(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The 5th Annual Digital Music Forum will be held March 2 at the French Institute in New York City. The one-day conference will focus on business models and legal issues impacting the music industry, featuring a candid, one-on-one discussion between Wired Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson and Napster founder Shawn Fanning about Fanning's new venture and his future in music. Additional keynotes will also include manager and promoter Terry McBride, CEO of Nettwerk Productions, David Goldberg, VP & general manager, Music at Yahoo! and Mike Conte, general manager, MSN Marketplaces for Microsoft.
The event includes panels on the outlook for online and mobile music markets and the clash between technology and copyright laws. Speakers representing both parties in the peer-to-peer file-sharing case MGM v. Grokster make up a panel of legal and policy experts who will discuss views on how best to balance the competing interests of copyright protection and the promotion of technological innovation. The case, which has far-reaching ramifications for the future of peer-to-peer and online piracy, is set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 29. If the plaintiffs win, distributors of peer-to-peer file-sharing software could face immense damage awards and/or court injunctions that would force them to cease distributing their software.
"Peer-to-peer and mobile developments will be at the heart of discussions at this year's forum," says Ned Sherman, CEO of Digital Media Wire. "I am excited to line up industry-leading authority topics such as developments in legal peer-to-peer issues, the Supreme Court's review of MGM v. Grokster and technological development in regards to positioning the mobile phone to become the key device for music to be digitally accessed and distributed. This is going to be one of the most important years for the future of music and these events are likely to shape the industry for years to come."
Confirmed panelists at the conference include:
Craig Palmer – president & CEO, Gracenote
Brad Duea – president, Napster
Jeffrey Bronikowski – VP, business development, eLabs, Universal Music Group
Ted Cohen – SVP, Digital Development & Distribution, EMI Music
Thomas Gewecke – SVP, Digital Business Group, Sony BMG
Gaumond – VP & general manager, Motorola Media Solutions
Brian Garrity – senior editor, Billboard
Shahid Khan – managing director, BearingPoint
David Kusek – VP, Berklee Media, Berklee College of Music
Gerd Leonhard – CEO, ThinkAndLink / senior advisor to Sony Net Servcies
Phil Corwin – partner, Butera & Andrews / chief lobbyist, Sharman Networks
Martin J. Elgison – partner, Intellectual Property, Alston & Bird
Mark Levy – VP, Content, InfoSpace Mobile
Steve Marks – general counsel, RIAA
Jim DeLong – senior fellow, The Progress & Freedom Foundation
Adam Eisgrau, executive director, P2P United
Jonathan Potter – executive director, Digital Media Association
Robert Acker – VP, RealPlayer & Music Services, Real Networks
Gary Cohen – president, MusicNow
Peter Diemer – VP Sales & Marketing, Musicrypt, Inc
David Card – VP & senior analyst, Jupiter Research
John Kilcullen – president & publisher, Billboard
Ned Sherman – CEO & co-founder, Digital Media Wire
Nancy Beaton – GM, Wireless Music & Personalization, Sprint
Don Teague – VP of Sales & Marketing, PaymentOne
Mike Rich -VP, Product Integration, America Online, Inc.
Thomas Ryan – senior VP, Mobile Development, EMI Music NA
–Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
On the web: 5th Annual Digital Music Forum
Los Angeles Uplifting Minds II Conferences Sell-Out
LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The 'Uplifting Minds II Conferences' entertainment business seminars were a sellout and the talent at the competition showcase rocked the Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Hills mall this past weekend. For five years now the event has developed young talent's minds, as well as their spirits.
Guidelines this year changed resulting in packed seminars, competitors' age ranges extended to 25 years-old and the winners' package overflowing with unbelievable prizes and benefits.
Smoothie Award winning guitarist and president of Boosweet Records hosted "new technology and marketing"; entertainment attorney and partner in the law firm of Fagerholm and Jefferson, Richard Jefferson, Esq., hosted "entertainment law tips"; artist manager, song writer, choreographer and music director Jasmine Diaz of Jaedd Music Group hosted "management techniques"; artist development specialist Jefflyn Dangerfield hosted "artist development techniques," and promotions director of The Baltimore Times, syndicated entertainment columnist and president of Freelance Associates, a promotions and public relations consultant firm, Eunice Moseley, hosted "promotions and public relations strategies," and she also touched on the benefits in starting your own label and obtaining a production deal with a label as oppose to an artist.
Winners of the talent competition were 14 and 16 year-old Gee Gee & Charm (a singer and rapper) who won the music category performing a number they wrote called "It's A Girl Thang" and 19 year-old singer J Miss who won the song writing category with a song she co-wrote titled "True Love." Both will receive a promotional/marketing package worth $5,000 and international CD distribution from Boosweet Records; free studio recording time, free track, CD packaging and duplication from Ivory Pen Entertainment; option of a management contract with Jaedd Music Group; a copy of "The Business of Music for the Christian and Gospel Industry" by Grammy Award winning and platinum producer/song writer Alvin Williams; vocal coaching sessions from Superstar Entertainment; free DVD demo from Chereese Records; artist development session from Missing Link Consulting and four life coaching sessions from Dr. Jamie Ballard, Ph. D.
Judges at the competition were syndicated radio host of RadioScope and president of EURWEB ,Lee Bailey, who gave very honest and on-the-mark advice and criticism; Jasmine Diaz of Jaedd Music Group; entertainment attorney Richard Jefferson, Esq.; comedian/actor Kel Mitchell, co-host of Viacom/KCAL's Dance 360, who had the crowd hyped and laughing with his lovable personality. Rapper/actress Bombay ended the event with a performance that also included her entourage of dancers.
Uplifting Minds II Conference will return to Los Angeles in June, but for now the next date will be April 16-17 in Baltimore where Bryan Leach, V.P. of TVT Records (home to Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz) and Mike Washington, the east coast director of artist development at Island Def Jam Music Group, will serve as judges. Rapper COMP (Def Jam Records) will end the event with a performance. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
On the Web: The Uplifting Minds II Conferences
