EM:DEF - Electronic Music Defense and Education Fund home page

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Education

EM:DEF is committed to providing accurate information about legal issues which relate to nightclubs, promoters and others in the electronic music industry and which are related to the growing "War on Club Drugs". We are also committed to educating people about the significant contribution of electronic music to music as an art form. The electronic music industry is no more responsible for drug use among young people than the Deans of colleges and Universities where drugs are used in dormitories, or the Wardens of prisons where drugs are used by inmates. What we are responsible for is furthering the careers and opportunities for expression by the artists in our industry.

Conferences & Demonstrations

Saturday May 31, 2003 Demonstrations
Los Angeles - Freedom to Dance 2
   Westwood Federal Building, 11000 Wilshire Blvd.
New York - Freedom of Assembly in NYC!
   Foley Square, Center Street between Worth and Duane
Seattle - Free Movement
   Westlake Park, Downtown Seattle

Midwest Music Summit
August 10th - 11th 2001
Indianapolis
Panels and performances featured professionals from electronic music, rock and hip-hop, this conference is closer to a South by Southwest in it's content. EM:DEF spoke on a panel about electronic music and the attacks it is facing from law enforcement in the US. Other guests attending included KRS1 from the hip-hop scene, and Aphrodite and Heather Hart from the electronic music scene. Their web-site is www.midwestmusicsummit.com.

Billboard Magazine - Dance Music Summit
July 24th - 26th 2001
New York
"Night clubbing" panel featuring EM:DEF, scheduled for 12:15 - 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 26. Moderated by Susan Mainzer (Green Galactic), the panel looked at the current state of clubland, encompassing its growth as well as the current crackdowns. Also featured on the panel was the ACLU's Graham Boyd, Director of the Drug Policy Litigation Project. Located at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

Musik and Maschine Awards
July 18th - 20th 2001
Berlin
EMDEF.ORG was nominated for best web-site in this years Musik and Maschine Awards in Berlin July 18th to the 20th. Organized by Jeff Mills (Axis, Chicago) and Dimitri Hegemann (Tresor, Berlin) the Musik and Maschine Congress in Berlin is for people who work in the field of electronic music. Taking place the week before Berlin's world famous Love Parade, the event provided an opportunity to raise awareness about legal problems faced by club owners in the US, and to learn more about what is taking place globally. Check out their web-site (which is clearly better designed than ours).

Miami Nightclub & Bar Trade Show, June 11-13th
The "Crackhouse Law" as applied to clubs
Monday, June 11th, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Barry Richards, the principal legal counsel for George Bush in Florida last November, invited US Attorney General John Ashcroft, Possible candidate for Governor in Florida, Janet Reno, and the drug czars for both The United States and Florida to speak at a panel facilitated by star First Amendment attorney, Luke Lirot. The panel focused on how nightclub owners can on the one hand protect the first amendment rights of performers, and on the other hand protect the 4th and 14th amendment rights of patrons and owners. The goal of the conference was to agree on specific guidelines club owners can follow to avoid prosecution under the crackhouse law, and the risk of asset seizure due to patron drug use.

Winter Music Conference - Monday March 26th, 2001
EM:DEF hosted a forum to discuss the DEA's Assault on nightclubs as "crackhouses". The ACLU's Graham Boyd, Donnie Estopinal, and Robert Brunet discussed the events in New Orleans. Time Magazine, Newsweek, Rolling Stone and other press attended. All of these publications later published stories. Thanks to Green Galactic for sponsoring the event, and coordinating amazing press!

BPM / EM:DEF Video Game

BPM Magazine's Lori Hamilton provides us with a few minutes of fun and entertainment. Mission: You are on a Top Secret space flight. Your goal is to rescue the vibe and save the world from the treacherous rave police. Join forces with the EMDEF and destroy all attack ships.

PLAY - Rescue the Vibe
Macintosh users: Use "command" key to fire instead of "control"

Copyright © 2001-2004 Electronic Music Defense and Education Fund - EM:DEF. All Rights Reserved.
Continued operation of this project made possible by a grant from
the Drug Policy Reform Fund of the Tides Foundation.