Future of Music Policy Summit 2004

Hard to believe it’s already been a year since the last Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit, but it has. The cost is quite reasonable, the topics crucial, and the star power impressive:

Now in its fourth year, the FMC Policy Summit is a forum for musicians, lawyers, academics, policymakers and music industry executives to come together to discuss and debate some of the most contentious issues surrounding digital technology, artists’ rights and the current state of the music industry.

New for Summit 04!
LOWER REGISTRATION PRICES
$149 for two-day pass
$99 for one-day pass

DISCOUNTED RATE FOR STUDENTS
$99 for two-day pass
$66 for one-day pass

CONVENIENT LOCATION
GWU’s Lisner Auditorium is centrally located in the heart of DC, easily accesible by foot, taxi, car or Metro

It is our continuing goal to bring the best and brightest people working in music and technology to discuss the most critical issues impacting our community. The Summit’s events direct the agenda towards guarding the value of music for musicians, and guarding access to music for music consumers. In addition, we look to the future and discuss the various models the music industry might adopt in coming years.

It is our belief that by continuing to organize events such as this one we will help the media, citizens, creators and our elected officials and policy makers have a more sophisticated understanding of the opportunities and effects of these new technologies on the guarding the value of music for musicians, and guarding access to music for citizens.

Saturday, May 1
7:00 PM

Join us for what’s becoming a tradition: a massive and raucous Pho Dinner over at Nam Viet in Arlington, VA. Details soon.

Sunday, May 2
7:30 – 9:00 AM

Check-in/breakfast

9:00 AM

Welcome

9:15 AM – 10:30 AM

Panel 1: Numbers, Numbers, Numbers
Good data is essential for both proper business planning and the creation of sensible policies. But who has the data? Who owns the data? How do musicians and citizens access data, and how does data influence business decisions and policy debates? This panel brings together representatives from collection agencies, academics and researchers who rely on data to compensate artists, or to illustrate the effects of current technologies, policies and business models on musicians and citizens. The impact of file sharing on the music
industry, as well as musicians, will be discussed.

Jim Griffin CEO, Cherry Lane Digital/Pho (moderator)
Ron Gertz President and CEO, Music Reports
Mary Madden Research Specialist, Pew Internet & American Life Project
John Simson Executive Director, SoundExchange
Koleman Strumpf Associate Professor, Department of Economics, UNC Chapel Hill

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Panel 2: The Business School of Rock
Most artists would rather be plucking strings than plugging numbers into a Quicken file, but as the music landscape changes it’s more important than ever that performers take control of their own business affairs. This panel brings together managers, musicians, and label owners to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of treating your band, or your artistic self, as a business entity — from managing your catalog and keeping track of revenue, to getting your own health insurance policy.

Kristin Thomson Organizer, FMC (moderator)
Kim Coletta Desoto Records and band Jawbox
Dave Frey Silent Partner Management
Pat Irwin member of B-52’s, film/TV music composer
Alex Maiolo Co-owner, Lee Moore Insurance
Brian Austin Whitney Founder, Just Plain Folks
Shoshana Samole Zisk Attorney and Business Affairs, George Clinton Enterprises

12:00 – 12:30 PM

Special Interview
Will Poole Microsoft’s Windows Business Client

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM

Lunch
We have no formal lunch plans this year because of space considerations, but there are plenty of options within walking distance of Lisner.

Brown Bag It! 12:45 – 1:30 PM
We’re organizing a couple of intimate brown bag sessions that will happen across the street from Lisner at GWU’s Marvin Center. Likely topics on Sunday:

SoundExchange: what is it, how does it work, and why should musicians join?

Broadcast and Indecency: an update about Congress and the FCC’s recent crackdown on broadcast “indecency.” What legislation is being proposed, and what could be the effect on musicians and performers?

The sessions will be 45 minutes long and run concurrently in 40-capacity meeting rooms over at Marvin Center. First come, first serve seating.

