It’s been a long time coming but hopefully you all will find it was worth the wait. After much aesthetic and structural struggling we now have a beautiful and, we hope, useful new version of the website. We’ve cleaned up the design and added some pretty significant sections to help users to inform themselves and share information among one another including:

• Information about the upcoming FMC events:
• From the Fall Speaking Tour to the January Policy Summit, it’s all there.
• Resources:
  Articles, books, and websites we recommend that can increase your awareness about critical issues.
• Vocabulary list:
  We’ve tried to define some of the most confusing terms in the music technology space. In the new vocabulary section you can read definitions, add to definitions or request that terms be defined.
• Wall of Shame:
  Ever wonder what artists who never made it on VH1’s “Behind the Music” would say about their label experiences? So did we… so we’ve created this forum to help artists take their history public. Tim Quirk of the band Too Much Joy was the first artist to step up to the plate, writing eloquently about his experience as a musician going through the major label system.
  The purpose of this part of the FMC site is to put a human face to the musicians who have struggled through the major label system. When 99.6 percent of artists who sign major label deals are unable to recoup it certainly looks like failure “by design” and not by accident. By asking artists like Tim to come forward and tell their stories we hope to break through the cycle of self-doubt and shame that keeps information like this locked away from the public eye where it might inspire change.
• Citizen Initiatives:
  Some ideas about how you can participate in the debate.
• Volunteers:
  Over the past year we’ve gotten dozens of excellent emails from folks that want to help with the conference and general FMC business but we’ve been too busy to stop and figure out a way to fold volunteers into the mix. If you’re interested in volunteering, go to www.futureofmusic.org/volunteer.cfm and fill out the form provided.

And so much more! Take a minute to browse the site and see what you think.

The second annual Future of Music Policy Summit will be held January 7-8, 2002 in Washington, DC in Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall. Considering the preliminary list of confirmed speakers and the overwhelming response we have already gotten from last year’s participants, we know that every seat in the house is going to be filled at this year’s event. Once those seats are filled, there’s absolutely nothing we can do for you, no matter how much we love you!

There’s something that you can do about it; register online NOW through our new website. If you register before Friday, November 2, 2001, you no only secure a space, but you can save $250! Go here to read about the event, see the list of confirmed panelists, and to register online.

Hotels:
We have reserved a block of rooms for the Summit at the Georgetown University Conference Center Marriott, which is right on campus. Please call 1.800.228.9290 and mention the “Future of Music Coalition” to receive a special rate of $144.

3. The FMC Files Letter Supporting AFTRA and RAC in their Call to Repeal the 7-year Statute

On September 5-6, 2001 the California State Assembly’s Select Committee on the Entertainment Industry held hearings on the Recording Artist Exemption to Seven Year Statute (Labor Law Section 2855 (b)).

The Future of Music Coalition filed a letter that supported the positions taken by AFTRA and the Recording Artist Coalition, both of which encouraged the state legislature to repeal the subsection of the 7-year statute that binds recording artists to their record contracts beyond the seven year limit that protects all other artists in the entertainment industry.

In addition to the letter, the FMC attached the developing draft of the Major Label Contract Critique. That document, which is the culmination of months of work on the part of entertainment lawyers and the FMC, begins the process of dissecting the boilerplate language found in the majority of major label contracts, highlighting the most onerous clauses and providing commentary from some of the industry’s top lawyers about the repercussions of the contract clauses on the livelihood of artists who choose to sign them.

This is not the definitive understanding of major label clauses, but a jumping-off point. Critiques of this document and augmentations are more than welcome. Together let’s build a more complete and public record of the musician’s experience.

This fall, the FMC is embarking on a nationwide speaking tour to clearly present, discuss and debate some of the critical issues at the intersection of music, technology, law an policy. The Future of Music’s “Behind/Behind the Music” speaking tour kicked off September 25th in Washington, DC at American University. Now, the tour winds its way around the country, stopping at eight universities from October 9 – November 16. For details.

During the presentations some of the topics of discussion include:

• Traditional versus New Economy Business Models.
  Do they serve musicians, do they serve citizens?
• The Copyright Bargain.
  Have recent increases in copyright protection served their intended purpose: to guard the value of creative labor?
• The Digital Commons.
  How will musicians and citizens benefit from a future where knowledge and creativity is increasingly patented and owned?

Join us at events in your area, which are mostly free and open to the public. For a list of locations and details about each event go here.

