ARSC-SAM Conference to Highlight Music Downloading and File Sharing

The first-ever joint conference of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections and the Society for American Music will be held March 10-14, in Cleveland, Ohio. The elegant and historic Renaissance Cleveland Hotel will serve as the primary conference venue.

Members of either group will enjoy discounted early registration rates, if paid by February 9. Non-members wishing to sample the conference can register at a special, reduced one-day rate. For further registration options and detailed conference information, visit the website below or http://www.american-music.org/, or contact Bill Klinger, ARSC’s Local Arrangements Chair, via phone.

Conference highlights include:

• Music downloading and file sharing. Unauthorized file sharing will be discussed by Mitch Glazier, of the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry and works to protect recording artists’ intellectual property rights. Marc Dicciani, of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the organization behind the Grammy awards, will look at the impact of file sharing on artists. Charles E. Phelps, Provost of the University of Rochester, will examine academic perspectives and universities’ responsibilities in unauthorized file sharing.
• The Cleveland Orchestra. Founded in 1918, the Cleveland Orchestra is considered among the best in the United States. Speakers scheduled are: Donald Rosenberg, music critic for The Plain Dealer and author of The Cleveland Orchestra Story: Second to None; Peter Munves, producer for the Cleveland Orchestra under the directorship of George Szell (1946-1970); Robert Conrad, “Voice of the Cleveland Orchestra” and co-founder and president of radio station WCLV; and Bruce Gigax, Audio Supervisor for the Cleveland Orchestra Radio Network, which brings the orchestra’s music to over 500 radio stations weekly.
• Telarc. The story of the multi-Grammy-award winning, Cleveland-based recording company will be told by Robert Woods, Telarc’s President and Senior Producer, and Jack Renner, Chairman and Chief Recording Engineer.
• Special session with Chris Strachwitz, SAM Honorary Member for 2004. Honorary Membership recognizes a well-known person who has made important contributions to the field of American music. This year’s recipient is Chris Strachwitz, the founder and head of Arhoolie Records, which has recorded some of the country’s finest blues, Cajun, Tejano, zydeco, old-time country and gospel musicians. He has also been involved in the production of many critically-acclaimed films of regional music. During this session, Strachwitz will show excerpts from some of his films and discuss his current projects.
• John Philip Sousa’s 150th birthday. SAM will commemorate the sesquicentennial of John Philip Sousa, the composer of numerous patriotic marches, including the national march, “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Join Carolyn Bryant, Patrick Warfield, Jonathan Elkus and Paul Bierley as they review various aspects of The March King’s career, from his years with the United States Marine Band to his compositions and the formation of the Sousa Band. Performances spotlight Sousa’s art songs and the music of his cornet soloists.
• Shape-note singing. Featured on the soundtrack of the current Civil War motion-picture epic, Cold Mountain, shape-note singing is based on the venerable Sacred Harp hymnal, first published in 1844. Participate in the singing and experience this powerful music. No experience is necessary and songbooks will be provided.
• Special events. Conference registrants are invited to three free special events: the ARSC-SAM Welcome Reception at the conference hotel; a private open-house at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; and a reception on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. An afternoon outing is planned to University Circle—home to Severance Hall (the Cleveland Orchestra), the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Western Reserve Historical Society and other world-class attractions.

The Association for Recorded Sound Collections is a non-profit organization that promotes the preservation and study of sound recordings in all formats and fields of music and speech. The Association is dedicated to serving the needs of the sound archiving and collecting communities in specialized areas of interest and activity, through its publications, annual conferences and the work of its many committees.

ARSC members include: collectors, dealers, archivists, librarians, historians, musicians, students, discographers, reviewers, media producers and recording engineers.

For more information about ARSC, visit our website below.

The Society for American Music is a non-profit organization that seeks to stimulate the appreciation, performance, creation and study of American music in all its historical and contemporary styles and contexts, including art and popular music, the musics of ethnic groups and minorities, and the full range of activities associated with music in North America, including Central America and the Caribbean.

SAM members include: performers, musicologists, folklorists, composers, critics, students, teachers, collectors, librarians, archivists, hobbyists, historians, publishers, retailers, American studies specialists and many others.

For more information about SAM, visit http://www.american-music.org/