We had so much fun with last April’s “What’s the Future for Musicians?” seminars in upstate New York that we couldn’t resist another road trip. FMC and our brainy associates will be in Chicago and New York City this fall for two more information-packed forums for musicians, indie labels and fans.

Attendees will learn about a range of internet-based promotion and distribution options, how to navigate the health insurance landscape, the importance of open internet structures, local funding opportunities and how copyright law and business models affect musician compensation. If that’s not exciting enough, there will also be special conversations featuring prominent music minds, breakout sessions, and everybody’s favorite - cocktail parties! It’s a great chance to get the latest music-tech-policy scoop, interact with the experts, and exchange ideas and perspectives with other musicians, labels and fans. (Some call it networking; we call it good times.)

The Chicago seminar will take place on Monday September 22 at the Old Town School of Folk Music. The NYC forum will be held at the Public Theater on Monday, October 6. Admission for each event is $25, though a limited number of musician scholarships are also available for both events. Space is limited so register today!

What’s the Future for Musicians: Chicago
Monday, September 22, 2008
12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL

Event site
Register
Apply for a scholarship
Press credentialing
Help us spread the word

What’s the Future for Musicians: New York
Monday, October 6, 2008
1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Anspacher Theater at the Public Theater, New York, NY

Event site
Register
Apply for a scholarship
Press credentialing
Help us spread the word

FMC will also be organizing another event in NYC in October or November, date and venue to be determined. “Creative License: A Conversation about Music, Sampling and the Law” will present a robust but balanced conversation about the legal and social challenges posed by music sampling, and the sample license clearance process - hot topics in this Girl Talk era.

FMC goes back to the future with our Washington, D.C. Policy events slated for 2009. Hot on the heels of the national election, we’ll be holding a Policy Day at the National Geographic Society on February 11. The one-day forum will look at how changes in the policy landscape might impact the music community. Later in ‘09, we’ll host our multi-day Policy Summit, which will shed even more light on the issues that are emerging as music promotion and distribution moves to a global, digital platform. Stay tuned for more info on all of our upcoming events.

Christmas came waaaay early this year. Rock the Net: Musicians for Net Neutrality, a benefit compilation CD released by Thirsty Ear Recordings on July 29, is already making waves in the music community and beyond. With artists like Wilco, Bright Eyes, Aimee Mann, The Wrens, They Might Be Giants and more donating tracks, it’s easy to see why.

You’re probably familiar with this net neutrality business (we certainly talk about it a lot), but if you’re not, here’s the skinny: Net neutrality is the principle that protects the open internet. It allows musicians and labels to compete on an equal technological playing field with the biggest companies. It also gives fans a plethora of ways to legally access music. But this could all change, if powerful cable and telecommunications companies get their way. If you’re a musician or label, you should sign up for the Rock the Net campaign and show your support for the open internet.

You can pick up the CD at your favorite local record store or online through iTunes, Amazon (and the Amazon MP3 store), eMusic and Rhapsody.

Rock the Net in Wired Listening Post
RTN in Rolling Stone
RTN in Pitchfork
Article about musicians and Net Neutrality in Flagpole
RTN on NPR
RTN at ArsTechnica

We also recently took a look at the FCC’s August 1 decision about Comcast’s interference with legal P2P traffic. This post at the FMC blog examines the decision’s significance alongside FMC’s longstanding support of the open internet.

Speaking of net neutrality, FMC recently talked to Sidney Chen, Artistic Administrator for Kronos Quartet, about what the open internet means to the group. Part of FMC’s ongoing Podcast Interview Series, the segment features Sidney explaining how Kronos uses the internet to reach potential listeners, interact with fans, offer unreleased music and more. One of the most interesting things Sidney talked about is how the internet is proving that classical music isn’t just for oldsters - there’s tons of young superfans who probably wouldn’t have been exposed to classical music if not for the internet. It’s even better in his own words.

On Thursday, July 17, FMC headed to the Windy City for a special discussion about Public Enemy’s classic LP It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Co-presented by Pitchfork Music Festival, the free event saw Hank Shocklee and Keith Shocklee of PE’s production team the Bomb Squad chewing the fat with frontman Chuck D. and journalist/activist/Media Assassin Harry Allen. Documentary filmmaker and media professor Kembrew McLeod served as moderator, doing his best to get a few words in edgewise. It was a packed house, and the panel kept attendees riveted for nearly three hours. Check out our blog for more details, and stay tuned for video footage of the discussion courtesy PitchforkTV. In the meantime, check out our blog post about the Public Enemy panel.

The following day, Alex Maiolo from HINT (Health Insurance Navigation Tool) and FMC Communications Director Casey Rae-Hunter rocked the Pitchfork Festival (well, as much as you can rock a table), where they offered information about health insurance, net neutrality and our other work. They even managed to catch a few awesome sets (Caribou and Jarvis Cocker were two faves).

If you’ve ever attended an FMC event, you know that they’re packed with information and practical advice for musicians. But if you haven’t yet been to our Policy Summits or traveling seminars, you can still bone up on the issues at the intersection of music, technology, policy and law at our YouTube page.

We’ve gathered some of the most informative clips from our events and now present them for your viewing pleasure. These “Nuggets of Wisdom” cover such topics as Low Power FM, the Public Performance Right, how media consolidation has impacted radio, new business models, net neutrality and more. Watch and learn.

You can also check out audio and video recordings of FMC panels and presentations at Archive.org.

You can always contact us at suggestions [at] futureofmusic [dot] org if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Ann Chaitovitz
Michael Bracy
Walter McDonough
Brian Zisk
Kristin Thomson
Jean Cook
Casey Rae-Hunter
Nicole Duffey
Chhaya Kapadia
Alex Maiolo