American University’s Kogod School of Business hosted the fourth annual Artists Rights Symposium in Constitution Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The symposium, supported by the Artist Rights Institute, brought in panelists from all over the United States to discuss ticketing and ticket reselling for concerts and music events, calls for more transparency with artificial intelligence use, how to approach usage of names, images, and likeness in the age of AI and other pressing topics in the digital arts community.
The first discussion, titled “The Trouble with Tickets: The Challenges of Ticket Resellers and Legislative Solutions,” featured music legislation experts from The Future of Music Coalition, The National Independent Venue Association in D.C., Georgia Music Partners and the Artist Rights Institute in Austin.
The conversation was concluded by a presentation on the National Independent Venue Association and the Fans First Act, which would provide federal protections against scam ticketing and hidden costs for United States concertgoers by Kogod students.
Following this discussion was a transition into a presentation entitled “Overview of Current Issues in Artificial Intelligence Litigation” by Vice President of Legal Policy and Copyright Counsel of the Copyright Alliance, Kevin Madigan.
Expanding on themes of AI and art, Danielle Coffey, President and CEO of the News Media Alliance; Dahvi Choen, a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator-elect Adam Schiff (CA); and Ken Doroshow, Chief Legal Officer of the Recording Industry Association of America, engaged in a panel conversation entitled “Show Me The Creator- Transparency Requirements for AI Technology.”
Director of the Kogod School of Business Business and Entertainment Program, Linda Bloss-Baum, moderated the discussion.
Artist Rights Institute Director Christian L. Castle, then moderated a conversation called “Chicken and Egg Sandwich: Bad Song Metadata. Unmatched Funds, KYC and What You Can Do About It” to continue the afternoon.
Theconversation featured Richard James Burgess the President and CEO of the American Association of Independent Music in New York, Helienne Lindvall and President of the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance, among others.
The symposium pivoted back to its AI focus in “Overview of International Artificial Intelligence Legislation,” a presentation by George York, Senior Vice President of International Policy from the Recording Industry Association of America.
The discourse-packed event filled with enthused artists and law experts alike, ended with a final discussion entitled “Name, Image, and Likeness Rights in the Age of AI” by legal experts from D.C., including Jeffrey Bennet of SAG-AFTRA, Jalyce E. Mangum, the Attorney-Advisor for the US Copyright Office, and Jen Jacobsen, the executive director of the Artist Rights Alliance in D.C.
The discussion was moderated by Director Emeritus of the Business and Entertainment Program of the Kogod School of Business John Simson, who recently facilitated a Flo Milli concert in Bender Arena on Oct 24.
The Artist Rights Symposium was founded by David C. Lowery, a lecturer at the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business.
The symposium was held on UGA’s campus in 2022 before moving to Washington, D.C. As part of the Artist Rights Institute's Artist Rights Watch, a 501c (3), the Symposium aims to bring artists and legislative experts together to enact lasting security of rights within the American music industry.
In a statement released by the Kogod School of Business on Nov. 12, Bloss-Baum said that the music industry will be “forever changed by these issues,” and appreciated the Symposium’s on-campus location, noting that “critical policy debates [are] happening just a few miles away from our campus in Washington, D.C.”
This article was edited by Alfie Pritchard, Marina Zaczkiewicz and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Nicole Kariuki.