1:45 PM – 3:00 PM

Panel 3: This Panel Kills Fascists
Woody Guthrie was so convinced about the power of music to bring political change that he wrote “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitar. During the November 2003 Tell Us the Truth Tour, eight musicians took to the road to play music and educate audiences about media consolidation and American trade policy. In so doing they extended the rich history of music and politics, yet the first question they were asked by journalists was “why be political?” From the gospel fuel of the civil rights movement to the rock and roll psychedelia of the 60s anti-war movement, from the anti-commercialism of punk to the anti-racism and class consciousness of Rap and hip-hop … FMC knows music and politics go together like peanut butter and chocolate. This panel will remind us why.

Jenny Toomey Executive Director, FMC (moderator)
Danny Goldberg Chairman and CEO, Artemis Records
Alexis McGill Political Director, Hip Hop Summit Action Network
Dave Meinert PNW Chapter of Recording Academy, Owner/President of Blue Team Management
Michael Muniz Director of Latin Organizing, AFM
Jay Rosenthal Attorney, Recording Artists’ Coalition, Berliner Corcoran & Rowe, LLP
Pat Thetic Anti-Flag/Punkvoter.com

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Special Interview
Rob Glaser CEO, Real Networks
will be interviewed by
Walter Mossberg Wall Street Journal

3:30 PM – 4:45 PM

Panel 4: The Celestial Jukebox: Fact, Fiction, Future?
2003 was another exciting year for legal digital downloads, with the launch of the iTunes Store (and its many imitators), Real’s purchase of Rhapsody, the rebirth of Napster and rampant rumors about the debut of Microsoft’s competing music store. 2003 also saw a revitalized critique of these emerging technologies, with some continuing to say that these legal stores will never be able to compete with the plethora of free music available on P2P networks, either on price or on sheer depth of catalog. This panel takes a look at the ups and down of music’s holy grail: the digital marketplace.

Brian Zisk Technologies Director, FMC (moderator)
Kevin Arnold Founder, IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance)
John Flansburgh They Might be Giants
Tim Quirk Executive Editor, Music, Real Networks and band Too Much Joy
Derek Sivers CD Baby
Holmes Wilson Downhill Battle

4:45 PM – 6:00 PM

Panel 5: Get In the Game (the Legislative Game, that is)
We all recognize that the only way that artists are guaranteed to lose in the policy arena is if they fail to fully engage in the process. But what does that mean? What issues should artists and the music community be most concerned about in this critical year? And, most importantly, how can artists and music fans maximize their effectiveness in Washington, DC? A panel of advocates, policymakers and artists will explore both the policy challenges facing the music community and strategies for truly making a difference.

Michael Bracy Government Relations, FMC (moderator)
Ann Chaitovitz National Director of Sound Recordings, AFTRA
Daryl Friedman Senior Executive Director, Washington DC Operations, Recording Academy
Marcus Johnson Jazz Musician and CEO, Three Keys Music
Vidya Krishnamurthy Legislative Coordinator, Free Press
Hal Ponder Director of Governent Relations, AFM

6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Cocktail Party hosted by ASCAP
Grand Ballroom on the 3rd floor of the Marvin Center

Monday, May 3

7:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Check-in/Breakfast

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM

Welcome

9:15 AM – 9:45 AM
Keynote Speech
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM

Panel 6: State of the Union
At every Future of Music Policy Summit, we ask a panel of experts to address the fundamental question: What is the State of the Union? From peer-to-peer file sharing and the related lawsuits, to the emergence of legal download channels, to the media reform movement and the continued mobilization of musician’s rights organizations, artists, policymakers and industry are working overtime to adjust to a fluid marketplace. What accomplishments should be celebrated? Where is there work yet to be done? For the fourth year running FMC asks: what does 2004 hold in store for musicians, consumers, and the music community?

