Washington, D.C.- Future of Music Coalition (FMC), a national education, research, and advocacy nonprofit for musicians, will hold its 14th annual Future of Music Policy Summit at Georgetown University in Washington, DC on October 27-28, 2014.
“Our goal with the annual Future of Music Policy Summit is bring together some of the smartest people to discuss some of the toughest issues facing music today,” says FMC’s Managing Director, Hannah Byam. “Bringing together academics, agents, attorneys, entrepreneurs, fans, managers, musicians, policy thought leaders, students, technologists, and writers, this year’s Summit will tackle musician’s services, metadata, activism, transparency, monopolies, and the rise of electronic dance music industry. If you work in music in any capacity, you will come away from the Summit with greater enlightenment, big ideas, new friends and contacts, and a better understanding of the future of music.”
The 2014 Future of Music Policy Summit is co-hosted by Georgetown University and made possible by the support of the Department of Performing Arts at Georgetown University and an award from the National Endowment of the Arts.
The confirmed schedule is:
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM: Introduction from Future of Music Coalition
9:50 AM – 10:50 AM: In Service: Innovation in the Musicians Toolbox:
Musicians depend on technology now more than any other time in history. Platforms abound for creating, promoting and distributing music, for planning tours, engaging fans, raising funds and selling music, merchandise, concert tickets and more. Mostly, artists care about two things: can they get on the platform, and will it make life easier? Our experts will riff on what it takes to deliver a truly musician-friendly service with an eye towards productive partnerships. Learn about apps and services for managing money, tours, websites, fan relationships commerce and everything in between, and how they’re making sure their service is actually in service of musicians.
•Ben Brannen, Co-founder and President, AtVenu
•Randy Nichols, CEO, Force Media Management
•Brett Sechrest, Co-founder and CEO, SoundScry
•Emily White Co-founder, Whitesmith Entertainment, Readymade Records, and Dreamfuel.me.
10:55 AM – 11:35 AM: In Conversation: On Activism and Art:
•Ceci Bastida, Musician
•Felix Contreras, Co-host, Alt.Latino, NPR (moderator)
•Shawn King, Musician, DeVotchKa
•Martín Perna, Musician, Antibalas and Ocote Soul Sounds
11:40 AM – 12:00 PM: Keynote: The Honorable Mignon Clyburn:
•Mignon Clyburn, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM: LUNCH with Metadata for Musicians: Metadata for Musicians: a Hands-on Workshop About the Data Attached to Your Music That Powers Discovery, Attribution and Royalties
Metadata is all that information that describes and identifies your music. In some cases, metadata is text – composer and musicians’ names, dates, genre. In other cases, it’s numeric data such as UPC barcodes and ISRC codes. As the music landscape becomes increasingly digital and global – and where success is counted in streams and plays instead of sales – proper metadata is an increasingly important part of your release workflow.
Join us for a two-part lunchtime workshop on metadata for musicians. Panelists from mastering studios, digital aggregators, performance rights organizations, and digital retailers will walk us through the current digital music ecosystem, and describe what data is necessary, how to get it, where and when to embed it, and what musicians need to keep track of. The goal is to provide you with a better understanding of how your music and data work together to power discovery, attribution and monetization.
On Monday, October 27, we will focus on pre-release activities, including ISRC codes, UPC barcodes and title registration.
•Bryan Calhoun, Digital Strategy, The Blueprint Group; Founder, Label Management Systems and Music Business Toolbox; Board Member, Future of Music Coalition
•Tracy Maddux, CEO, CD Baby
•Mike Petillo, Studio Manager, Airshow
•Kristin Thomson, Co-director, Artist Revenue Streams Project, Future of Music Coalition (moderator)
•Bill Wilson, VP, Digital Strategy and Business Development, Music Business Association
1:30 PM - 2:15 PM: Spotlight Sessions
A Road Plan for Jazz, Presented by Jazz Forward Coalition:
At last year’s Summit, Jazz Forward Coalition (JFC) brought together an outstanding group of thought leaders and stakeholders to re-examine jazz’s unique and essential role in the socio-economic cultural arenas. It was an animated, sometimes heated, but ultimately productive discussion, which began to suggest a roadmap to address jazz’s needs for sustained growth. Since that time, JFC has embarked on a year long study, supported by a planning grant of DDCF, to take a snapshot of jazz in order to delineate, define, and suggest programmable initiatives for community based activations. Please join us as we examine the interlocking needs of the jazz ecosystem, discuss fresh ideas that bring more jazz to more people and strategize how to mobilize and execute on the local and national levels.
