Berklee, MIDEM & Harvard Found Rethink Music Conference, Offer $50,000 Innovation Prize

Berklee and MIDEM are launching the Rethink Music conference on April 25-27 in Boston, and have issued a call for new ideas with a $50,000 prize attached.

Presented in association with Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Harvard  Business School the Rethink gathering will examine the business and rights challenges facing the music industry in the digital era and formulate solutions. Music industry stakeholders will join legal, business and academic experts to discuss possible new business models and potential changes in government policy. 

The conference is soliciting white papers on with the economic systems and business models for music copyright and copyright policy. Berklee College of Music will award $50,000 to the best business model, with the runner-up receiving $5,000 prize. The Berkman Center hass issued a call for papers seeking policy proposals that recommend changes to existing U.S. law to help those who create and distribute music cope with the challenges facing the industry.

“Technological disruption often creates room for new business models, new ways to capture value,” says Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Professor at Harvard Business School.  "Part of that equation needs to be innovative models of commerce and policy that work in the 21st century era of immediately available digital information. How we accomplish these goals will have much to do with the quality of innovation we inspire." according to Roger Brown, Berklee College of Music President.

More info here.