It’s that time of year again. No, not Halloween. But close!

On October 3-4, brilliant folks from all corners of the industry (and beyond) will assemble at Georgetown University in Washington, DC for the 2011 Future of Music Policy Summit. Hard to believe this is our 10th conference; I’d like to think that, like a fine single-malt whisky, we just keep improving with age.

Every year, our staff and interns pick their favorite panels or activities, so here’s a few of mine (check out the full schedule for all the awesomeness):

Keynote: Maria A. Pallante, Register of Copyrights and Director, U.S. Copyright Office

Pallante is the relatively new Director of the Copyright Office, so it’ll be really interesting to hear about what’s on the agenda for the Office. She’ll be giving an address entitled “Copyright and the Independent Creator,” which is right up our alley. This is an unique opportunity for musicians to hear directly from a government official on matters that affect their livelihoods.

In Conversation: Rick Nielsen and Dave Frey

I’m a huge Cheap Trick fan, and I know that a lot of you are, too. Which is why I’m psyched that guitarist Rick Nielsen and manager Dave Frey have made time to pop by Summit for a special conversation about their many and varied industry experiences. Cheap Trick has pretty much seen and done it all, and they’re among the small handful of legendary American rock bands that understands how to make things happen in the new marketplace. Rick and Dave will talk about all that, plus the recent spate of stage collapses and how to avoid future tragedies.

New Frontiers in Mobile & Music

Everybody’s talking about “cloud music” and all the exciting services and applications that are shaping the future of music. Much of this activity is taking place in the mobile realm, with smartphones and tablet devices taking music access and discovery to a whole new level. Of course, there are any number of issues that affect how this new marketplace develops, from open platforms for innovation to pricing and data concerns. Then there’s the question of who gets to participate in this new environment — creators and innovators, or just big corporations?  With music going mobile, we think this panel — moderated by Washington Post’s Cecilia Kang and featuring experts like Brendan Benzing, Chief Product Officer, Rhapsody; Amalia Deloney, Grassroots Policy Director, The Center for Media Justice; Gigi B. Sohn, President, Public Knowledge; and Jeff Toig, General Manager, Muve Music — will be interesting and informative.

Keynote: Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)

We’re ten-plus years into the “digital revolution” for music, and there are still a number of questions about how copyright can play nice with technology (and vice versa). Congressman Goodlatte is the Chairman of the recently-reactivated House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet, which has jusrisdiction over copyright and information technology, in addition to other areas of concern to creators. I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say about intellectual property enforcement and internet openness — two hotly-debated issues in the Beltway and beyond.

I’m also psyched for the Pho Dinner, cockatail parties, film screenings and all the other cool stuff that’s happening at Summit ‘11. Online registration closes at noon on Friday, so reserve your spot now! Only a few Musician Scholarships left; we also offer student pricing.

Can’t make it to DC? Well, first of all, we’ll miss you. Second, you should RSVP for the live webcast.

See you next week!