•Peter Gordon President/Co-founder, Thirsty Ear Recordings and Jazz Forward Coalition
Life with the Devil: Who Minds the Details? Artist Metadata & Royalty Payments
•Dennis Dreith, AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund (moderator)
Case Study: Youth On Record
Denver-based Youth on Record believes that young people – those who are both at-risk and written-off – have the potential to turn their lives around. In just four years, YOR has grown into the largest music provider for Denver Public Schools where they deploy 20+ local musicians to teach in alternative high school classrooms. Through a model partnership that brings together the local music community, public schools, the nation’s leading housing authority, and the philanthropic sector, Youth on Record has quickly become an example of what’s possible when musicians and nonprofit/public sector leaders embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and band together around a common cause. In 2012, YOR’s state-of-the-art Youth Media Studio was selected as the anchor tenant for the Denver Housing Authority’s award-winning La Mariposa District redevelopment project. La Mariposa District is a DHA-led initiative that has transformed a former public housing site into a vibrant, sustainable mixed-income community, catalyzed by a HUD HOPE VI grant. When completed in 2015, the media facility will serve as a centralized location for digital arts-based programming for at-risk youth in Denver. Join this session for an overview on Youth on Record’s mission and activities and insight on how their experience could be adapted by organizations in other communities.
•Jami Duffy Executive Director, Youth on Record
•Ismael Guerrero, Executive Director, Denver Housing Authority
•Margaret Hunt, Director, Colorado Creative Industries (moderator)
•Adrian Molina, Lead Instructor, Youth on Record; Musician, Molina Speaks
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM: “Whose Transparency is it Anyway?”
The word “transparency” has become a music industry invocation: if you say it enough, no one can accuse you of a lack of it. But what does it actually mean? Musicians often call for transparency in accounting and royalty distribution. Indie labels want disclosure about negotiations between big labels and digital services. Songwriters worry about the lack of transparency in direct deals between publishers and music platforms. Music services want transparency about what catalog they can or cannot use. Globally, there are issues around “black boxes” and unattributed income that never makes it back to creators. Is there a common definition or set of principles that could be adopted to advance the goal of transparency? Who makes the call about what information is made available? How can technology and better data management lessen the burden of music industry middlemen while keeping them accountable to artists? This panel will explore issues around timely and accurate dissemination with an eye towards a less opaque industry.
•Dave Herlihy, Attorney, The Law Offices of David Herlihy; Professor, Northeastern University (moderator)
•Peter Jenner, Manager, Sincere Management
•Tom Silverman, Executive Director, New Music Seminar
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM: On Atomic Living: Kiran Gandhi:
•Kiran Gandhi, Drummer/Percussionist; MBA Candidate, Harvard Business School
•Michelle Davis, Senior Articles Editor, Journal of Intellectual Property, University of Georgia School of Law
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM: Follow the Tribes: EDM and Industry Innovation:
A late 2013 valuation of the EDM industry came in at $6.2 billion in global revenues. This includes $4.2 billion from festivals and club dates alone. Largely drawing on fan networks of highly loyal young listeners, EDM artists, promoters and managers have led the charge on transforming the live music space, and are redefining how recorded music is accessed and monetized These savvy entrepreneurs are embracing or driving innovations in ticketing plans, VIP experiences, merch bundles, stage productions and fan engagement and more. At its core, the live concert remains a singular experience that can’t be duplicated or co-opted, but EDM’s growth isn’t limited to the stage. We’ll take a look at what’s working in EDM and what takeaways the genre might offer for the rest of the industry.