On this tour, Jenny Toomey will be playing separate shows in rock venues in support of her new double CD, Antidote. For information: www.jennytoomey.com

The articles about the music industry, law, and technology never cease. Here are a few new ones:

Music Labels Not Yet in Tune by Brad King
Wired, October 8, 2001

Artists and Lawyers Decry Contract Clause by Bill Holland
front page story in Billboard Magazine [print edition] October 1, 2001

Small Record Labels say Radio Tunes Them Out:
Music: An owner complains to FCC that playlists are influenced by for-hire promoters.
By Jeff Leeds
LA Times, September 16, 2001

Pop Artists Rap Record Deals, Lobby Lawmakers for Relief
But industry executives say they’re the ones taking the risks when signing unproven talent. by Jenifer Warren
LA Times, September 6, 2001

Courtney Love’s big Sacramento adventure
The singer and actress takes her campaign against the record industry to the California legislature by Anthony York
Salon, September 6, 2001

Dixie Chicks Suing Sony Over Royalties, Accounts
Courts: Singing group moves to void its contract, claiming it is owed $4 million due to ‘systematic thievery.’ By Chuck Philips
LA Times, August 28, 2001

Jenny Toomey
Jenny recently returned from a week in Seattle where she and Michael Bracy spent the majority of their time checking out the EMP Museum and speaking with technology companies, record labels and artist groups. Before that she participated in Chicago’s Midwest Ladyfest, both rocking and talking as documented here in a snippet from NPR’s Morning Edition.

In early September she completed edits on and published the FMC’s first version of the major label contract clause critique and is now spending her time confirming panelists and sponsors for the 2002 Policy Summit and preparing for the upcoming fall tour. To this effect she recently test-drove the FMC speaking tour presentation at American University to a polite audience of “legiterati” and law-school students and then traveled to Manchester England’s “In the City” music conference where she gave the same speech to a polite audience of rockers. This very minute she is sitting in the tour van with Kristin.

Michael Bracy
Michael is just back from a very productive week in Seattle and is now gearing up for what should be a very unprecedented session on Capitol Hill. The House Judiciary Committee is going to be looking carefully at the Copyright Office’s recent report on implementation of the DMCA and possibly moving forward with some of the initiatives contained in the Music Online Competition Act (MOCA).

Michael is also working with a number of key policy-makers to ensure that the January Policy Summit includes an appropriate range of viewpoints and perspectives from the policy community.

Brian Zisk
Brian’s been working to rustle up panelists worthy of the Policy Summit’s name. He’s been addressing how the CARP proceedings regarding a digital performance royalty have been slanted in a way where the artists’ and smaller media’s best interests are not being sufficiently represented. He’s also working to stimulate some thinking into the issue of how non-quantifiable exchanges and alternative currencies might benefit musicians. He’s trying to figure out how many of the college fall tour dates he’ll be able to attend (after having just taken a bit of travel time, visiting hot springs through Idaho and Mountains in Montana).

Walter McDonough
Walter McDonough is following up on the recent FMC comments to the Copyright Office regarding the RIAA’s Sound Exchange proposal. The FMC is also examining the Bush Administration’s efforts to compensate European music publishers and songwriters, but those in the United Stats, for nonpayment of performance royalties. The FMC is continuing its discussions with colleges and universities throughout North America for common music business research efforts. Finally, we welcome any submissions from published authors for the upcoming 2002 FMC CLE book. walter [at] futureofmusic [dot] org.

Kristin Thomson
Kristin has been working on the never-ending logistics for the Fall Speaking Tour, advance planning for the Policy Summit, doing research into the impacts of radio consolidation, and learning Dreamweaver and online credit card processing by the seat of her pants while reorganizing the website. In mid-August she traveled to Indianapolis to speak on a panel at the Midwest Music Summit. She is currently driving north on I-95 with Jenny.

Peter DiCola
Peter DiCola has just begun the legal portion of his graduate studies in law and economics. He is looking forward to lots of work at school, to finishing up his summer research project on compulsory licensing for sound recordings this month, and to choosing what his research will turn to next. (Suggestions and inquiries are welcome — Peter has a list of 4 or 5 ideas he’s been mulling over for a while, which he’d be happy to augment or discuss.) peter [at] futureofmusic [dot] org.

If you have any feedback, questions, or suggestions please send an email to suggestions [at] futureofmusic [dot] org, and let us know how we’re doing.

Thanks for your support and see you next time.

xo Jenny Toomey
Executive Director, Future of Music Coalition
jenny [at] futureofmusic [dot] org