Over the past decade, we’ve been blown away by the energy and enthusiasm of musicians who take time out of their busy schedules to talk about issues that not only affect them, but the entire music community.

On August 26, we witnessed another amazing example. Check out this Op-Ed from Hank Shocklee, Erin McKeown, Jonny 5 of Flobots and Martín Perna of Antibalas and Ocote Soul Sounds in The Hill — a DC publication read by all manner of policy wonks. It’s about how musicians of all genres and backgrounds depend on the internet for pretty much every aspect of their careers.

A handful of days after that, Damian Kulash of OK Go published a piece in the Washington Post’s Sunday Outlook section about why net neutrality is crucial to the new music marketplace (not to mention the free-flow of ideas and creative expression).

Oh, and don’t forget that all of the above artists will be at Future of Music Policy Summit — neat, huh?

Last but not least, we’ve got a really cool booklet with artists like stic.man of Dead Prez, Kronos Quartet, R.E.M. and more talking about the open internet “in their own words.” Download the PDF right here.

For the past five years, Future of Music Coalition has worked alongside Air Traffic Control — a nonprofit that supports musicians and music managers in their efforts to create positive social change — to improve conditions for New Orleans’ cultural ambassadors.

FMC and ATC’s artist activism retreats in New Orleans bring established and developing musical talent to the Big Easy to talk about ways to incorporate advocacy and philanthropy into their lives and careers. Attendees experience the vibrant culture of New Orleans while talking to residents about efforts to rehabilitate the neighborhoods and communities most affected by Hurricane Katrina.

It’s been incredibly moving to witness the situation in New Orleans improve — especially since our first retreat, which took place not long after Katrina. Thanks to the commitment of groups like Sweet Home New Orleans and others, we’ve seen musicians like the legendary Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, move into new homes after losing everything in the storm. And it’s even more powerful when other musicians are helping to make it happen.

But there’s still a lot of work to be done.

To mark the fifth anniversary of the storm and floods ATC set about producing a benefit album, Dear New Orleans. They began by asking the 60 retreat alumni if they’d be interested in donating a track for the compilation. The response was unbelievable.

Some of the songs that appear on this album are specifically about the city, or the disaster. Others pay a more oblique tribute, and still others are songs that musicians played live at the concert that closes each retreat. Proceeds go to New Orleans-based nonprofits that work to support and sustain region’s unique musical and cultural traditions and restore vital environment and community resources for future generations.

We’re talking some heavy hitters, too! The album features such artists as My Morning Jacket, OK Go, Indigo Girls, Steve Earle, Nellie McKay, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Nicole Atkins, Mike Mills, Bonerama, Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, Flobots, The Wrens and more.

Dear New Orleans includes the original OK Go song “Louisiana Land,” a narrative born out of the band’s time spent in the Big Easy, Nicole Atkins and Bonerama’s horn-powered version of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” My Morning Jacket and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s live cover of Al Johnson’s Mardi Gras anthem “Carnival Time” and The Wrens’ “Crescent,” an early mix from the band’s forthcoming album — their first since 2003!

The compilation is available now at all major online retailers and www.dearno.la. And check out this notice in Rolling Stone while you’re at it.

On September 14, FMC Communications Director and Policy Strategist Casey Rae-Hunter participated in a public conversation about the Obama administration's intellectual property enforcement efforts, as part of the monthly Broadband Breakfast series in Washington, D.C.

Casey got up ridiculously early (like 8 a.m.!) to join a panel discussion called "Will the Obama Administration's IP Czar Crush Internet Piracy?" The panelists — including Stevan Mitchell, Vice President of intellectual property policy, the Entertainment Software Alliance, Gigi Sohn, President and co-Founder of Public Knowledge and Steve Tepp, senior director, internet counterfeiting and piracy, Global Intellectual Property Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce — all basically agreed that the answer is "probably not."

In fact, the speakers all had praise for the work of Victoria Espinel, the administration's Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), and noted the difficulty of such a new (and small) office in coming up with a strategy to help a range of government agencies — each with their own mandate and culture — work together to deal with a range of issues, from knockoff Gucci bags to counterfeit microchips to unauthorized MP3 sites.

Although some on the panel had differing views about how best to go about tackling this massive, gooey ball o' wax, all were in agreement that there's nothing wrong with making the attempt — especially when the approach is balanced and not overbroad. FMC is mostly concerned with two things: compensation for creators and access to a legitimate digital music marketplace that doesn't squeeze out independent and niche artists (not to mention innovators and entrepreneurs).

Video of the discussion will be archived online soon; we'll let you know when it's available.

In the meantime, you can check out what we previously filed with IPEC in advance of its Joint Strategic Plan for intellectual property enforcement.

We've been working on making sense of a handful of late-breaking developments in music and law, which we hope to talk about as soon as we factor sleep out of our schedules. In the meantime, here's something that you may have heard about (and may want a bit more clarity on).

Back in late July, the U.S. Copyright Office created several new exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) during a regularly scheduled review of that hunk o' statute.

Passed in 1998, the DMCA was Congress' attempt to update U.S. copyright law to reflect emerging technological realities. Among other provisions, the DMCA made it illegal to circumvent most "access controls" on digital content. Meaning, you could be sued for using technology to strip the "locks" meant to prevent the duplication of said content — even for private or noncommercial use. Breaking these locks to use a short movie clip in your own video was a no-no. The same went for modifying your smartphone to run third-party applications or connect to a different network.

As of Monday, July 26, prying the locks off of digital content is permitted in six very narrow instances. There's a lot of confusion about what this means, so we encourage you to read our blog post about it for the full skinny.

Although it's now legal to strip digital protections under certain conditions, whether you're smacked with a lawsuit ultimately depends much more on the legality of the new use.

Again, check out our post for more info on what the exemptions mean for creators and why it's important to know what's a legit use and what isn't.

Here at FMC, we care about radio. A lot. Whether it's improving conditions at commercial stations so independent, local and niche talent have a shot at cracking playlists or expanding opportunities for non-commercial alternatives, we recognize the tremendous value that over-the-air broadcasting has for communities across the country.

Here's what we've been doing lately on radio issues.

On July 12, 2010, Future of Music Coalition filed comments in the Federal Communications Commission's 2010 Media Ownership Review proceedings. Our remarks focus on the history of consolidation in radio station ownership in the wake of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, and its impact on the FCC's goals of localism, competition and diversity on the public airwaves. The comments utilize data from a number of FMC studies on the radio industry, all of which can be viewed here.

The comments also make specific recommendations about ways that the FCC could advance its goals while nurturing a robust commercial radio environment with more opportunity for musicians to be heard. You can read the comments here.

On July 26, 2010, we filed reply comments in the same docket — mostly to counter the off-the-mark arguments made by Clear Channel in the original filing period. You can see them here.

We also continue to push for the removal of restrictions on Low Power FM stations, which are small, 100-watt noncommercial broadcast stations with a range of 3-7 miles. Although the FCC wants to issue licenses for more LPFMs (currently they exist in mostly rural areas), Congress limited the number of stations in the previous decade due to concerns from the big commercial stations about interference. Those claims have been found to be without merit by government-commissioned engineers, as well as the FCC's own broadcast techies. The time is literally now for Congress to step up and give communities across the country a true voice on the public airwaves.

Check out our fact sheet on LPFM for more info.

And watch video testimonials from artists in the I Support Community Radio campaign.

You can always contact us at suggestions@futureofmusic.org if you have any questions.

Thanks,

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

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