters and rightsholders? That’s exactly what Brendan Benzing (Chief Product Officer, Rhapsody), Peter Jenner (Manager, Sincere Management), Vickie Nauman (VP North America, 7digital) and Patrick Sullivan (President and CEO, RightsFlow) are prepared to discuss.
And that’s just a few of the topics that will be discussed (and the ones that I’m drooling over). Be sure to check out the full list here.
Hope to see you in D.C.!
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