In our last newsletter, we told you about how legislation that would allow for the creation of more Low Power FM (LPFM) stations across the country had passed out of a key House committee, and awaits passage from the full House (which will hopefully happen soon). Well, we now have news about an important vote in the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday, November 19. If the Community Radio Act passes out of that committee, things look really good for the bill’s ultimate passage.

FMC has been advocating for more LPFM stations for our entire existence, because these 100-watt “micro-broadcasters” offer a true community alternative to the homogenized commercial airwaves, and provide local acts with a way to reach audiences through a still-vital medium.

And we’re hardly alone in our support for LPFMs — musicians like Indigo Girls, Erin McKeown, Nicole Atkins and more have consistently advocated for better community radio in American towns and cities. In fact, those three artists were recently featured in a Billboard article about what expanded LPFM service could mean for musicians — particularly local and independent acts.

If you have a Billboard subscription, you can read the piece here.

If not, we have a pretty good summary on the FutureBlog.

Midwestern readers may have already come across this Op-Ed in the Sunday, November 15 edition of the Chicago Tribune about musicians and health insurance. The piece, authored by Nan Warshaw (co-owner of Chicago indie label Bloodshot Records) and Alex Maiolo (project coordinator for FMC’s Health Insurance Navigation Tool, or HINT), talks about how the lack of affordable insurance is having a devastating impact on the creative community.

We think the article is interesting because instead of a “pity the poor musicians” angle, it portrays artists as what they actually are: entrepreneurs who are trying to compete in an open marketplace, like Americans are encouraged to do. Yet because to the current health insurance landscape, it is exceedingly difficult for most musicians to pursue their craft.

And if you’re a musician who wants to learn more about your health insurance options, check out our official HINT page, where you can peruse a wealth of info and schedule an appointment to receive a free, personalized consultation from one of our health insurance experts (who also happen to be musicians).

Get the HINT

On Oct. 22, the Federal Communications Commission took affirmative steps in preserving the open internet for all. By approving a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Net Neutrality, the Commission created a vehicle to solicit public opinion about this crucial issue.

The goal of this Rulemaking, according to the FCC, is to eventually adopt “clear, enforceable, common sense rules of the road” meant to keep the door open for continued innovation online, while allowing users access to the broad range of ideas and services today’s internet provides.

FMC has long supported net neutrality — the principle that protects the open internet — because it gives all artists and entrepreneurs the ability to compete on an equal technological footing with the biggest companies. We’re glad that the FCC is taking net neutrality seriously and giving the public an opportunity to chime in on the issue at openinternet.gov. The Commission is also seeking comments via the FCC website through January 14, 2010. After that, the FCC will likely set about adopting net neutrality rules that will hopefully serve as clear and transparent guidelines for Internet Service Providers about how they manage their networks.

Check out FMC’s official statement on the FCC’s net neutrality proceedings here.

With the reply comments period not set to conclude until March 2010, there will definitely be some time before there is an official rulemaking by the Commission. We’ll definitely keep you in the loop on any developments.

To learn more about net neutrality’s importance to the music community, visit Rock the Net.

On November 4, FMC Education Director Kristin Thomson participated in a public interest panel on media ownership before the FCC.

Every four years, the Commission looks at their media ownership rules to “determine whether any of such rules are necessary in the public interest as the result of competition”. For this proceeding, they got the ball rolling early by scheduling a set of workshops that brought research academics, public interest groups and broadcasters in front of the staff of the FCC’s Media Bureau to discuss the questions that the FCC should be asking in this next go-round.

To aid the agency in achieving its stated goals of localism, competition and diversity in media, FMC delivered a statement about the importance of robust data collection and analysis in service of these objectives.

We have been stressing the importance of proper data collection since we started observing trends in radio in 2000. Our studies of station ownership consolidation since the 1996 Telecom Act have shown massive consolidation of ownership, revenue and audiences to large station group owners, increasingly homogenized music formats, and tremendous barriers for artists seeking airplay. The only way for things to improve is for the FCC to understand what’s happening in this sector. Which is why collecting more and better data is so important.

You can check out Kristin’s statement here, and watch a video archive of the workshop here.

Overall, the workshops were productive and, at least we think, a smart move on the FCC’s part.  While workshop participants each had a different opinion about what the FCC should be examining, there was certainly a common undercurrent that this must be a data-driven proceeding.  We agree. And we look forward to participating in next round in this momentous rulemaking. 