•Ben Hogan, Agent, Circle Talent Agency
•Pete Kalamoutsos, Managing Partner, GLOW, Panorama Productions
•Fox Stevenson, Singer, Songwriter and Producer
•Michelle Katz, Attorney, The Law Offices of Kurosh Nasseri (moderator)
5:05 PM - 5:15 PM: Day 1 Closing
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Cocktail Party
6:30 PM - 11:00 PM: Future of Music Honors
Future of Music Honors: This one-of-a-kind evening highlights musicians and industry leaders who have demonstrated consistent commitment to their craft and social change. Celebrate their service along with exciting musical performances at the 2014 Future of Music Honors.
•Congressmen Goodlatte, Conyers, Nadler & Coble
Complete info of the second annual Future of Music Honors event. Summit attendees can purchase a discounted Honors ticket during the Summit registration process; quantities are limited.
10:00 AM – 10:10 AM: Day 2 Welcome
10:10 AM – 11:00 AM: On Copyright
•Jill Berliner, Partner, King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner LLP
•Ashlye Keaton, Attorney, Entertainment Law Legal Assistance (ELLA) Project; Adjunct Professor, Tulane University School of Law and University of New Orleans
•Paul LiCalsi, Partner, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP
•Walter McDonough Co-founder and General Counsel, Future of Music Coalition
•Janine Small, Principal, Janine Small PLLC
11:15 AM – 11:35 AM: Keynote: TBA
11:40 AM – 12:00 PM: In Conversation: On Metadata
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch with Metadata for Musicians Workshop II: Metadata for Musicians: a Hands-on Workshop About the Data Attached to Your Music That Powers Discovery, Attribution and Royalties
Metadata is all that information that describes and identifies your music. In some cases, metadata is text – composer and musicians’ names, dates, genre. In other cases, it’s numeric data such as UPC barcodes and ISRC codes. As the music landscape becomes increasingly digital and global – and where success is counted in streams and plays instead of sales – proper metadata is an increasingly important part of your release workflow.
Join us for a two-part lunchtime workshop on metadata for musicians. Panelists from mastering studios, digital aggregators, performance rights organizations and digital retailers will walk us through the current digital music ecosystem, and describe what data is necessary, how to get it, where and when to embed it, and what musicians need to keep track of. The goal is to provide you with a better understanding of how your music and data work together to power discovery, attribution and monetization.
On Tuesday, October 28, we will cover the variety of ways that data influences search and monetization – including music discovery apps, performance royalties, and music placement opportunities – and how you can effectively participate in this new landscape.
•Bryan Calhoun, Digital Strategy, The Blueprint Group; Founder, Label Management Systems and Music Business Toolbox; Board Member, Future of Music Coalition
•Andrea Kremer, Founder, Shake & Howdy
•Tracy Maddux, CEO, CD Baby
•Kristin Thomson, Co-director, Artist Revenue Streams Project, Future of Music Coalition
•Bill Wilson, VP, Digital Strategy and Business Development, Music Business Association
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM: Spotlight Sessions:
Mash of the Titans: The Push for Monopoly in Music and Media:
Monopoly is back, like a lame song that’s stuck in your head. The impacts of corporate consolidation are rippling through many different sectors, including the music and entertainment industries. Competition policy and antitrust law are tough to wrap our heads around, but if we’re interested in a future built on access and entrepreneurship we need to figure out a way to talk about it. How does a tendency towards monopoly create economic, expressive and civic inequalities? What does the “vertical integration” of large media companies, Internet Service Providers and telecommunications giants mean for the future of music and media? What do independent artists, innovators and the public need to know about these pernicious power plays?
Barry C. Lynn is director of the Open Markets program at the New America Foundation and the author of two books, “End of the Line” and “Cornered,” the latter of which describes the dramatic return of monopoly to the American landscape. Both books and Lynn’s periodic articles in Harper’s Magazine describe the concentration of economic power across a range of industries.