John Nichols Writer, The Nation (moderator)
Mike Dreese CEO and Co-Founder, Newbury Comics
Peter Jenner Sincere Management and Chairman, AURA and Chairman, IMMF
Gary Shapiro President and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association
Cary Sherman President, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
Tina Weymouth & Chris Frantz Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club

11:15AM – 12:30 PM

Panel 7: Alternative Compensation Systems
Peer-to-peer file sharing is, technically-speaking, a simple and inexpensive way to distribute and share music. But since peer-to-peer emerged, many in the music/technology space have pondered this thought: Is there a way to transform this mechanism of open sharing into a mechanism of the open market? This panel looks at a number of developing proposals about how revenue could be generated, collected, and distributed to artists and rights holders from sharing on P2P networks.

Joseph Gratz Law Student, University of Minnesota (moderator)
Chris Amenita Senior Vice President, ASCAP Enterprises Group
William Terry Fisher Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Jessica Litman Professor of Law, Wayne State University
Neil Netanel Professor of Law, UCLA and University of Texas
Sandy Pearlman Vice President, Media Development, Multicast Technologies

12:30 PM – 1:45 PM

Lunch
We have no formal lunch plans this year because of space considerations, but there are plenty of options within walking distance of Lisner.

Brown Bag It! 12:45 – 1:30 PM
We’re organizing a couple of intimate, brown bag sessions that will happen across the street from Lisner at GWU’s Marvin Center. Monday’s likely topics to include:

Low Power Radio/Webcasting update
Copyrights and Copywrongs: what does the tension between copyright extension and the creative commons mean for musicians and creators?

The sessions will be 45 minutes long and run concurrently in meeting rooms over at Marvin Center. First come, first serve seating.

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Panel 8: Synergies or Antitrust: How does consolidation help or hurt artist and citizens?
The music industry is indicative of a broad societal paradox: even as new technologies decrease the cost of production and distribution of music, more and more of the music and entertainment business is owned by fewer players. On one hand, independent content flourishes in ways never before possible. On the other hand, millions of citizens have protested the current ownership structures where a handful of vertically integrated corporations already sell tickets, promote concerts, program radio, own newspapers, television stations, record labels and movie studios, and invest heavily in emerging technologies like satellite radio and the web. Has the increasing scale of these corporations allowed for the flowering of independent content? Or are we tilting dangerously toward a world where corporate control could stifle creativity, culture and political discourse?

Thomas Frank Author and Editor, The Baffler (moderator)
Wayne Crews Director of Technology Studies, Cato Institute
Neil Glazer Attorney, Madison House/SCI Ticketing
Thomas Hazlett Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
Seth Hurwitz IMP/9:30 Club
Chellie Pingree President and CEO, Common Cause
Jim Winston Executive Director, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Keynote Speech
Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN)

3:45 PM – 4:45 PM

Panel 9: Into the Grey
During the “Illegal Imagination” panel at the 2003 Policy Summit, artists and copyright experts discussed the ways that extensions of copyright law and the prohibitive licensing fees might limit creativity. In February 2004, DJ Danger Mouse took Jay-Z’s Black Album and mixed it with The Beatles’ White Album to create … The Grey Album. The album, which the DJ created and released without seeking consent from the copyright owners, was barely made available before DJ Danger Mouse received cease and desist letters from the Beatles’ label, EMI. Clearly these laws are not limiting creativity, nor are they impeding circulation, but they are making it impossible to circulate this type of creativity legally. What is lost and gained in the mash-up phenomenon? Shouldn’t artists have the right to control the tracks they’ve created? Is there a way to harness the current smash-up enthusiasm to serve artists and culture?

Walter McDonough General Counsel, FMC (moderator)
David Carson General Counsel, US Copyright Office
Barton Herbison Executive Director, Nashville Songwriters Association International
Siva Vaidhyanathan Assistant Professor, Department of Culture and Communication, New York University
Suzanne Vega ASCAP songwriter, performer

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Panel 10: Gazing Into the Crystal Ball
At the end of our two days, we turn away from the question of what should happen to the question of what will happen. From the FCC’s efforts to address localism in media and expand Low Power Radio, to the widely accepted notion that a new Telecommunications Act is on the horizon, our panel of policy experts will share their perspectives on where these policy trends are heading and the impact that these decisions will have on the music community.

