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This daily email, compiled by ASCAP Board member, music publisher and songwriter Dean Kay, cuts through the media clutter to bring you links to the most relevant news and commentary on the rapidly evolving music industry and how it affects your future livelihood. We think you'll soon begin to rely on this report as so many industry insiders do every day. If not, we've made it easy to unsubscribe without affecting your other email communications from ASCAP. [Scroll to the bottom to unsubscribe.]


IP Issues Elevated to Judiciary
By William Triplett -- Intellectual property issues will be elevated from the subcommittee level in the House of Representatives to that of the full Judiciary Committee (Chaired by Rep. John Conyers Jr.) when the new Congress convenes in January. ... Move should come as relief to the copyright industry, which has been fretting over the expected departure of IP subcommittee chairman Howard Berman ...

[The new Congress from a tech perspective.]
Stephanie Condon: A New Congress, A New Approach to Technology?

CEA Study Shows Nearly Half of Teen Activities Are Driven by Technology
[Press release] -- When asked how they spend their day, nearly half of teen's activities were driven by technology. Four of their five top activities were technology driven, with listening to music as the most popular activity among teens. Purchasing (58 percent), borrowing (56 percent) or receiving a CD (52 percent) as a gift are still the primary sources teens get music, with online stores (51 percent) being a secondary source. [Interesting the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) failed to mention illegal downloading as the primary source of the fuel that keeps their gadgets singing - as it were.]

"Previously on Lost" Hooks Fans of the Series with Quirky Music
By Jen Chaney -- Two Brooklyn-based musicians find success in 'Lost' (the TV show)-themed songs . ... What began as an online experiment has morphed into an attention-getting career move for Jeff Curtin and Adam Schatz.

Circuit City: Please Pay Recording Industry $15,799,754
By Paul Resnikoff -- The now-bankrupt Circuit City has a long list of IOUs, mostly notably within the computer, gaming, (music) and consumer electronics categories.

Fall Film & TV Music: Penny Serenade
By Noe Gold -- Resourceful composers are adapting to shrinking music budgets, but the bleak economic reality is affecting everyone from engineers to musicians.

Long Live Ad-Supported Digital Music Models
By Laurie Sullivan -- Online music moguls took the stage at the Piper Jaffray Global Internet Summit 2008 in Laguna Beach, Calif. to debate business models for digital content.

[Not mentioned in this article - AXXo is getting rich doing this ... creators are getting NOTHING.]
"AXXo You Are a God" - The Secrets of BitTorrent's Top Movie Pirate
By Josh Levin -- BitTorrent is TiVo for the tech-savvy and the ethically flexible—a way to watch what you want when you want it without having to pay for it.... No matter what metric you choose, aXXo is BitTorrent's biggest name.

Microsoft, the Latest Social Networking Contender
By Jessica Guynn -- Microsoft is making a social networking play. The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is adding social networking features to its latest release of Windows Live.

Apple's iPhone Faces Off With the Game Champs
By Nick Wingfield and Christopher Lawton -- Apple Inc.'s iPhone has shaken up the cellphone business. Its next target: Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. The iPhone and its sister device the iPod touch, which feature big screens and powerful graphics, are emerging as serious competitors to Nintendo's DS handheld and Sony's PlayStation Portable.

Controversy In The Classroom: Whose IP Is It Anyway?
Graduates of schools that teach game development and design may have a leg up on others trying to break into the video game field... in many cases they created as classwork a game that could stir the interest of a studio or publisher. But wait! Whose IP is that game anyway -- the student's or the college's?

What's New On Sat Radio? Confusion.
Mike Musgrove -- If you're a satellite radio subscriber and you're not sure what stations you still have access to today, you're evidently not alone. With the merger between Sirius and XM complete, the satellite company has ... changed around its channel lineup and shed some stations in the result.

Virginia Center for Computer Music Celebrates 20 Years with TechnoSonics Tour
When Judith Shatin founded the Virginia Center for Computer Music 20 years ago, her goal was to introduce the use of computer technology into the curriculum and into the creation of music at the University of Virginia. ... The center has grown with the addition of faculty, classes and program offerings, and attracts students and faculty who are researching and producing work in multi-channel digital audio, interactive multimedia performance, installation art, robotics and network music.

Terrence Russell: The Best Fictional Doomsday Devices

Sharing Their Demons on the Web
By Sarah Kershaw -- Some psychologists and psychiatrists are concerned about Internet peer support crossing over into delusions.

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THAT'S LIFE

For over 25 years, Dean Kay has been at the helm of some of the most highly respected and forward thinking music publishing companies in the world, first as COO of the Welk Music Group, then as President/ CEO of the US division of the PolyGram International Publishing Group, and now as President/CEO of his own precedent setting venture, Lichelle Music Company. Prior to his involvement in publishing, he was a successful songwriter, having had hundreds of his compositions recorded - including "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra. Mr. Kay has been a member of the Board of Directors of ASCAP since 1989 and is Chairman of its New Technologies Committee. He is also on the Board of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA).

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The ASCAP Daily Brief-Powered by The Dean's List is intended as a guide to direct music professionals to key articles about issues facing the entertainment industry. Recipients are encouraged to read further about the issues by accessing the complete article through the links provided. Author attribution is provided with each article, and none of the links allow readers to by-pass subscription archive gateways. Please note that all editorial comments are indicated in brackets. Questions? Comments? Please Contact Us