Mr. Chairman, Mr. Ranking Member, Members of the committee,
It's a real honor to be here. I'm a rock singer, so I'm used to speaking my mind in front of a mic, but to be honest, this isn't the crowd I'm used to. The reason I'm here is because my band OK Go has had the good fortune to be one of the first to truly find success via the internet.
I probably don't need to tell you our story, because I'm assuming you're the FloridaDeb23 and TechRick2000 that I always see on our message boards…but I do wanna show you a few of our videos to demonstrate how important an open internet is to musicians these days.
Our band started out the way every band did 10 years ago. The traditional music structure was still in place: musicians wanted to reach all those people out there, and the people wanted access to the music, and a big system had developed to connect the dots. We worked in that system -- we started out playing shows at the local clubs in Chicago, we plastered posters everywhere, we toured when we could afford to, and we eventually landed that prized bird: a major label record contract.
Our first record, which we put out in 2002, did moderately well. We got into the top 20 on the Modern Rock radio charts and we got to about 100 on the Billboard sales charts. To translate that – we were in the middle of the pack, doing better than most musicians, very lucky to be doing what we love for a living, but still struggling for every fan we could find, and frankly, still struggling to pay the bills.
When we put our second record, we decided to add our own ideas into the mix a little bit. We still did all the standard things – free shows for radio stations, non-stop touring, every interview we could land – but we also started our own online campaign.
Let me show you the first video we posted online.
This is us dancing in my back yard. We choreographed this dance with my sister, and it was originally intended to be just a stunt for our live show. When you see a band on stage abandon their instruments and break into dance, it's pretty weird, and pretty wonderful….. we just wanted to look out and see 500 or 1000 jaws on the floor.
But when we shot this clip of us practicing in my backyard, we realized the clip itself was pretty cool. So we posted it online, thinking it was a nice little gift to our most serious, hardcore fans, But something about it appealed to an audience way bigger than just those core folks – within a month, it had been viewed several hundred thousand times. More people had clicked through to it than had bought our first record. Something crazy was happening.
Even crazier, we started seeing fan versions of the dance. They started posting their own videos. Hundreds of them. Check this out,.. this is actually a compilation made by a fan, of other fans doing the dance.
We saw versions of the dance at people's weddings, in firehouses, churches, and even done by animated legos. It was something totally new… Bands are usually at arm's length from their fans, and here we were, connecting directly with them and they with us. It was pretty amazing, and something that simply could not have happened just 5 years before.
Not to be outdone by our fans, of course, we thought we'd put up another video. We went to my sister's house and made this. As you can see, we're dancing again, but this time with 8 moving treadmills.
For the record, we assume no liability for any fans who try to copy this one.
We figured that FIRST video had reached about as many fans as you possibly can online, so we weren't expecting this video to do much different than the last. But in the first two days after we posted it on YouTube, it was viewed a million times.
As you can see on the screen here, this posting alone is now over 31 million views.
Keep in mind, this video just would not have seen the light of day in a pay-to-play system.
After that video spread all over the world, our band really started to exist on a whole different level. Now we play to crowds of thousands in countries where our record isn't even for sale… Our creativity paid off.
And, crucially, we're making money for our label too. We license our songs all over the place, we sell real records, and our band is now a success, no matter how you slice it.
If people are wondering if the music industry will benefit from Net Neutrality, they don't need to look any farther than us. We're musicians. We're part of the music industry. We need this business to thrive more than anyone else does. I'm here today representing the Future of Music Coalition's Rock the Net Campaign and there are over 800 other bands and 125 labels signed on with me… There is some consensus, here. Net neutrality has allowed us to innovate and to create in new and wonderful and unpredictable ways.
And keep in mind, all of us are business people, and we all want to get paid for our hard work. What we need is a legitimate digital marketplace for music, and that will only happen if we build on a level playing field. So, Members of the Committee, I'm here today to ask you to preserve net neutrality and the openness of the internet. I believe it's crucial to the future of music.
FMC Releases
New York State Edition
of "Same Old
Song: An Analysis
of Radio Playlists
in a Post-FCC Consent
Decree World"
Data-driven report examines
radio playlists in New York
State from 2005-2008 and finds
almost no measurable change
in playlist composition.
June 30, 2009 Press
Release | Report
"I Support Community Radio" Artist
Video Campaign
Musicians talk about what good local radio means to them.
July 10, 2009 Project Page | Press
Release
"Musicians Bringing Musicians Home V"
All-star Tipitina's concert on May 22, 2009 benefits Big Easy musicians and Sweet Home New Orleans.
May 7, 2009 Press Release
FMC Releases "Same
Old Song: An Analysis
of Radio Playlists
in a Post-FCC Consent
Decree World"
Data-driven report examines
radio playlists from 2005-2008
and finds almost no measurable
change in playlist composition.
April 29, 2009 Press
Release | Report
Low Power FM Briefing Brought Diverse Voices Together for Community Radio Advocates
for LPFM gathered
at our nation’s
capital to promote
the importance of
local community radio
in more American towns
and cities. April 24, 2009 Press release
FMC
Honors Departing Executive Director Ann Chaitovitz
Chaitovitz’s tenure brought unambiguous artist focus to FMC’s
work in education,
research and advocacy
for musicians.
April 7, 2009 Press
release
D.C. Policy Day 2009 Event featured lively discussion between artists, advocates, music industry insiders, policymakers and technologists.
