Back in December 2010, the FCC voted to adopt its Open Internet Order, which takes important steps towards keeping the internet accessible to everyone, including musicians. The Order set forth basic rules to prevent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from picking winners and losers online and interfering with access to legal content, sites and services.
FMC and our artist friends have long supported clear, enforceable rules of the road for the internet, because we want to make sure that musicians continue to have direct access to their fans and can benefit from the incredible array of tools and services that the web has to offer. Without these rules, creators and entrepreneurs may no longer be able to compete in an increasingly crucial marketplace.
You may have heard that Congress is getting ready to decide if rules to preserve the open internet will stand. Currently, there’s a fast-track bill that will not only repeal the FCC’s recent Order, but also prevent the FCC from making any rules in the future. No matter how you feel about the extent and scope of these rules, it seems pretty obvious that we need to have something in place to safeguard consumers and allow for continued innovation online.
Our musician friends think so, too, which is why they sent a letter to Congress urging them not to take the radical step of eliminating the FCC’s ability to let artists and fans use the web in the very ways we described above. Check out the letter from R.E.M., Rebecca Gates, Kronos Quartet, Jill Sobule, Erin McKeown, Thao Nguyen, Alex Shapiro and Charles Bissell right here.
http://futureofmusic.org/filing/artist-letter-congress-support-fccs-open-internet-order
And check out this blog post that shows how three of our favorite artists — R.E.M, Erin McKeown, and Jill Sobule — are using the internet in unique and inspiring ways.
http://futureofmusic.org/blog/2011/02/13/musicians-and-internet-making-awesome-everyday
For more information about access and innovation for artists, check out our Rock the Net campaign.
http://futureofmusic.org/issues/campaigns/rock-net