| George(s) Lessard on Tue, 2 Jan 2001 18:52:32 -0500 |
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| Syndicate: Future of Music Coalition conference in DC on 1/10-1/11 |
------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 08:44:15 -0800 (PST) From: Declan McCullagh <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: FC: Future of Music Coalition conference in DC on 1/10-1/11 Send reply to: [email protected] ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2001 00:03:42 -0800 From: Brian Zisk <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Subject: Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit Conference Hello Declan, Hope you're doing well. We launched the Future of Music Coalition a few months ago, and now we're having a Policy Summit conference on January 10th and 11th at Gaston Hall, Georgetown, Washington D.C. I was thinking that the info (on the organization, as well as on the conference) might be of interest to the Politech readership. All sorts of unique and interesting discussions will take place, (a schedule of panels can be found at http://www.futureofmusic.org/images/FMCtrifold.pdf) such as Eric Scheirer moderating a panel with Leonardo Chiariglione the Executive Director of SDMI, Edward Felton of Princeton University, Jack Moffitt the Icecast Open Source Streaming Media Project leader, and Ron Sobel who was at ASCAP for 16 years. Hope that you'll be in D.C. and able to attend, All the best, Brian Zisk Technology Director at The Future of Music Coalition http://www.futureofmusic.org "No longer will corporate media and big money frame the terms of the discussion as we draw together the strongest voices in the Internet and independent music community to reframe these questions with a clear-eyed focus on the interests of the artists." - Jenny Toomey, Future of Music Coalition WHY THE FUTURE OF MUSIC COALITION WAS ORGANIZED Most media attention focuses either on the exploitation of artists by the major labels or on the exploitation of artists by Internet applications that encourage unauthorized copying. Artists are presented with a false and unnecessary choice, support traditional notions of artists' rights and be called a money-grubbing luddite; or support new technology solutions and be accused of ignoring the plight of those artists left behind. This rhetoric pretends to speak for the artists, but in effect just continues to promote the viewpoints of moneyed interests like The Record Labels or The Technology Companies while it obscures some of the more promising new possibilities. The Future of Music Coalition is organized to address pressing music-technology issues and to serve as a voice for musicians in Washington D.C. where critical decisions are being made regarding musicians' intellectual property rights without a word from the artists themselves. PRESSING AREAS OF CONCERN FOR THE FUTURE OF MUSIC 1. PIRACY AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION - The Future of Music Organization is founded on the belief that creation is valuable and should be compensated. Here we are speaking of both musical creation and technological creation. By drawing together advocates for musicians' rights and innovators in Internet technology, we will work to move the discussion away from the narrow privacy vs. piracy discussions that dominate the general media, toward practical solutions leveraging the strengths of digital download technology on behalf of the artists. THE FUTURE OF MUSIC encourages the development of innovative Internet music business models to guard the value of musicians' labor and ensure that artists will continue to be paid for their compositions and performances despite drastic changes in methods of distribution. 2. RIAA CONFLICT OF INTEREST - In one of the most frightening developments, the RIAA is attempting to form a business called "SoundExchange" to collect and distribute webcasting royalties. While there is clearly a need for an organization, the Future of Music has no confidence in the RIAA's ability to represent the voice of musicians or to collect and distribute artists' royalties from the major labels who fund the RIAA. The RIAA is a trade organization that is funded by the major record companies - the same corporations traditionally known to exploit its musicians. The RIAA simply cannot be trusted to serve two distinct masters - the record companies and the artists. THE FUTURE OF MUSIC advocates for an impartial and accountable organization to guard the value of artists' webcasting royalties. By standing in opposition to the RIAA, it gives voice to the concerns of musicians who are simply not represented by an organization whose core mission is promotion and protection of the record industry agenda. 3. SDMI (SECURE DIGITAL MUSIC INITIATIVE) - While SDMI members bicker and veto proposals based on the personal financial interests of their multi-national corporations, consumers are presented with narrow, confusing options that alienate them and thus do more to promote piracy, which becomes the only viable mode of digital transfer for the great majority of the world's existing music. THE FUTURE OF MUSIC believes SDMI is a perfect example of what happens when industry attempts to legislate technological advances without the crucial input of independent musicians and programmers. ******************************************************************************** THE FUTURE OF MUSIC POLICY SUMMIT Help create the Future of Music! The Future of Music Coalition is hosting their inaugural Policy Summit Conference on January 10 & 11, 2001 at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Featuring Orrin Hatch, Chuck D, Kristen Hirsch, Dave Allen (formerly of Gang of Four/now of Intel) and a few hundred other musicians attending (and performing), leading technologists (like Vorbis's C. Monty Montgomery), legal thinkers (like Jay Cooper and Fred Von Loehman), academic luminaries (like Columbia's Eben Moglen, Berkeley's Pamela Samuelson, and Harvard's William Terry Fisher), music industry leaders like Ted Cohen, Chris Amenita, and Michael Greene, and the legislators themselves, this is will likely be the most influential meeting on behalf of the artists for quite some time. People from across the country will come together to advocate on behalf of artists and to educate lawmakers (and each other) about technology, copyright, and the future of music. Limited seats are still available, including a few more artists scholarships, press passes, and student discounted tickets. Hope to see you there. http://www.futureofmusic.org http://www.futureofmusic.org/images/FMCtrifold.pdf -- Brian Zisk http://www.futureofmusic.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if it remains intact. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- :-) Message ends, Signature begins (-: George Lessard, living @ 61.10N 94.05W Member, ICANN @Large Member # 375469 Comments should be sent to [email protected] MSN Messanger address [email protected] "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot... "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito..." 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