FMC at South by Southwest 2011
It’s that time of year again! South By SouthWest 2011 is around the corner and FMC is ready for, um, WINNING. If you’re at SXSW through March 15-20, be sure to track us down:
Michael Bracy bracy [at] btbv [dot] com
Jean Cook jean [at] futureofmusic [dot] org
Alex Maiolo alex [at] futureofmusic [dot] org
Chris Naoum chris [at] futureofmusic [dot] org
Casey Rae-Hunter casey [at] futureofmusic [dot] org
Kristin Thomson kristin [at] futureofmusic [dot] org
We’ll be all over the music portion of the Austin, TX event, with public talks, presentations and rock shows galore. The following is a batch of noteworthy SXSW ’11 panels, where FMC staff, boards and buds will cover pretty much every aspect of today’s music biz. And speaking of music, FMC’s very own Jean Cook will once again be performing with any number of bands throughout the festival. Catch her at one of her many gigs!
Here’s a cheat sheet of interesting panels taking place at the Austin Convention Center.
Wed, March 16
Break a Leg! Musicians and Health Care Reform
3:30 p.m. | Room 17AB
Focusing on the pressing issue of healthcare for musicians, the diverse panel of musicians, healthcare specialists and industry pros will discuss the heath care reform bill passed by Congress in 2010 and its effect on the working musician. Topics will include how artists can access affordable health insurance coverage by 2014. Because a healthy musician is a happy musician.
Sean Gamble John Muir Medical Center
Renata Marinaro Director Health Services, Eastern Region, The Actors Fund
Carolyn Schwarz Executive Director, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
Pat Spurgeon Musician, Rogue Wave
Nan Warshaw Co-Owner, Bloodshot Records (and FMC Advisory Board member)
Alex Maiolo HINT Project Coordinator, Future of Music Coalition; Sr. Contributor, Tape Op Magazine (moderator)
And if you’re interested in preventative measures for your health, be sure to check out Steady Diet of Nothing: The Road to Health on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. in room 16B.
Also, on Thursday, March 17 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM, AHIRC, AFTRA and the Screen Actors Guild are hosting a session that will address how our nation’s artists can benefit from recent health care reform. Hyde Park Theater at 511 West 43rd Street, Austin, TX. The event marks the next stop on AHIRC’s Every Artist Insured Tour, encompassing dozens of cities around the country.
The Future of Music - Is There One?
3:30 p.m. | Room 9ABC
We swear we weren’t trying to compete against ourselves with this one — it’s just how the schedule shook out. FMC Communications Director and Senior Policy Strategist Casey Rae-Hunter will moderate this provocatively-titled conversation with producer/manager, FMC advisory board member and McGill University Professor Sandy Pearlman.
Have the (probably) unintended consequences created by the relatively recent technology paradigm shift from analogue to a seamless digital universe of recording, production, storage and distribution of music led music itself to all from grace? At least in its recorded incarnation. In this movement from tape deck to shuffle the deck, from analogue scarcity to digital infinity: Music has itself become hyper ubiquitous but correspondingly less influential. Is the Resurrection of Vinyl telling us something really important? In all the annals of unintended consequence, will the fate of music on digital platforms be the most unintended of all, the loss of ability to move the human spirit? See the professors collide on this one.
George Massenburg Professor of Sound Recording, McGill University
Sandy Pearlman Professor, McGill University
Casey Rae-Hunter Communications Director & Senior Policy Strategist, Future of Music Coalition (moderator)
Space is limited, so RSVPs are required. To learn more about the meeting, contact project co-director Kristin Thomson at kristin [at] futureofmusic [dot] org (subject: ARS%20%40%20SXSW)
Thur, March 17
The Social Graph and The Future For Musicians
12:30 p.m. | Room 8BC
Social networking may have brought the six degrees of separation theory down to about to two degrees. This panel will discuss how musicians can take full advantage of all that online networking has to offer. With an internet bursting at the seams with data, this panel will cover what aspects of The Social Graph are most influential, and how artists can navigate through it all. FMC founding board member Brian Zisk moderates.
John Adams Operations, Twitter
Tim Chang Partner, Norwest Venture Partners
Kelly Stonelake Tech Strategist, Facebook
Michael Relm Performer
Brian Zisk Collecta/SF MusicTech Summit (moderator)
Fri, March 18
Musicians Bringing Musicians Home: New Orleans After Katrina
2:00 p.m. | Room 16B
This panel of artists and FMC ambassadors will discuss a topic FMC holds dear to our hearts: improving conditions for New Orleans artists. Hurricane Katrina impacted tremendously the Big Easy music community, but musicians from around the country have been helping to get this beacon of American culture back on her feet. This panel will examine current conditions in New Orleans and the future of the city’s music and cultural communities. The conversation includes some close friends of ours: Deyden Tethong of Air Traffic Control will be moderating, along with the incredible and charming Jon Langford (Mekons, the Waco Bros), Thao Nguyen (Thao + the Get Down Stay Down) and longtime NOLA champion Jordan Hirsch (13th Ward).