SEAMUS

Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States

Bylaws

last emended October 18, 2022

Article 1: Mission Statement: Commitments and Aspirations

  • To encourage the composition and performance of, and research about, electro-acoustic music in the United States;
  • To foster a network for technical and artistic information exchange;
  • To promote, support, and enable concerts and media diffusion of U.S. electro-acoustic music both home and abroad, in person and remotely;
  • To attract a wide diversity of members (i.e., practitioners of a diversity of experimental practices and practitioners manifesting a diversity of racial and gender identities and ages) from both in and outside of academic institutions;
  • To seek to remove structural and economic barriers to the creation, performance, documentation, and dissemination of electro-acoustic music;
  • To share SEAMUS activities with members, and with the larger artistic and academic communities.

Article 2: Membership

2.0 Definition and Function

Membership is open to individuals and institutions who support the goals and missions of the society.

Membership is achieved through the payment of dues to the Society. SEAMUS membership is valid for a twelve-month period from the date of payment.

Members must be in good standing to receive any of the benefits defined in the Membership Benefits paragraph. One exception: members who are featured on the SEAMUS CD will still receive their copies of the CD even if membership is lapsed at the time of release.

Membership in good standing is required within two weeks of a submission acceptance notification for confirmation of a work’s programming on a national conference, whether remote or in-person.

2.1 Individual, Student, and Senior Memberships

Any individual who is a citizen or legal resident of the US may join as an individual or student member. Student memberships are available to individuals currently enrolled in courses of study at a high school, college or university. Proof of enrollment (student ID card) is required within thirty (30) days of joining or renewal for student memberships. All other individuals must join as regular members. Senior rates are available to anyone who has retired or is over the age of 65.

2.2 Institutional Memberships

Libraries, institutions, and organizations may join SEAMUS as institutional members, and are entitled to all of the benefits described in section 2.7. Institutional members do not have voting privileges.

2.3 Honorary Memberships

Honorary members are entitled to all benefits described in section 2.7.

Recipients of the SEAMUS Lifetime Achievement Award are granted honorary lifetime memberships. If they are current members of SEAMUS, their membership is converted to honorary lifetime status, effective when the current membership expires. Other individuals and institutions may be given honorary memberships only with the approval of the President and Board of Directors.

2.4 Associate Memberships

Associate Memberships are available to any individual who supports the goals and missions of the society but is not a citizen or legal resident of the United States. Associate members are entitled to all benefits described in section 2.7, but do not have voting privileges.

2.5 Membership Dues

Membership categories in SEAMUS are as follows:

  • Individual Member
  • Student Member
  • Senior Member (over 65)
  • Institutional Member
  • International Associate (non-US citizen living outside of US)
  • Members living outside of US – add $5 to any of the above

Regular memberships are considered professional expenses and may be tax deductible.

The membership dues amounts are reviewed and voted on by the Board, as needed.

2.6 Sustaining Memberships

Individuals who contribute to SEAMUS at levels above the regular membership are considered to be Sustaining Members. There are four contribution levels of sustaining member:

  • SEAMUS Friend ($75 and above)
  • SEAMUS Donor ($150 and above)
  • SEAMUS Sponsor ($300 and above)
  • SEAMUS Patron ($600 and above)

Sustaining members are acknowledged in the Journal SEAMUS, the SEAMUS Newsletter, and SEAMUS On-Line. A sustaining membership is valid for one year. Sustaining members are entitled to all benefits listed in section 2.7.

2.7 Membership Services

Membership in SEAMUS provides the following benefits.

2.7.1 SEAMUS Newsletter

The SEAMUS Newsletter is a digital document posted on the seamusonline.org website. It does not have a specific publication schedule but it aims to remain current. Members have access to the full newsletter, and can contribute content to it.