Lee Carosi Majority Counsel, Senate Commerce Committee
Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Adam Eisgrau Executive Director, P2P United
Cheryl Leanza Deputy Director, Media Access Project
Chris Murray Internet and Telecommunications Counsel, Consumers Union
Gigi Sohn President, Public Knowledge

6:00 – 8:00 PM

Cocktail Party hosted by Microsoft
Grand Ballroom on the 3rd floor of the Marvin Center

Keynote Speakers

Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN)
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps
Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser
Will Poole Senior VP, Microsoft’s Windows Client Business

Panelists

Chris Amenita Senior Vice President, ASCAP Enterprises Group
Kevin Arnold Founder, IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance)
Michael Bracy Government Relations, Future of Music Coalition
Lee Carosi Majority Counsel, Senate Commerce Committee
David Carson General Counsel, US Copyright Office
Ann Chaitovitz National Director of Sound Recordings, AFTRA
Kim Coletta Desoto Records and band Jawbox
Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN)
Wayne Crews Director of Technology Studies, Cato Institute
Mike Dreese CEO and Co-Founder, Newbury Comics
Adam Eisgrau Executive Director, P2P United
William Terry Fisher Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
John Flansburgh Musician, They Might be Giants
Thomas Frank Author and Editor, The Baffler
Chris Frantz Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club
Dave Frey Silent Partner Management
Daryl Friedman Senior Executive Director, Washington DC Operations, The Recording Academy
Ron Gertz President and CEO, Music Reports
Neil Glazer Attorney, Madison House/SCI Ticketing
Danny Goldberg Chairman and CEO, Artemis Records
Joseph Gratz Law Student, University of Minnesota
Jim Griffin CEO, Cherry Lane Digital/Pho
Thomas Hazlett Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
Barton Herbison Executive Director, Nashville Songwriters Association International
Seth Hurwitz IMP/9:30 Club
Pat Irwin member of B-52’s, film/TV music composer
Peter Jenner Sincere Management and Chairman, AURA and Chairman, IMMF
Marcus Johnson Jazz Musician and CEO, Three Keys Music
Vidya Krishnamurthy Legislative Coordinator, Free Press
Cheryl Leanza Deputy Director, Media Access Project
Jessica Litman Professor of Law, Wayne State University
Mary Madden Research Specialist, Pew Internet & American Life Project
Alex Maiolo Co-owner, Lee Moore Insurance
Walter McDonough General Counsel, Future of Music Coalition
Alexis McGill Political Director, Hip Hop Summit Action Network
Dave Meinert PNW Chapter of Recording Academy, Owner/President of Blue Team Management
Walter Mossberg Wall Street Journal
Michael Muniz Director of Latin Organizing, AFM
Chris Murray Internet and Telecommunications Counsel, Consumers Union
Neil Netanel Professor of Law, UCLA and University of Texas
John Nichols Writer, The Nation
Sandy Pearlman Vice President, Media Development, Multicast Technologies
Chellie Pingree President and CEO, Common Cause
Hal Ponder Director of Governent Relations, American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
Tim Quirk Executive Editor, Music, Real Networks and band Too Much Joy
Jay Rosenthal Attorney, Recording Artists’ Coalition, Berliner Corcoran & Rowe, LLP
Gary Shapiro President and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association
Cary Sherman President, Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
John Simson Executive Director, SoundExchange
Derek Sivers CD Baby
Gigi Sohn President, Public Knowledge
Koleman Strumpf Associate Professor, Department of Economics, UNC Chapel Hill
Pat Thetic Anti-Flag/Punkvoter.com
Jenny Toomey Executive Director, Future of Music Coalition
Siva Vaidhyanathan Assistant Professor, Department of Culture and Communication, New York University
Suzanne Vega ASCAP songwriter and performer
Tina Weymouth Talking Heads/Tom Tom Club
Brian Austin Whitney Founder, Just Plain Folks
Holmes Wilson Downhill Battle
Jim Winston Executive Director, National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters
Shoshana Samole Zisk Attorney and Business Affairs, George Clinton Enterprises
Brian Zisk Technologies Director, Future of Music Coalition

More info and signup here.