February 12, 2009 Press release | Event site
"Musicians Bringing Musicians Home IV" New Orleans Benefit Concert
Show is the culmination of FMC and Air Traffic Control's annual three-day Artist Activism Camp.
November 19, 2008 Press Release
FMC Analysis: Election Impact on Artists and the Music Community
There are many indicators that a new Adminstration will create conditions for more art and culture-friendly policy; FMC identifies key areas for improvement.
November 5, 2008 Analysis | PDF
FMC Statement on the FCC's White Spaces Vote
Musicians will benefit from White Spaces — those unoccupied frequencies in the existing TV spectrum — given careful implementation of new "smart" devices.
November 4, 2008 Statement
FMC and realizePhiladelphia present web.illish.us
Multi-faceted web and live shows raise awareness about net neutrality and democratic access to the media.
October 29, 2008 Press release | Event page | Main site
A2IM and FMC Report on Independent Music and Commerical Airplay
In-depth survey finds little has changed 18 months after FCC Consent Decree and "voluntary agreements."
October 22, 2008 Press release | Report
FMC Statement on CRB Rulings Rate-setting for mechanical royalties for physical and digital music should songwriters; encourage new business models.
October 3, 2008 Press release
FMC Reveals Programming for Fall Events Fall 2008 "What's the Future for Musicians?" seminars in New York and Chicago; Sampling and Fair Use Panel in NYC.
September 9, 2008 Press release | Event Page
FMC Announces Upcoming Events Fall 2008 "What's the Future for Musicians?" seminars in New York and Chicago; Washington, D.C. Policy Day and Policy Summit set for 2009.
August 5, 2008 Press release | Event Page
FMC Commends FCC's Comcast Decision On August 1, the FCC ruled that Comcast violated net neutrality principles; the decision is a positive step in preserving the open internet. August 1, 2008
Public Enemy Frontman, Production Team and Insiders Discuss Landmark Album On July 17, FMC and Pitchfork Music Festival will host a free discussion about Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back at Chicago's Cultural Center, featuring Chuck D, members of PE's production team and music media experts.
July 8, 2008 Press release | Event Page
FMC Files Brief to Protect Creative Expression
FMC and the Center for Creative Voices in Media filed a brief at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the FCC's indecency policy has a chilling effect on creativity and expression and deprives the public of access to protected speech.
July 2, 2008 Press release | Indecency amicus brief (PDF)
Wilco, Bright Eyes, Aimee Mann & more "Rock the Net" on Compilation CD
Thirsty Ear Recordings to release album on July 29 to benefit FMC's "Rock the Net" campaign for net neutrality.
June 2, 2008 Press release | Rock the Net
Musicians Get the Hint About Health Insurance
Two Raleigh concerts in memory of musician Drew Glackin; proceeds go to Glackin's family and Future of Music Coalition's Health Insurance Navigation Tool
April 10, 2008 Press release FMC's HINT program
New York State Music Education Events Examine Crucial Issues Facing Artists Forums in Rochester (April 28), Syracuse (April 29) and Albany (April 30) to focus on music, media, technology and policy issues for songwriters, composers and performers from all genres.
March 25, 2008 Event details | RSVP
Pop Rockers OK Go "Tour" Congress in Support of Net Neutrality
Damian Kulash and Andy Ross discuss the importance of open Internet structures to musicians; Kulash testifies before House Judiciary Committee.
March 13, 2008 Press release
Spoken testimony
Written testimony
Rock the Net
New York State Music Education Events Examine Crucial Issues Facing Artists Kick-off forum in Buffalo on April 2 to focus on music, media, technology and policy issues for songwriters, composers and performers from all genres. March 7, 2008 | Event details
Philly Bands Rocking for Net Neutrality February 23 Sugar Town show at Tritone in Philadelphia will showcase lady rockers and DJs, as well as musicians' support for net neutrality. February 15, 2008
OK Go and Bonerama Rocked DC for New Orleans Musicians Bands also champion FMC's "Rock the Net" campaign for net neutrality February 2 benefit show at DC's 9:30 Club raised over $8,000 for New Orleans musicians. Bands played cuts off their new benefit EP, You're Not Alone, available on iTunes on February 5. February 4, 2008
Upcoming Washington, DC show and benefit EP from OK Go & Bonerama
On February 2, OK Go and Bonerama will play a benefit at D.C.'s 9:30 Club in support of You're Not Alone - an EP to support Sweet Home New Orleans and Al "Carnival Time" Johnson. January 21, 2008
Successful New Orleans Concerts Aid Big Easy Musicians
Last week, two benefit concerts raised over $6,000 for Sweet Home New Orleans - a coalition of non-profit organizations that helps find affordable housing and provides rental assistance for the city's musicians - and Big Easy music legend Al "Carnival Time" Johnson.
January 15, 2008 Press release | Event details
Ann Chaitovitz Appointed
FMC's New Executive Director A proven leader in musician and public policy issues, Chaitovitz replaces founding Executive Director Jenny Toomey January 3, 2008
Concerts for New Orleans Musicians Bring Artists Together Two New Orleans shows and upcoming benefit CD from OK Go and Bonerama January 2, 2008
FMC's Jenny Toomey Appointed Program Officer for Ford Foundation
Kristin Thomson to Serve as FMC's Interim Executive Director; Michael Bracy to Chair FMC Board of Directors November 26, 2007
