Policy Reports
This initiative is inspired by the pioneering work of the Future of Music Coalition (FMC) and other public interest organizations over the past twenty-five years. In 2018, FMC donated its archives to Georgetown University’s Lauinger Library, where they are preserved in the Booth Family Center for Special Collections.
In addition to hosting national policy summits, FMC conducted extensive research and produced advocacy materials addressing changes in technology, regulation, artist compensation, and media—the music ecosystem.
The aim of the Music Sustainability Initiative is both to provide this body of work, already tied to Georgetown, more fully to researchers, musicians, and policymakers, and to build on it through collaborative research. By updating and adapting these earlier efforts, the initiative seeks to address the evolving challenges of music’s viability and musicians’ lives today. A representative sample of FMC’s influential research and policy work is highlighted below.
Artist Revenue Streams project
- ARS project overview
- ARS core concerns flyer
- ARS survey invitation 1
- ARS survey invitation 2
- ARS survey findings, January 20th, 2012
- ARS and The New Power Trio: Bands, Brands, and Revenue, January 30th, 2012
- ARS FAQ and talking points for member organizations November 18th, 2010
- ARS website homepage snapshot
Radio projects
- “Radio Deregulation: has it served citizens and musicians?” Executive summary By Kristin Thomsen and Peter DiCola, 2002
- “Radio Deregulation” press release November 18th, 2002
- “Radio Deregulation” community statements 2002
- “Radio Deregulation” Senate testimony submitted by Jenny Toomey, January 30th, 2003
- Statement of Jenny Toomey for Senate Media Ownership Hearings, January 30th, 2003
- National Association of Broadcasters fax January 6th, 2003
- FMC Response to NAB “Fact Sheet” 2003
- Do Radio Companies Offer More Variety When They Exceed the Local Ownership Cap? by Peter DiCola, 2006
- Testimony of Jenny Toomey Presented at FCC’s Media Ownership Hearing, December 11, 2006
- FALSE PREMISES, FALSE PROMISES: A Quantitative History of Ownership Consolidation in the Radio Industry, by Peter DiCola, December 2006
- Comments for the FCC submitted by the FMC, January 16th, 2007
- Future of Music Coalition’s Full Power NCE Radio Project, by Mike Janssen, October 8th, 2007
- CHANGE THAT TUNE: How the payola settlements will affect radio airplay for independent artists by Adam Marcus, 2008
- “Same Old Song: An Analysis of Radio Playlists in a Post-FCC Consent Decree World.” Executive Summary By Kristin Thomson, June 30th, 2009
- Statement of Michael Bracy for National Broadband Plan Workshops of FCC, September 17th, 2009
Healthcare Insurance Navigation Tool project
- HINT Promotional Materials
- HINT Report 2011
- The Artist’s Guide to Health Insurance
- The Artist’s guide to Healthcare Reform
Rock The Net project
Copyright projects
- Senate Testimony of the FMC on “Online Entertainment and Copyright Law: Coming Soon to a Digital Device Near You.” April 3rd, 2001
- Comments on “Sound Exchange” Regulations, Submitted by the FMC, August 22nd, 2001
- Letter in Support of Labor Code Repeal September 2nd, 2001
- Major Label Contract Clause Critique, 2001
- Fact Sheet about Webcasting and the CARP by FMC, April 25th, 2002
- Copyright Royalties testimony, submitted by the FMC, May 15th, 2002
- An Economic Model of Sampling, Cover Versions, and Musical Collage by Peter DiCola, 2006
- Future of Music Coalition responds to CRB’s webcasting rate decision, March 13th, 2007
- Creative Industry, Community Ownership and Crossing Over: Exploring Indigenous Music in Australia, by FMC, January 2010
- Register of Copyright Comments, May 14th, 2010
- Music Licensing and Innovation: Building Bridges for Mutual Benefit, 2011
Other notes and guides
- FMC Overview
- Artistic Freedoms at Risk
- FMC Annual Report 2000-2004
- FMC Annual Report 2005-2007
- What is the Future of Music? (2005)
- What is the Future of Music? (2007)
- What is the Future of Music? Giving Form
- PJ 4th FMC strategy paper 28/6 [A prediction of the music industry in 2025, from c. 2005]
- Rapporteur Notes on OECD Conference on Digital Content by Michael Bracy, February 15th, 2006
- The Live Nation/Ticketmaster merger: A Citizen’s Guide 2010
- Amicus Curiae Brief September 17th, 2010 (1/3)
- Amicus Curiae Brief September 17th, 2010 (2/3)
- Amicus Curiae Brief September 17th, 2010 (3/3)
- The Musician as “Brand” — Defining Success and Building a Winning Strategy to Achieve It, by Joshua Sherman, 2013
- Select Research Projects guide