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Welcome to the Music Business

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Established in 1981, The PAN Network is the oldest and largest MUSIC network serving professionals in ALL aspects of the music business.

MIDI Development & Music Technology

Talent & Booking

Music Publishing & Record Label Support

Pro-Audio & Studio Network

Summary of Services

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MIDI Development & Music Technology

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In the 1980's and early 90's, PAN was the center of the universe where MIDI and Electronic Music Technology was concerned. The ability to download digital audio was invented on PAN in 1984, and the first demonstration of real-time streaming digital audio and video was publicly simulated in 1986. Members of PAN were among the original creators of MIDI, and many PAN members participated in most of the subsequent additions to the MIDI 1.0 Specification.

For example, the current MIDI File Standard was born as a result of a discussion in PAN's Synthesizer & MIDI Development Forum that arose first as a complaint by many members that they could not use files created on proprietary sequencers with other sequencers, which inhibited collaboration across the network. Developers of the top-of-the-line sequencers at the time (Dave Oppenheim from Opcode Systems, Roy Groth from Mark of the Unicorn, and Bill Southworth from Southworth Systems) joined in and agreed to work on a standard that would allow all sequencer files to be portable, regardless of whatever software the user was using. The result was the MIDI File Specification that was later adopted officially by the MIDI Manufacturers Association (whose official online forum is based on PAN).

Interestingly, by 1992, PAN members were the first people in the industry to note the IMPACT of the technology on existing copyright law, and the apparent lack of compliance by many online services. The discussion in the PAN Forum eventually led to a class-action lawsuit by the National Music Publishers Association against Compuserve Inc, which was settled out of court and established a precendent for the standardization of licensing MIDI File copyrights. Another member of PAN, who was both an excellent keyboardist as well as a member of Congress (U.S. Rep. Bob Carr, D-Michigan), invited various PAN members to submit their views on the impact of technology on copyrights before the House Committee on the Arts. This issue is still being debated on a global scale.

These are just a few of the anecdotes of which made PAN a legend in the industry, purely on the basis of the high-concentration of the best and the brightest in the field, all brought together in one place as a peer-group of the highest order.

In recognition of its members' contributions and activites in the Research & Development realms of MIDI and related technologies, PAN was approved by the National Science Foundation in 1990 as a fully particpating domain on the Internet (back in those days, the net was completely non-commerical and populated solely by educational, research, and governmental institutions).

While the advent of the World Wide Web has seen some fragmentation of PAN's Synthesizer & MIDI Development Network, our resources remain intact, and most of the PAN alumni from the early days of MIDI remain available when the need arises or an issue presents itself for discussion.

PAN's extensive database of applications, patches, samples, and top-quality FX is available free of charge to all members whenever they need them.

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Talent & Booking

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From PAN's inception, one of our missions has been to make it easier for touring acts to simplify the process of booking tours. By organizing venues into regional "blocks", multiple dates in close proximity could be offered to an act in exchange for a reduction in the act's fee. In 1981, this materialized as The National Club Circuit. In 1983, when PAN first went online, the first version of PAN's Electronic Booking System was created. With PAN's move to the World Wide Web in 1996, the system was updated and opened to exploit the resources of the Internet, and is available for use by PAN members and non-members alike.

As early as 1985, PAN also featured the online version of a new publication called "PollStar", which has grown exponentially since then to become a major force in the industry.

The Tour Support Network, the brainchild of veteran tour manager Michael Nachtigal, was also based on PAN, and has since been merged into PAN's Electronic Availability System.

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Music Publishing & Record Label Support

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For many years, PAN's Independent Record Catalog System, in conjunction with PAN's Independent Record Distribution Network, enabled PAN Members and non-members alike to add newly-released titles to a business-oriented database which cross-indexes the title with the copyright info, label, publisher, artist management, booking agency, and other pertinent info. The titles added to the database are also sent automatically to Distributors on the network, to alert them of its availability.

By 2003, the old Indie Catalog had evolved into what is now the OneSource e-CD Distribution System.

Lenny Kalikow's New On The Charts has long had a strategic alliance with PAN, and provides a valuable outlet to PAN members who have a catalog of copyrights fit for worldwide licensing.

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Pro-Audio & Studio Network

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The PAN community known as "Audio-Net" has long been a vital source of information sharing among Pro Audio professionals. From Bruce Swedian's mastery of the art of mic'ing to John Klett's tomes on wiring and grounding, the most complex subject matter is often answered by the top authorities in the field. The roster of Producers, Engineers, and other studio pro's who have graced the pages of the Audio-Net forum reads like a who's who of the business, and it is somewhat rare for the credits of a film or TV show to scroll by without a PAN member or alumnus making a contribution to the sound track.

PAN's Electronic Availability System, also known as E-Vail, provides real-world no-nonsense opportunities for PAN members who work on a per-diem basis to supplement their incomes. Whether it's an audio engineer needed for a quick gig or a house mixer needed for an upcoming tour, E-Vail matches the resumes of PAN Members to meet almost any need and instantly alerts them to new opportunities.

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