Salon.com columnist Thomas Frank is a political analyst, historian, and journalist whose books include “The Conquest of Cool,” “One Market Under God,” and “What’s the Matter With Kansas.” Join them for a special conversation about a topic that will no doubt impact how you go about your own lives and careers.
•Barry Lynn Director, Open Markets Program, New America Foundation
•Thomas Frank, Columnist, Salon.com; Author, “Pity the Billionaire”
Internships: Promoting Good Uses, Avoiding Abuses
This breakout session is designed for professionals looking to develop or strengthen an internship program and students eager to get involved. In addition to discussing recent trends and practices, the session will connect industry leaders with educators and students interested in shaping future internship policies and developing guidelines that strengthen networking possibilities and minimize system abuses.
•Anna Celenza, Thomas E. Caestecker Professor of Music, Georgetown University (moderator)
Bridging the Gap: Building Connections Between Local Music Advocates & the Public Sector, Presented by SpokesBUZZ
While many people talk in terms of a music industry FMC focuses our language on the music community – the vast network of community leaders, volunteers, small businesses and others who provide the critical infrastructure that supports music and musicians. In an increasingly digital world, innovators across the country are developing new models for local organizing and support. A primary goal over the next decade is to align these organic, grassroots passion project with both policies and resources to maximize their impact. This panel features innovators from across the country and asks how we more effectively integrate with local, regional and federal policymakers.
•David Freedman, General Manager, WWOZ-FM New Orleans
•Dani Grant, Founder, SpokesBUZZ; Owner, Mishawaka Amphitheater (moderator)
•Ellen Stanley, Executive Director, Minnesota Music Coalition
2:30 PM – 3:10 PM: In Conversation: On Songwriting
•Deborah Newman, Digital Music Consultant/Attorney, MusicStrat (moderator)
3:15 PM – 4:15 PM: Stopping Cable (and Telecomm) F*ckery:
2014 has seen the “net neutrality” debate reach a fever pitch. Musicians, indie labels, entrepreneurs, cultural organizations, arts nonprofits, and more have joined millions of Americans in urging the FCC to preserve an open and accessible Internet. Political satirist John Oliver memorably coined it a movement to “stop cable f*ckery” in an episode of “Last Week Tonight.” But what does this f*ckery entail? Is it data caps on apps, except those pre-selected by your Internet Service Providers? Is it digital payola, where the richest companies enjoy an online Autobahn and everyone else gets a dirt road? Is it the fact that many Americans pay hundreds of dollars a month to their ISPs only to receive speeds well below those advertised? Is it the cable companies rewriting local laws to prevent competition in the broadband marketplace? How does all this impact music communities and creators around the country? What are artists and advocates doing to push back? Our panel of experts and agitators will explore these issues and more in an ongoing effort to put an end to cable and telecom f*ckery.
•Jodie Griffin Senior Staff Attorney, Public Knowledge
•Sarah Morris, Senior Policy Counsel, Open Technology Institute, New America Foundation
•Casey Rae, VP for Policy and Education, Future of Music Coalition
•Joe Torres, Senior External Affairs Director, Free Press
4:20 PM – 4:50 PM: In Conversation: Astra Taylor & Katie Alice Greer:
•Astra Taylor, Documentary Filmmaker, Musician and Author, “The People’s Platform”
•Katie Alice Greer Musician, Priests
4:50 PM – 5:00 PM: Day 2 Closing
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Closing Party at the Gibson Guitar Showroom
Register for the Future of Music Summit 2014.
As always, Summit 2014 unofficially kicks off on the evening of Sunday, October 26, with a Pho dinner in the DC metro area, where conference attendees are welcome to make connections over a relaxed, informal meal.
In order to ensure musicians are not left out conversations that affect their livelihoods, Future of Music Coalition offers artist scholarships for the Policy Summit so they can attend, learn, and network and share perspectives. The scholarship allows musicians to attend the Future of Music Summit on a sliding scale basis, starting at $25. The scholarship does not cover travel or lodging. Musicians can apply for scholarships.
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