American Federation of Musicians (AFM) American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Association for Independent Music (AFIM) Future of Music Coalition (FMC) Just Plain Folks Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI)
National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) Recording Academy Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) read more
Hello again. It’s hard to believe how much we’ve tackled
in the five weeks that have passed since the last newsletter; from participating
in the webcasting debate, to moving forward on our health insurance study,
to filing comments with the FCC. Chalk it up to persistence, concern,
and more hours of daylight. Now, shortly before this newsletter’s release,
we get word from the US Copyright Office that the Librarian of Congress
has rejected the CARP proposals regarding webcasting rates and reporting
requirements. While the Office’s announcement did not include any particular
reasons for the rejection, we assume that the collective effort made by
webcasters, artists, and citizen groups to include their voices in the
debate has had an effect on the process.
Future of Music Coalition (FMC), by counsel, the Media Access Project,
respectfully replied to comments filed in this proceeding on radio broadcast station ownership in local markets, highlighting how niche musical formats addressing significant but minority tastes have been abandoned as ownership concentration increases. FMC’s reply comments also describe
certain steps we have taken to produce additional data which will
assist the Commission in assessing the impact of consolidation in radio ownership. read more
Who can believe it’s almost summer again in Washington, DC? The "budding"
music-tech activism and "full-flower" of legislative comment
requests are so prevalent right now they are giving the cherry blossoms
a run for their money. Actually, we wouldn’t know about the status of
the cherry blossoms; we’ve been watching the changing season through the dusty windows of our
laptops. Hey, it may not be as breathtaking as a dogwood tree in full
bloom but changes like the ones we’ve been watching are always beautiful.
Check out the newest success stories.
What Will Happen to Independent Culture when the Web Goes Big Business?
Andrew Spencer Goldman
Thursday, August 30, 2001
For a brief, shining moment it looked as though the Internet might emerge
as our storybook hero, ending the reign of the old media conglomerates.
For too long our radios bound us to music as shiny and sterile as a corporate
board room, our cinema to films as empty of soul as they were full of
silicon and cliche, and our newspapers and televisions to the news that
Wall Street wanted us to see. Through a corporate filter, we lacked the perspective necessary to identify (at any mass level) the role that a highly concentrated media plays in sedating a vibrant democracy. read more
Internet pioneer Brian Zisk on webcasting, artist compensation and the fallacies about encryption
Jenny Toomey
Thursday, April 20, 2000
Brian Zisk has been a long time community activist and a mainstay on the Internet scene since before the web began. Not only has he been a long-time participant in The Well, he has published the SanFranZiskGo! Weekly Events listings for close to 7 years now. Brian also founded Green Witch Radio, and worked as director of Business Development for the entertainment portal, iCAST. read more