Temperatures are rising in DC, and major developments at the FCC and in Congress are keeping us busy making sure musicians’ perspectives are heard where it counts. Read on for updates on this important work, as well as Summit dates, upcoming appearances and much more.

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Yesterday, President Obama announced his pick to lead the Federal Communications Commission. Replacing outgoing Chair Julius Genachowski will be Tom Wheeler — a venture capitalist and former telecommunications industry lobbyist. Current FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn will serve as acting Chair during the transition period.

From radio to the internet, the FCC has a great deal of importance to the music community, and we look forward to the opportunity to keep the musician perspective front-and-center on all the important issues facing the Commission. This blog post looks at some of the basic values we’d like to see championed by the next Chair, interim and beyond.

Last week, in a speech celebrating World Intellectual Property Day, Representative Bob Goodlatte  (R-VA), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee announced his intent to hold a series of hearings to comprehensively review the US Copyright Act, with an eye toward updating it for the digital age.

This means that over the next several months, the Committee will examine issues that impact the music community: the economics of digital distribution, “orphan works” licensing issuesand enforcement concerns (including monetary damages). This isn’t easy stuff to sort through, but we’re encouraged that Congress is showing the appetite to do so. We’d suggest that the only way to “get it right” is to consider the perspectives of musicians themselves. For that, it helps to have not just anecdotal information, but actual data. This is why FMC has spent the better part of two years collecting and analyzing information about artist revenue streams. We hope that this study proves useful in discussions about the ecomomics and incentives around copyright.

As Goodlatte noted in his remarks, “there is little doubt that our copyright system faces new challenges today.” As this process moves forward, you can bet that will be watching these hearings closely, and working to make sure that musicians have a place at the table, and advocating for solutions that work for musicians, copyright owners, and fans alike.

We’re thrilled to announce that we have dates in place for the Future of Music Summit! The 2013 event will happen from Sunday October 27 to Tuesday October 29 at Georgetown University here in DC.

Ours is the only conference to focus on bridging the gap between musicians, technologists, and policymakers, and we’re putting together a stellar lineup with a truly diverse range of perspectives that you won’t want to miss.

For a taste of the kind of dynamic discussions you can expect at our summit, check out the video archives from last year’s event, and stay tuned for more details coming soon…

Iso Booths & Echo Chambers: Confirmation Bias In Download Debates Some helpful tips on how to sort through competing claims about the impact of unauthorized downloads on the music industry.

Fight For Your (Copy)Right: Some Thoughts On World Intellectual Property Day  In a frequently polarized debate, is a sensible middle ground on copyright possible? We look at two recent lawsuits to imagine what that might look like.

What We’d Like to See in a New NEA Chair Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, is hanging up his boots after a successful 4-year term. Here are a few things we’d like to see from his replacement.

Washington State Dance Tax Has Venues’ Hands & Feet Tied Many state governments are experience revenue shortfalls. But a tax on dancing threatens local venues, and the music community is fighting back.

Guess Who’s Behind the “Local Radio Freedom Act”?  Hint: It’s the same people who’ve been firing local DJs and replacing them with robots.

The SF MusicTech Summit (www.sfmusictech.com) on May 28, 2013 at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco will bring together 1000+ visionaries in the music/technology space, the best and brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. This one-day conference features 80+ prominent speakers, new technology demonstrations, great networking opportunities, and packed cocktail parties. Register here:http://sfmts13.eventbrite.com and use promotional code “FoM” for a special discount.

You can always contact us at suggestions [at] futureofmusic [dot] org if you have any questions or feedback.