Of course, there have been other interesting things cooking in the world of music, technology policy and law. Here’s a few items from FutureBlog that you may have missed:

Heads In the Cloud? — about the difficulties of implementing and sustaining a subscription-based or “freemium” streaming music service.

So What’s the Deal with Google OneBox? — we take a look at the much-talked about “hear instantly” music search service from Google and ask some questions about how it might affect artist revenue streams.

Markey “Big-Ups” Bloggers on net Neutrality — an overview of a teleconference with Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) where he talked to bloggers about the importance of net neutrality.

How to Actively Support the Music You Love — a cool article by Brian McTear of Weathervane Music Organization that talks about real-life ways you can help artists to keep making great music.

29 Streams – Just how many different ways are there for musicians to earn money? We started with 29, but based on reader’s comment, our list has grown. What are we missing?

FMC is once again seeking a college or grad student to join us at a Google Policy Fellow for Summer 2010. That’s right — it could be you who joins us for a thrilling season of music and policy in DC!

FMC’s mission is advocating for musicians and informing policymakers about the issues that impact artists. We work to ensure that musicians have access to platforms like radio and the internet, enjoy their right to speech, and can benefit from improved structures for compensation. We also keep a close eye on new business models and the tools that musicians are using in the digital age.

Every year Google helps place aspiring Internet policy thought leaders with organizations that are leading the debate on big ideas like spreading broadband access, protecting free speech, closing the digital divide, and keeping users safe online.

Fellows spend ten weeks working on policy issues critical to the future of the Internet and its users at one of these organizations: FMC, American Library Association, Cato Institute, Center for Democracy and Technology, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Internet Education Foundation, Media Access Project, New America Foundation, Public Knowledge, Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, The Citizen Lab, Creative Commons, Progress and Freedom Foundation, Technology Policy Institute, The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and National Hispanic Media Coalition.

If you’re in college or grad school and you like FMC’s work, consider applying to become a summer 2010 Google Policy Fellow. For more information and to apply, head here.

Here’s a bit of info on what a couple of our always-busy Board members have been up to:

FMC technologies director Brian Zisk is putting the final touches on the latest installment of the SanFran MusicTech Summit, which takes place at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco on Monday, December 7. SFMT brings together visionaries in the music/technology space, along with the best and brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, journalists, musicians and organizations who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce.

Attendees can hobnob with than 600 visionaries, artists, and decision-makers who work at the convergence of music and technology. Sign up now for an exclusive 15 percent discount at:
http://sfmts5.eventbrite.com/?discount=fmc

For more information, visit San Fran Music Tech

FMC co-founder and General Counsel Walter McDonough had a busy month. From Sept 30–Oct. 4, he co-curated the Pop Montreal Symposium and later in October, he gave the keynote at the Halifax Pop Explosion. Walter also moderated a Recording Academy (NARAS) panel on music publishing in Boston on November 2. We’re assuming he still had time to catch a few televised sporting events.

Bryan Calhoun has been equally busy.  In October, he participated in the FMC Policy Summit, then went right off to Chicago for the New Music Seminar to give musicians more info about SoundExchange. Then it was off to the annual Black Entertainment and Sports Law (BESLA) annual conference, then to Kristiansand, Norway for a managers’ meeting where he presented his incredible music pricing model, apriceformusic.com. And somewhere in the middle of this all, he had time for a photo shoot. Check him out on the cover of the UGA Alumni Magazine here!

Mark your calendars for our December giving campaign, where you can help us keep fighting for musicians’ rights and pushing for creative solutions to challenges in this topsy-turvy time for music. We were overwhelmed by your generosity last year — your contributions let us do things like publish original research, offer free health insurance advice to musicians, program a full day of musician-oriented programming at our Policy Summit and bring a new batch of amazing artists to New Orleans for our Artist Activism Camp. We hope we can count on your support this year.

But why wait? You can head to our secure donations page to make a tax-free contribution in any amount. Donate today.

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

Thanks,

Jean Cook
Michael Bracy
Walter McDonough
Brian Zisk
Kristin Thomson
Casey Rae-Hunter
Chhaya Kapadia
Nicole Duffey
Alex Maiolo

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