FMC and realizePhiladelphia Present: Web.illish.us

We at Future of Music Coalition recognize the difficulty of explaining complicated issues in plain language, but we do our best. Right now, a huge concern is net neutrality, which also happens to be kinda tricky to articulate. Luckily, we've had some practice!

Our Rock the Net website offers an excellent primer on why net neutrality should matter to the music community. In a nutshell, net neutrality protects the open internet, and allows all artists to promote and distribute their music online without undue interference from gatekeepers or middlemen. The internet is THE tool for the modern musician to connect with fans, and it shouldn't be controlled by a few ISPs looking to maximize profits.

Fans would also be affected if we lose the open internet. Let's face it, there are more legal ways than ever to discover new music — but without net neutrality, this could change. We've seen what happens when the majority of musicians have limited access to your ears — it's called commercial radio. If net neutrality goes away, the internet could resemble the corporate airwaves, where what you hear is determined by a handful of powerful companies.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Net neutrality ensures that freedom of expression, commerce and creativity can flourish on the web. If the network operators are allowed to decide what goes over their "tubes," our digital way of life could be permanently altered. That's why we've teamed up with realizePhiladelphia — a non-profit group that promotes social causes in the City of Brotherly Love through musical and educational events — for the Web.illish.us concert series.

FMC and realizePhiladelphia will present a handful of monthly shows at Philadelphia's Silk City, which educate on net neutrality in fun and unique ways. Hosted by Charles Gregory of 3guysdontlie.com and streettalkin.com, Web.illish.us encourages progressive attitudes on technology, media, music, arts and culture in the online realm.

Web.illish.us takes place on the third Wednesday of the month from November 19, 2009-February 18, 2009. All shows start at 9PM EST. If you're unable to attend in person, have no fear: the concerts will be webcast live. Check out the Web.illish.us site for details on the specific theme for each event, and stay tuned for more info.

Hope to see you there!