There’s been no shortage of talk lately about Net Neutrality, with everyone from Jon Stewart to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski discussing the future of the Web as we know it. I wanted to take a minute to talk about why Net Neutrality is so important to the creative community, particularly musicians.

Today’s artists are using the open Internet to connect with audiences and advance their careers on their own terms. Musicians are collaborating, selling merchandise, booking tours and building fan bases via the Web. OK Go’s homemade YouTube video became an international sensation and led to the band winning a Grammy for best short video. Erin McKeown holds “virtual concerts” around her house that her fans can watch live online from all over the world. And even though she lives on a remote island off the coast of Washington State, composer Alex Shapiro makes a living off commissions from her MySpace page. read more

 

Watch the presentation (20 minutes in 5 parts).

Download the New Business Models spreadsheet, which details if/how performers, labels and songwriters are compensated under various models.

Download the Digital Distribution sheet, which explains how independent and unsigned musicians can use services like CD Baby, Tunecore, Reverbnation, Nimbit or Amazon’s Create Space to get their music into many of the most effective digital music services.

Download slides from Jed Carlson, COO and co-founder of ReverbNation.  read more

Since Barack Obama’s inauguration, many in the arts community have pondered what the change in leadership might mean for our field. It’s clear that the new president has some interest in music—he’s got Jay-Z on his iPod and even handpicked “long, strange trippers” The Dead to play at the Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball in D.C. But looking past the meeting of tye-dyes and power ties, what does this mean for cultural policy?

This article originally appeared at NewMusicBox.com read more

On July 15, the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing for Federal Communication Commission (FCC) nominees Mignon Clyburn and Meredith Atwell Baker. President Obama nominated Clyburn and Baker to fill two vacant FCC Commissioner positions. The FCC has five Commissioners, only three of which can be from the same political party; the party of the current administration constitutes the majority. Clyburn, a Democrat, and Baker, a Republican, will be replacing outgoing Commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Debi Tate, respectively. (Later in the week, the Senate confirmed Clyburn and Atwell.) read more