The post-pandemic SEAMUS newsletter series will focus on spotlighting diverse SEAMUS members’ music, scholarly work, and recent accomplishments, and sharing their exciting news within and outside of the SEAMUS community. Each issue of the series not only includes member news but also includes 1-2 short articles based on this focus, which can include interviews. All members are encouraged to contribute content by contacting the Newsletter Editor directly.

2.7.2 Journal SEAMUS

Journal SEAMUS is a publication made for and by the SEAMUS community published bi-annually since 1989. Its electroacoustic (EA) music-centric and adjacent articles range from theoretical analyses and technical papers to interviews, conference and recording reviews, and practical music technology tips. The Journal will be available digitally beginning in 2023.

Increasingly the Journal Editor may make recommendations for channeling content to the SEAMUS website, in close collaboration with the Director of Technology, the President, and the rest of the Board.

2.7.3 Music from SEAMUS CD Series

The SEAMUS CD series releases a CD once a year which is a compilation of the membership selected favorite works from the previous year’s conference. The series is published by New Focus Recordings.

Members can opt-in to receive a physical copy of the CD, and can also download or stream these recordings online on the website.

2.7.4 SEAMUS listserv

New SEAMUS members are added to the email listserv. This email list is open for any member to share events, job postings, opportunities, and questions in the field of electroacoustic music. This is also the primary means by which the Director of Communications forwards opportunities related opportunities and calls. Currently this is a non-moderated list.

2.7.5 Electroacoustic music database

Members can add their works to the electroacoustic music database, which is a searchable list of works in the field. Works added to the database are not removed if a member’s subscription expires.

2.7.6 Further projects

SEAMUS members have access to other projects assembled by the board and the membership, including CREATE grants, an archive of all past conferences, and other upcoming projects. This list will be amended as projects are added, changed, or removed.

2.8 Distribution of the Membership List

The list of current members and their addresses is a protected resource and will not be distributed to any outside organization or company. Exceptions to this policy are granted where the requesting organization or company is a non-profit entity which provides a service, resource or product of value and relevance to SEAMUS members. Organizations or companies which fulfill this exception criterion may also distribute their materials electronically to members through the SEAMUS listserv.

Article 3: Board of Directors

3.0 Definition

The Board of Directors is responsible for all operations of SEAMUS and has the power to develop, remove or modify its policies and procedures. The Board comprises all elected officials, appointed members listed in section 3.2, and all past presidents and founding members.

3.1 Elected Officers

Officers are elected to the Board by a majority vote of the membership. The elected offices of SEAMUS are the following:

  • President
  • Vice President for Programs and Projects
  • Vice President for Membership
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Member(s)-at-Large (two individuals elected on staggered years)

3.1.1 President

The President is the chief operating officer of the Society and is responsible for calling board meetings, carrying out the mission of the organization, representing the Society at meetings of other societies or organizations, and for administering the SEAMUS Award. The President is ultimately responsible for all operations and programs affiliated with SEAMUS, including the supervision of the other elected officers.

The President channels discussion amongst the Board of Directors on annual issues and choices related to the annual national conference. The President thus initiates and manages searches for conference hosts and reviews the suitability of proposed conference sites (both in-person and remote) prior to final selection by the Board. The President advises conference hosts through the preliminary stages of conference preparations, and serves as liaison between conference hosts and the Board. The President also works with the Director of Communications and the Member(s)-at-Large and the Technology Director and any supporting technical staff to review and shape the proposed design for a given conference’s submissions services.

3.1.2 Vice President for Programs and Projects

The VP for Programs and Projects oversees the creation, implementation, and integration of initiatives in alignment with SEAMUS’ mission and operational direction. These initiatives strengthen the organizational culture and may include, but are not limited to, concerts and broadcasts, compilation projects, and resource channels pertaining to the field of electroacoustic music.

