Rockbites: US Senate hears testimony on digital music

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April 2001 • Rockbites Alternative Daily

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US Senate hears testimony on digital music
3 April 2001

The US Senate Judiciary Committee is meeting today on the topic of Online Entertainment and Copyright Law. Napster executives and legal representatives will testify, as will Detroit rocker and animal-eating activist Ted Nugent, Eagles singer Don Henley, singer Alanis Morissette, president of the Recording Industry Assocation Of America Hilary Rosen, and a representative of Warner Music Group—one of the big five record labels (Warner, Sony, Universal, EMI, and BMG). Steve Gottlieb of indie label TVT will also testify. In January, Gottlieb announced that his company was partnering with Napster and with BMG.
    Notably absent due to lack of invitation will be the Future Of Music Coalition (FOMC), the Washington, DC based non-profit organization founded by a set of like-minded musicians, lawyers, and label insiders whose agenda is to forward the interests of musicians within the music industry. Also not invited is Courtney Love, the brazen, outspoken former singer for Hole who is currently suing Universal. Love delivered a cogent speech-cum-battle cry for musicians at last year’s Digital Hollywood conference in New York (see our earlier stories).
    The FOMC did submit written testimony to the Judiciary Committee that summarizes their perspective on the impact of technology on musicians, and outlines their agenda for the coming year. In 2001 the FOMC seeks to promote and establish

   • Competition for collection and distribution of the digital royalty
   • Direct payment of the digital royalty to the artist
   • Fostering of non-commercial space on the radio and on the Internet
   • The right for artists to keep their recordings in print

You can get FOMC’s full testimony as a PDF file here.
    Meanwhile, Napster, who according to the Washington Post count among their advisers Hunter Biden, son of Judiciary Committee member Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Delaware), was busy in Washington. They promised free T-shirts and passes to a show tonight at the 9:30 club featuring pro-Napster Boston band Dispatch for the first 1,000 individuals who come to the hearings. They’ve also been paying $8 an hour for “recruiters” to invite students from local University campuses to attend a rally today on Capitol Hill. Tonight’s show will be Webcast live by the Digital Club Network. | US Senate Judiciary Committee | | Future Of Music Coalition | | Rockbites story on Love's lawsuit | | Rockbites story on Digital Hollywood speech | | top of page |

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