Kevin Erickson, Director of The Future of Music Coalition is our guest on this episode. Make sure you bookmark and reference what Kevin has to say for your journey through the music industry. Kevin works at the intersection of DIY music, community organizing, and policy. His experience spans the full range of the music industry, from playing in a band, and managing a community radio station to live show booking, PR and even running a record store. He knows music, has years of experience and has developed a new strategy: no longer Do It Yourself(DIY), but Do It Together(DITO)! This episode covers all of this, plus Marc and Kevin talk puppets.
"DO IT TOGETHER- You learn by doing, you navigate the systems and the complicated processes, by jumping right into it with curiosity and humility, learn as you go, and then share what you're learning."
Our guest on today’s episode is Kevin Erickson, Director of The Future of Music Coalition (FMC). Kevin has contributed opinion pieces to outlets as disparate as The Nation and Pitchfork, volunteers with Positive Force DC, and remains active as a musician and record producer, operating Swim-Two-Birds recording studio in DC, alongside husband Hugh McElroy. Before joining FMC’s team in 2012, he directed the All Ages Movement Project, a national non-profit network of all-ages music venues and youth music programs. The Future of Music Coalition is a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization supporting a musical ecosystem where artists flourish and are compensated fairly and transparently for their work.
The FMC’s work is rooted in the real-world experiences and ambitions of working musicians, whose perspectives are often overlooked in policy debates. The FMC works with musicians, composers and industry stakeholders to identify solutions to shared challenges. They promote strategies, policies, technologies and educational initiatives that always put artists first while recognizing the role music fans play in shaping the future.
This episode does not just talk policy and lobbying, but real work tips and tricks on helping musicians connect, develop community and more than anything else pay attention to what the world at large and larger corporations are imposing on creative musicians.
Kevin spoke to us from Washington, DC
Show Notes
#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation
Future Of Music Coalition, Staff
00:10 - Byta.com
12:00 - Universal Music Group
13:21 - Clear Channel, iHeart Radio
17:00 - Ticketmaster, Live Nation
26:00 - Music Modernization Act
30:00 - Byta.com
35:00 - Healthcare for Musicians USA
36:00 - Affordable Care Act
38:00 - Terrestrial Radio Royalties
40:00 - House Judiciary Committee
43:30 - Huw Stephens
55:00 - Future of Music Coalition YouTube
56:00 - Byta.com
Music by Fin Productions and Oliver Lyu