3.1.3 Vice President for Membership

The VP for Membership is responsible for recruiting and maintaining membership within the Society. The VP is also responsible for maintaining the membership database and disseminating the membership mailing list as appropriate. In this last capacity the VP for Membership works closely with the Technical Director. Since 2023 the VP for Membership has also overseen the SEAMUS mentor-mentee initiative.

3.1.4 Treasurer

The Treasurer is responsible for all fiscal transactions related to SEAMUS. This includes filing taxes, overseeing the credit card payments for monthly automatic fees, maintaining bank relations, overseeing the depositing and collecting membership dues [in conjunction with the Technology Director], distributing payments in a timely way for SEAMUS related expenses and member reimbursements, and producing an annual report every Spring on the financial status of the society. The written Report will be distributed to the Board.

The Treasurer will be one of three signatories on the SEAMUS account, with the President and the Secretary being the other two.

The Treasurer may complete these duties her/himself or may submit an annual proposal to the Board, presented before September 1, for an accountant to assist. This proposal will itemize the costs of these services. If the Board does not approve the use of an accountant the Treasurer will perform these duties her/himself. The Treasurer will also commit to overseeing a smooth transition to the successive Treasurer via requisite bank interactions.

3.1.5 Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for creating minutes from Board meetings, distributing and archiving those minutes, and archiving general Board actions and voted decisions which occur via internet conversation. Other responsibilities include organizing and facilitating board elections via correspondence with the SEAMUS membership.

3.1.6 Member-At-Large (two positions, elected alternate years)

Each Member-At-Large is responsible for providing insight and input to the Board from the membership as a whole, and for taking on responsibilities within the activities of the Society as needed and deemed necessary by the Board.

The member-at-large elected in the even years serves specifically to manage the adjudication process for the SEAMUS Conferences, including soliciting nominations for adjudicators.

3.2 Appointed Members of the Board

Appointed Members of the Board are identified by the President. They are appointed or re-appointed by majority approval of the Elected Board. Majority approval will be greater than 50% of the Elected members plus the past President.

Directors and Editors are encouraged to participate in all SEAMUS Board meetings.

  • Director, Communications
  • Director, SEAMUS Recordings
  • Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Director, Technical Development
  • Editor, SEAMUS Newsletter
  • Editor in Chief, Journal SEAMUS

3.2.1 Director, Communications

The Director, Communications is responsible for oversight and coordination of SEAMUS information and news channels. This primarily includes the website and the newsletter, but may also include messaging related to the conference and other SEAMUS related interests. The Director of Communications also manages and coordinates activity between the website administrator, website designer, and database/listserv manager.

3.2.2 Director, SEAMUS Recordings

The Director, SEAMUS Recordings supervises and/or produces recordings and media that originate from National Conference and other SEAMUS sponsored activities and its distribution to and for the SEAMUS membership.

3.2.3 Editor-in-Chief, Journal SEAMUS

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the production and distribution methods of the Journal SEAMUS, ensuring that content of journal is accurate, credible, authoritative, and relevant to the Journal’s scope and mission. The Editor-in-Chief may delegate submission selection to Guest Editors or other members of an Editorial Team selected by the Editor-in-Chief, subject to Board approval. The Editor-in-Chief remains the final arbiter for all material published in the journal.

3.2.4 Director of Technical Development

The Director of Technical Development is responsible for all software-related and server-based aspects of SEAMUS. This includes managing the infrastructure of the website, the conference submissions portal, the admin software used by the Board, and any other online services required to fulfill the mission of the organization. The Director of Technical Development should research, suggest, and implement solutions should any of the services used fail to appropriately meet the needs of the other officers or the membership.

While the Director does set up conference submissions and adjudication, he/she is not responsible for the hardware or software implementation of the conference post-adjudication, though he/she can be consulted by the hosts if questions arise.

3.4 Terms

Each elected officer serves for a term of two (2) years. There is no limit on the number of terms an individual may hold a particular office. Serving at the discretion of the Board, there are no specified term for Appointed Members or Technical and Advisory Positions.

