The Vienna Music Business Research Days conference celebrates its 10th birthday this year by looking into the past to learn more about the future of the music business. In the past ten years the VMBR-Days were a platform for forward looking and controversial music industry topics. In 2011, Dagfinn Bach highlighted the high CO2 emissions of music streaming compared to music downloads – a topic, which has become highly relevant in the times of climate change. In the same year the founder of the German music streaming service Simfy, Steffen Wicker, and then PRS for Music chief economist, Will Page, who later joined Spotify, discussed if music streaming would be the next big thing in the music industry. In 2013, Mike Michalke introduced the project of a creative commons collecting society, which was established a few years later as the Cultural Commons Collecting Society (C3S) in Germany. Also in 2013 international experts, among them the doyen of intellectual property rights research, Adolf Dietz, discussed how copyright legislation has to be adapted to new technological and social challenges. Some of the proposals, which were discussed in Vienna, later entered the recently enacted EU Copyright Directive. In 2015, alternative instruments to finance music projects such as crowdfunding, angel investment and start-up funding, which are common practice now, were highlighted by keynotes and panel discussions. In 2017, the blockchain technology and its impact on the music business was in the focus of the 8th Vienna Music Business Research Days. And further topics such as the live music and concert business, self-management of artists, new music consumption behavior and music file sharing were discussed in the past years.
In 2019, some of the topics will be resumed in the 10th anniversary conference. After a keynote by London-based copyright lawyer Cliff Fluet of Lewis Silkin LLP, he will discuss on “The Future of Music Copyright” with Karl Ryan (Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google UK), Ros Lynch (Intellectual Property Office, London, UK) and Steve Stewart (vezt, Los Angeles, USA).
The former COO of Sony/BMG and Australian start-up investor Michael Smellie will look back in the recent history of the music industry by highlighting the music industry’s “Seven Deadly Sins”. In the afternoon, Paul O’Hagan (Ulster University, UK) and music manager Peter Jenner (Pink Floyd, The Clash, Billy Bragg) will discuss the future of artist contracts in the recorded music business, before Peter will join Dennis Collopy (University of Hertfordshire, UK) to present the results of the “Music 2025” project, which was introduced by them to the public at the Vienna Music Business Research Days 2014. Then the founder of the British music streaming service 7digital, Pete Downton, will highlight the drivers of growth of music streaming. In the following panel discussion on the “Future of the Music Business – What’s Next after Music Streaming?”, Pete will exchange thoughts with music industry consultant Rebecca Brook (London, UK) communications researcher Phil Graham (University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia) and start-up investor Michael Smellie (Brisbane, Australia).
The Vienna Music Business research Days will be opened on Sep. 11th with the Young Scholars’ Workshop for master and PhD students to present their research to renown music business researchers in a closed workshop atmosphere. On Sep. 12th scientists from all around the world will present their research finding on different music business/industry topics (see program).
Tickets for September 12-13, 2019: https://ntry.at/vmbrd2019
Promotion YouTube video: https://youtu.be/GkgAZX5uS_M
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViennaMusicBusinessResearchDays/
Live video-stream of the last conference day on Sep. 13th, 9:00-17:30 CEST: https://live.mdw.ac.at/VMBRD_2019
The conference program at a glance
September 11, 2019, 09:00-16:45: Young Scholars’ Workshop (closed event)
Large Conference Room at the Department of Cultural Management and Gender Studies (IKM), University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna
September 11, 2019, 19:30-21:30: Book Presentation Event on “Big Data in the Digital Music Business”(free admission), Fanny Hensel-Hall, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna
September 12, 2019, 09:00-18:15: Conference Track Day
Joseph Haydn-Hall and Fanny Hensel-Hall, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna
September 13, 2019, 09:00-17:30: Invited Conference Day on “Future of the Music Business”
Joseph Haydn-Hall, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna
09:00-09:15: WELCOME by Johannes Meissl designated Vice President of mdw for Internationalization and the Arts & Peter Tschmuck
09:15-10:00: Keynote by Cliff Fluet (Lewis Silkin LLP, London, UK): “The Music Business & Technology – how their past and present will dictate their future”
10:00-11:00: Panel discussion on “The Future of Music Copyright” with Karl Ryan (Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google UK), Ros Lynch (Intellectual Property Office, London, UK), Cliff Fluet (Lewis Silkin LLP, London, UK) and Steve Stewart (vezt, Los Angeles, USA) moderated by Sally Gross (University of Westminster, London, UK)
11:00-11:30: REFRESHMENTS
11:30-12:30: Keynote by Michael Smellie (Start-up investor, Brisbane, Australia and former COO of Sony Music Entertainment): “Music Industry, the 7 Deadly Sins!”
12:30-13:30: LUNCH BREAK
13:30-14:00: Paul O’Hagan (University of Ulster, Northern Ireland): “Why Label Services? – The Case of Taylor Swift, Billy Bragg & The Bluebells, Or How To Avoid Indentured Servitude In The Music Business” – a conversation with Peter Jenner (Sincere Managment, London, UK)
14:00-14:45: Keynote by Dennis Collopy (University of Hertfordshire, UK): “Music 2025 – Is Music Data Fit for Purpose in the Digital Era?”
14:45-15:30: Keynote by Pete Downton (7digital, London, UK): “What Are the Key Drivers of Growth in Music Streaming? – Past, Present and Future”
15:30-16:00: REFRESHMENTS
16:00-17:30: Panel discussion “Future of the Music Business – What’s Next after Music Streaming?” with Rebecca Brook (music industry consultant, London, UK), Pete Downton (7digital, London, UK), Phil Graham (University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia) and Michael Smellie (Start-up investor, Brisbane, Australia) moderated by Dennis Collopy (University of Hertfordshire, UK)
17:30: Awarding the young scholars’ workshop best paper
20:00: Conference Heuriger (conference dinner for invited guests)
Tickets for September 12-13, 2019: https://ntry.at/vmbrd2019
Promotion YouTube video: https://youtu.be/GkgAZX5uS_M
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ViennaMusicBusinessResearchDays/
Live video-stream of the last conference day on Sep. 13th, 9:00-17:30 CEST: https://live.mdw.ac.at/VMBRD_2019
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