Regular readers of FMC’s FutureBlog know it’s a great way to stay on top of the issues at the intersection of music, technology, policy and law. The last couple of weeks have been particularly eventful — here’s some recent highlights:
Agreement Reached on Webcasting Royalty Rates
On July 7, news broke that “pure play” webcasting services (i.e., the bigger online broadcasters who earn the bulk of their revenue through their services) reached an agreement with SoundExchange — the nonprofit organization that collects and distributes the digital public performance royalty on behalf of performing artists and sound copyright owners (usually the labels).
Julius Genachowski confirmed as FCC Chair
The Senate voted on Thursday, June 24 to confirm Julius Genachowski — President Obama’s nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission. This is widely viewed as an important development in maintaining open internet structures and furthering the deployment of broadband.
More FCC nominees at the Senate
While most the country has been occupied with the Sotomayor confirmation, we at FMC have also been keeping our eyes on another nomination process — namely, who will fill a pair of important Federal Communications Commission posts.
DC Independent Concert Promoter Sues Live Nation
I.M.P. Inc., an independent DC/Maryland concert promotion and event production company, recently filed an antitrust suit against Live Nation. Owner Seth Hurwitz and Rich Heinecke, I.M.P. Inc., operates the famous 9:30 Club in Washington, DC and Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
Just Plain Folks Announces JPF Music Awards Nominees
Just Plain Folks (founded by FMC advisory board member Brian Austin Whitney) is an online (and real-world) community comprising more than 51,500 songwriters, recording artists, publishers, record labels, producers and other music “folks.” The JPF Awards Show — the largest indie awards event on the planet — takes place on August 29 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Wanna dig deeper? Have a look at the FutureBlog archives.