Join us for an insightful webinar, "The ELVIS Act Explained: How Tennessee is Pioneering AI Regulation for Artists," where we delve into the groundbreaking legislation designed to protect artists from unauthorized AI-generated voice and likeness reproductions. Signed into law by Governor Bill Lee in March 2024, the ELVIS Act marks a significant step in AI regulation and artist rights. Learn about the act's origins, key provisions, and its impact on the music industry from our panel of experts, including those instrumental in its development. Discover how Tennessee is leading the way in safeguarding creative integrity in the digital age.

Meet the panelists:

Mitch Glazier is Chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He serves as Chairman of the Board of RIAA, Chairman of the Board of Musicians on Call, the charity that brings the healing power of music to the bedsides of patients in hospitals and healthcare facilities around the country, and serves on the Boards of IFPI, Leadership Music, SoundExchange and the Lutheran Church of St. Andrew in Silver Spring, Maryland. For more than 20 years, Glazier has been at the forefront of building the new music ecosystem. He helped build the unprecedented coalition that mobilized to enact the Music Modernization Act (MMA). As the senior House Judiciary Committee intellectual property counsel, he helped draft and pass pioneering legislation that paved the way for the streaming economy, including the Digital Performance Right in Sound Recordings Act to assure that music creators are compensated for use of their music by digital partners.

Bart Herbison is Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the world's largest not-for-profit songwriters trade organization and advocacy group dedicated to the songwriting profession. Established in 1967, NSAI’s membership of nearly 5,000 spans the United States and other countries. With nearly one hundred chapters, the association serves aspiring and professional songwriters in all genres of music. They also own The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee.

A Paris, Tenn., native, Bart Herbison spent 14 years in commercial radio, worked as a reporter and as a correspondent for The Nashville Banner newspaper before joining the administration of former Tennessee Governor Ned McWherter as Deputy Director of Communications in 1987. Herbison joined the staff of U.S. Rep. Bob Clement (D-Nashville) in 1988 where he served as the Tennessee Congressman's Press Secretary, Campaign Manager and Chief Tennessee Administrative Officer before leaving Capitol Hill for Music Row in 1997.

Under Herbison's leadership, NSAI gained prominence in the national legislative arena. Accomplishments include:

Adoption of the “Music Modernization Act” in 2018, the most important copyright law reform for songwriters in decades.

Creation of the Mechanical Licensing Collective of which he is a board member.
Led NSAI’s involvement in the 2016 Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) trial that led to a historic 44% mechanical royalty increase for American songwriters and the subsequent CRB IV.
Passage of the landmark "Songwriters Capital Gains Tax Equity Act" in 2006.
Creation of the first-ever Group Copyright Infringement Insurance for songwriters and music publishers in a partnership with Frost Specialty Inc.
Acquisition of the world-famous "Bluebird Café" in 2008.
Purchase of the "Music Mill" studios as NSAI headquarters in 2005.

In 2018 Herbison received two prestigious national honors for his songwriter advocacy work -- the “Industry Legacy Award” from the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and the “IP Champion’s Award” from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Innovation Policy Center. In 2020 he was honored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the Assn. of Independent Music Publishers for his advocacy work and in 2021 received the “Arnold Broido Award” for Copyright Advocacy from the Music Publishers Assn. in 2023 Bart and Bluebird Café General Manager Erika Wollam Nichols received the “Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award” to benefit the Grand Ole Opry Trust fund. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Mechanical Licensing Collective.

Appearing in his first movie role, Herbison portrayed himself in the 2017 film "Wheeler" starring Stephen Dorff and is featured in the documentaries "The Last Songwriter" and “It All Begins With a Song” where he was Assistant Executive Producer. He hosts the weekly video/print interview series “Story Behind the Song” appearing in The Tennessean and other Gannett newspapers.

David Hodges, originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, is a multi-platinum, Grammy, and BMI award-winning songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of Evanescence and has been penning hits with and for renowned artists for over two decades. Having sold more than 100 million records, his hit singles include “Bring Me To Life” and “My Immortal” (Evanescence), “A Thousand Years” (Christina Perri for Twilight), “Because of You” (Kelly Clarkson), “Dear Hate” (Maren Morris and Vince Gill), "See You Again" (Carrie Underwood), “Miss Me More” (Kelsea Ballerini), “Atlas Falls” (Shinedown), and “Afterglow” & “2Step” (Ed Sheeran). David is one of the most sought-after multi-genre songwriters in the world, with releases by Keith Urban, Blink 182, Weezer, Dan + Shay, Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz, and more. He is currently working with artists such as Ed Sheeran, 5 Seconds of Summer, James Bay, Jeremy Zucker and Carrie Underwood. David has been very involved in advocacy work for past several years sending letters to Congress, visiting Washington, DC, with NSAI on lobbying trips and serving on the Mechanical Licensing Collective’s Dispute Resolution Committee

-----

The Arts & Business Council's Tennessee Film & Entertainment Webinar Series is made possible by support from the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. tnentertainment.com