3.5 Elections

The elected offices of SEAMUS are voted on by the entire membership by a method determined by an election committee appointed by the President. Elections for the offices of President, Vice President for Membership and Member-at-Large are to be held in odd numbered years for two year terms beginning in an even numbered year. Elections for the offices of Vice President for Programs, Treasurer and Secretary are to be held in even numbered years for two year terms beginning in an odd numbered year.

3.6 Ex Officio Members of the Board

The following persons are considered to be ex officio members of the Board of Directors. The immediate two past presidents hold full voting privileges on the Board and are included in all Board communications. Ex officio members retain their membership on the board as long as they are members in good standing. Ex officio members are:

  • Past-Presidents
  • Founding Members

3.6.1 Past-Presidents

Any person who has been elected President and has held that office through a complete term is considered a Past-President. Past-Presidents may hold other offices at any time.

3.6.2 Founding Members

Eleven (11) people established SEAMUS on November 9, 1985 in Los Angeles, California. They Founding Members were Jon Appleton, Bebe Barron, Thom Blum, Frederick Lesemann, Russell Pinkston, Felix Powell, Barry Schrader, George Todd, George Balch Wilson, Rodney Oakes, and Richard Zvonar.

3.7 Observer Members

A representative from another organization (e.g., the Canadian Electroacoustic Community) may serve as observer member of the Board of Directors. Observer members have no voting privileges with regard to matters before the board, but they may comment and advise on such matters. The Board may add or remove observer members at its discretion.

Article 4: Budget

4.0 Definition

The Budget is an annual projection and plan for use of SEAMUS resources. It may or may not include a plan for fundraising.

4.1 Presentation

Each year, typically in August or September, the President (in consultation with the Treasurer) will submit a Budget Proposal to the Board for approval.

The proposed budget will entail expected income and anticipated expenditures for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposed budget must be submitted at least three (3) months prior to the new fiscal year. The Board must approve the budget before any expenditures can be paid in that year. The Board may amend or alter the proposed budget at any time during the year by a majority vote.

4.2 Relation of Budget to Mission Statement

The Board will aim to maximize use of the Budget to fulfill SEAMUS’ organizational goals.

Article 5: Conference Production Guidelines

5.0 Board Involvement

The SEAMUS Board is committed to producing an annual national conference in the field of electroacoustic music, partnering with a institution/organization that hosts that year’s conference. The conference frequency is determined by the SEAMUS Board; the aspiration is that it occurs annually, and is typically scheduled in late spring.

5.1 Host Selection

Hosts (typically a SEAMUS member who is affiliated with and supported by an academic institution) are selected as the results of public Calls to the membership as well as private outreach by Board members. If there are two or more bids for a given year, the Board will evaluate in which order to plan host assignments.

5.1.1 In the absence of a host

If a given host finds the conference production impossible to complete, or if no hosts can be found for a given year, the Board will debate, vote, and pursue one of three options: 1) postpone the conference until the following year; 2) produce a “rhizomatic remote” conference online; or 3) produce the conference as an organizational host.

5.2 Timeline

Conference host commitments are ideally offered, and plans for the conference particulars ideally started in late spring a year prior to the planned conference. If this proves impossible then the latest possible timeline is early fall of the year of the conference. The call for works should be sent to the membership before October 10.

5.3 Adjudication Process

To read the full procedure for our double-blind adjudication process, read more here.

5.4 Curation

Once the adjudication process is finished, the curation process begins. There is typically a ⅓ – ⅔ curation model followed, giving SEAMUS and the host respectively shared responsibility in programming the conference, from the highest ranked works. There is no abstract numerical cutoff, and pragmatics of every conference impact the final programming.

5.5 Host Expectations

The host is responsible for providing spaces, loudspeakers (either via Genelec loan, school loan, or via commercial rental), and technical support. The exact design of the conference in terms of how many concerts occur is at the discretion of the host.