Washington – For the seventh year in a row, the
Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who is chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, will deliver the keynote on Monday, September 17th. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who has served over 20 years in the United States Congress as a strong advocate for consumer rights and telecommunications issues, will deliver the keynote addresses on Tuesday, September 18th.
FMC’s Policy Summits have attracted thousands of attendees over the years because they generate balanced and informed debates, as well as create unusual connections between musicians, policymakers and technologists. More than 90 panelists are confirmed to participate this year on panels about performance royalties, the state of retail, the new viability of niche musical genres, the sample license clearance process, major label contracts in the digital age, and a policymakers’ roundtable that includes some of Capitol Hill’s top staffers.
Highlights of the 7th Annual Future of Music Policy Summit include:
FMC’s Jenny Toomey will welcome attendees to the Policy Summit, backed by New Orleans musician Al "Carnival Time" Johnson.
Marybeth Peters, Register, US Copyright Office, will participate in a special conversation with USPTO’s Ann Chaitovitz about her 40 years at the Office, and the impact of new technologies on the copyright system.
Attorney Rosemary Carroll, musician Bob Mould and Mac McCaughan, musician and co-owner of the independent label Merge Records — home of Arcade Fire, Spoon, M. Ward and others — will be joined by top names from law and technology to debate the state of the music industry.
Top representatives from some of today’s most innovative music services — Pandora, Rumblefish, Eventful, and Echomusic — will discuss the technologies that are empowering musicians and bringing artists and fans closer together.
International experts, including CISAC’s Director Eric Baptiste, Sarah Faulder from MCPS-PRS, RealNetwork’s Tim Quirk, DiMA’s Jon Potter and CMRRA’s David Basskin will tackle global licensing issues.
A star-studded list of panelists will debate about how broadband policy impacts musicians: Ben Scott from Free Press, Peter Gordon from Thirsty Ear Records, Jason Oxman from CEA, Scott Cleland from Netcompetition.org and Tim Wu from Columbia Law School.
Pho founder Jim Griffin will moderate a panel about how ubiquitous wireless access may impact the music and broadcast industries. The panel includes Ralph Simon from the Mobile Entertainment Forum, attorney Whitney Broussard, Microsoft’s Skip Pizzi, and others.
Programming also includes:
A three-part track on how musicians can better use technologies, with special sessions on social networking and blogging, podcasting, and DIY licensing.
A 4-part track on access to culture co-presented with Smithsonian Global Sound on Tuesday afternoon, jam-packed with some of the most interesting names in the field including Smithsonian Global Sound, American Folklife Center, Metabrainz, IODA and National Geographic. The session will start with a presentation by Dan Sheehy, director of Smithsonian Global Sound, followed by a talk by Peter Alyea from the Library of Congress’ music preservation division, a panel on orphan works, and a panel on how technology is improving access to culture.
Registration for FMC’s 7FMC POth annual Policy Summit is $199/$139 for students. Registration and press credentialing are available via the summit web site at
About the Future of Music Coalition
Future of Music Coalition is a national non-profit education, research and advocacy organization that identifies, examines, interprets and translates the challenging issues at the intersection of music, law, technology and policy. FMC achieves this through continuous interaction with its primary constituency — musicians — and in collaboration with other creator/citizen groups.
Future of Music Coalition is a national non-profit education, research and advocacy organization that seeks a bright future for creators and listeners. FMC works towards this goal through continuous interaction with its primary constituency — musicians — and in collaboration with other creator/public interest groups. More