WASHINGTON – An unparalleled cross-section of leaders ranging from elected officials to activist punks will convene again in Washington, DC on May 2 and 3, 2004 to discuss crucial issues facing musicians and the music/tech industry. Over 70 panelists and 700 participants will come together for the fourth annual Future of Music Policy Summit, being held in George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium.
What:
Where: GWU’s Lisner Auditorium
21st and H Streets, NW, Washington, DC
When: May 2 – 3, 2004
Confirmed keynote speakers include Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN),
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps and Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser.
Recently confirmed panelists include: Suzanne Vega, Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz (Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club), John Flansburgh (They Might be Giants), Pat Thetic (Anti-Flag/Punk Voter), Tom Hazlett (Manhattan Institute), Chris Amenita (Senior VP, ASCAP), Wayne Crews (Cato), Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN), Mike Muniz (organizer, AFM), and Gary Shapiro (Consumer Electronics Association).
These panelists join an already stellar lineup that includes Koleman Strumpf,
the economist from UNC Chapel Hill whose recent paper cast doubts on the
impact of file sharing on record sales; Holmes Wilson from downhillbattle.org,
a website that has critiqued the iTunes model and facilitated a jujitsu-like
virtual attack on the major label industry; Tim Quirk, former band member
and current executive music editor of the Rhapsody music service, recently
purchased by Real Networks; Danny Goldberg from Artemis Records; Mike
Dreese, Co-Founder of the multi-store independent record chain Newbury
Comics; Seth Hurwitz from IMP/9:30 Club, and
Over the course of the Summit, experts and audience members will debate such issues as the explosive growth of online music stores, the impact of increased media consolidation on citizens and musicians, the effect of data on policy, the value of treating your band as a business, the impact activist musicians can have on political discourse, and the changing nature of the music industry as distribution and sales continue to go digital.
“At its best, this conference is a crash course in the history of music/technology, a Cliff Notes on the up- to-the-minute issues, and a blueprint for the emerging future, all at the same time,” said Jenny Toomey, Executive Director of the Future of Music Coalition. “We hope that this event continues to provide musicians, technologists, industry representatives, policymakers and the music-loving public with an opportunity to understand the effects that new technologies are having on musicians and the music industry.”
Registration for the event is $149 for a two-day pass or $99 for a one-day pass. Students can attend at the discounted rate of $99 for a two-day pass or $66 for a one-day pass.
One of the Summit’s unique aspects is its determination to involve artists as active participants in the ongoing policy debate. Thanks to contributions from foundations, corporations and individuals, over 200 musicians attend the Summit at no charge every year.
More information about the Summit, including the schedule, a complete list of current panelists, and musician scholarships is available online:
About the Future of Music Coalition
The Future of Music Coalition is a not-for-profit, grassroots collaboration between leading independent musicians and experts from the worlds of technology, public policy and intellectual property law. The FMC seeks to educate the media and policymakers about music/technology issues, while also bringing together key stakeholders in an effort to come up with creative solutions to the challenges in this space. The FMC also aims to identify and promote innovative business models that will help independent musicians benefit from new technologies, and work to organize underrepresented musicians from the independent music community to speak out on issues that impact the value of their labor.
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To request more information, press passes, and interviews, please contact:
Megan Wendell, Canary Promotion
215-242-6393
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