1) “It is VERY easy to become discouraged as an artist when there is often little correlation between the flow of money and the effort it takes to create a ‘work of art.’ The Policy Summit gives me hope that policy makers understand this, and that there are ongoing efforts to support musicians and artistic communities.” —Chris

 

2) “I’ve been a musician and engineer for 15 years, and more recently a musician advocate and activist. All that time, the ‘secrets of the industry’ were elusive at best, and in some ways the industry’s unraveling has only leveled the playing field when it comes to mystery. We’re all in the dark! The Policy Summit was incredibly educational and has strengthened my belief that if artists are to secure a more favorable position in the new music industry, they need to know the very things discussed during those two days.” —Brian

 

3) “I take with me a renewed view of working forward in these strange times. I also found that the community of attendees left me with a unifying impact. Again, if I had to paraphrase the greatest impression from the event, it would be ‘community.’ That’s where the power lies.” —Mary

 

4) “Attending the Summit was an eye-opening experience. I was able to have access to music professionals who were very open and honest about their experiences, and the panels were very interesting. I learned a lot and was able to network with people from all over the country and the after-conference events really helped seal these networking opportunities. I would not have been able to afford the conference had it not been for the scholarship, and I’m so grateful towards the sponsors for allowing me this opportunity. I look forward to attending the Future of Music Summit again!” —Josie

 

5) “Thanks for creating such a great event that brings together people in so many different roles in the music business! I feel like I only began to tap into the wealth of knowledge that was available there and hope to be able to take away even more next time.” —Marsha

 

6) “The Future of Music Policy Summit was a great event. It featured topics covering nearly every aspect of what we needed to know is happening today. This is something that we desperately need. I’ve added it to the list of annual events that I’ve sworn to always be at and the fact that you offer the musician scholarships makes it affordable for us musicians that otherwise might not be able to attend.” —John

 

7) “I attended the FMC Policy Summit to learn more about current events happening in the music industry and how they affect me as a working musician directly from the people in the industry and network. It’s interesting to hear so many different perspectives about what is happening and what musicians need to do to be successful so I can’t help but think that with all of these differing opinions nobody really knows any universal truths and there is no clear path to success. It’s different for everybody. Overall, I thought it was a great experience, and I definitely plan on going to future ones!” —Wes

 

8) “I was happy to learn of the ways artists are finding ways to support themselves and get their great work out there to wider audiences via the internet and many other creative tools! I feel that these tools are especially unknown and I feel what I have learned will not only help to uplift my career, but also to uplift the careers of so many other musicians! I was empowered by all of those panelists who have started essentially with what I have and have turned what they do into a career that is not only prosperous musically, but also one that takes a political role in shaping the laws that affect our community. I assure you that I have not seen or heard anything like what I got to experience in all my years of education at the Policy Summit. I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity! I hope to do some good things in the next few years!” —Nicole

 

9) “As a student, musician, and manager of a small DC-based label, it meant a lot to be given the scholarship to attend the event. The networking was phenomenal and I learned so much from the different panelists—my notes are never ending! I am so grateful you hosted the conference. It was a powerful two days and a great flow of information.” —Kiran

 

10) “I appreciate a lot the opportunity I was given to attend the FMC summit on a musician’s scholarship! In this era of great changes in the field of music business, it is of crucial importance for humans (artists) to catch up with the technology, which has been dictating the pace on its own terms since a while. I understand that most of the work presented there was helping positive changes emerge in the form of legislation and its enforcement. There were many marvelous people to meet and the FMC staff and volunteers have been very helpful. I hope to be there again!” —Branimir

 

11) “The thing that had the greatest impact on me was the opportunity to meet other musicians, exchange experiences and ideas with them, and meet those who are indeed ‘successful’ (able to support themselves with their art) as musicians.” —Sam

 

12) “I found the Policy Summit extremely helpful to me as both a musician (I am a jazz drummer and composer residing in New York City) and as the executive director of our brand-new non-profit. I found the industry information extremely helpful, in addition to the networking with other music professionals. In particular, the panel that covered the topic of artists as activists was very helpful and empowering, feeding right into our mission statement of using jazz to help foster greater participation in the dialogue of the day. It was wonderful to meet like-minded musicians from other genres who are all devoted to using their music to push forward positive social change! I look forward to building on the relationships forged at the policy summit and attending again next year!” —Vinson

 

13) “There were many concrete takeaways from the event: registering for Sound Exchange, starting fresh with Twitter, getting Google Analytics on my website, ‘packaging’ my releases, and much more. Even more valuable was being able to take a step away from what’s going on right now and think about where we’ll be in just a few years. It was a great reminder that we’re still on the tip of the iceberg for the DIY Musician using the tools of the internet and that the best may be yet to come.” —James

 

14) “I have to say the conference really opened my eyes up to the fact that I have lots to learn still about being a musician in the music industry. It was also a great opportunity for me to meet many other people, especially non-musicians, who have different perspectives and value they are adding to the industry. So I have left with not only more knowledge and understanding, but am going to use the resources you provided to develop a plan for myself that will hopefully lead to better success in the ever-changing industry. I look forward to attending next year and following FMC’s tremendous work.” —Brian