BMI’s Anne Cecere Elected into New Position

 Anne Cecere, BMI’s Director of Film & TV Relations, has been elected President of the California Copyright Conference (CCC), for the 2014–2015 term, beginning in September 2014, it was announced last night at the organization’s first meeting of the season held in Los Angeles.Cecere takes the helm as the youngest president in the CCC’s 61-year history, taking over from her predecessor, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. Vice President, Jeremy Blietz.Previous presidents of the CCC include such luminaries as Alfred W. Schlesinger, Jay Cooper, Arthur Hamilton and John Braheny to name a few.The California Copyright Conference was established in 1953 for the discussion of copyright-related areas pertaining to music and entertainment. Today, its scope has expanded to cover all matters pertaining to music industry issues, with more than 300 members from diverse areas of the music and entertainment industries, including publishers, songwriters, attorneys, trade publication representatives, performing rights societies, film, TV, multimedia, Internet and record companies.As part of the CCC’s panel discussions, Cecere kicked off her tenure with Streaming for Dollars, a panel which explored the evolution and implications of consumers moving toward an access-based model for digital music streaming.Cecere underscores the relevance of this discussion as the market deals with the changing times: “Although technology has created a world of convenience, it has rapidly changed all aspects of the music industry, including the value of copyrights. However, it is my goal, to have conversations and events where we can educate ourselves on the issues and changes that are unfolding before our eyes.”Cecere and the CCC Board have also begun to implement changes aimed to improve services to its members, including live and on-demand streaming of its panels to increase engagement and membership across the U.S. As a response to its constituents, the new leadership has also proposed a new mid-level membership tailored for small businesses and indie companies.