Canadian Musician Blog

Thoughts On disBAND?

So are we all familiar with this program? It's a show on MuchMusic that finds unsigned bands spending a week with "The Guru," Greig Nori (former Treble Charger frontman and current industry heavyweight behind bands like Sum 41, etc.) and then performing for a panel of four judges from the Canadian industry (all of whom have contributed or been featured in CM at some point). Anyhow, the band gets a made-for-TV whirlwind tour of the industry, perform a song for the judges, and are then told whether they should break up (disBAND) or if they "have what it takes" to become "platinum-selling MuchMusic artists."

The show is responsible for Stereos' quick rise to fame, and this season, gave Street Pharmacy a push, found Abandon All Ships signed to Underground Operations/Rise Records, San Sebastia working with The Agency Group and Last Gang Management, and now These Kids Wear Crowns have signed a worldwide deal with Capitol/EMI Canada.

My question: is this show doing right by the Canadian music industry and music fans?

15th Annual Honey Jam Artist Showcase This Sunday

Just a reminder that the 15th Annual Honey Jam Artist Showcase will be taking place in Toronto, Sunday, August 15 at the MOD Club. Doors open at 7p.m for this multicultural, multi-genre, all-female showcase. Advance tickets can be picked-up at Play De Record at 357 Yonge Street for $20 or they can be purchased at the door for $25.
For more information including the artist line-up, visit www.honeyjam.com.

What Is It About Canadian Musicians?

Arcade Fire are lighting it up.
Last weekend the Montreal indie-rockers latest offering, The Suburbs, debuted at the number one position on the British album charts. This week saw the band knock-off Eminems album Recovery from the top slot on Canadian and American charts.
Chart-topping Canucks are nothing new. We have known for a long time that our musical talent pool runs deep and wide.
Per capita, the Great White North has produced some of the greatest musicians of all-time. We claim Oscar Peterson, Neil Young, Alanis Morissette, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Rush, Paul Anka, Céline Dion, BTO, The Guess Who, Leonard Cohen, Shania Twain, and myriad of others as our own. Not to mention the recent south-of-the-border successes of Nickelback, Michael Bublé, the Bieber Fever pandemic, and Drake. If youre still in doubt, just take a listen to any album on the Polaris Music Prize Long and Short lists.
What is it about Canada that allows us to consistently develop, nurture, and generate such amazing artists and musicians? Is it the cold weather? Maple syrup fuelled creativity? An openness and diversity, both culturally and geographically, that allows our artists to explore new realms of inspiration?
Whatever it is, it seems to be working.

What Do You Think of the 360 Deal?

The world of record deals is changing.
During the heydays, a label would sign a band, make a record and then collect revenue based on a percentage of the record sales. The band or artists would then be free to generate income from alternate revenue streams including: touring, merchandising, sponsorships, endorsements ect
Within the past five years, there has been a trend towards Multiple Rights Deals within the music industry. This shift within the industry can be traced to the proliferation of Internet piracy and the devaluing of the record as a profitable asset.
Although not at all a new concept (the origins of these sorts of deals can be traced back to the 60s), these contracts, also known as 360 Deals, are becoming the standard.
Essentially, a 360 Deal sees the label partake in all aspects of a band or artists income. In return, the label has invested interest in seeing that band or artist succeed in all aspects of their career and will, ideally, do their best to refine the brand of the band, take that brand to market, and promote the hell out of it.
Critics argue that 360 Deals are just another example of how record labels are taking more of a cut from struggling artists and this is a reflection of their inability to address the pressures and changes currently affecting the popular mode of music delivery.
Proponents of the deals see 360 agreements as being mutually benefiting for both label and artist and as these types of deals mature and evolve, record contracts will become more transparent and relationship between label and artists will become better and deeper.
The reality of the matter is, if you want to sign a record deal nowadays, the inclusion of a 360 component is pretty much mandatory.
What do you think?
Will 360 Deals benefit or hurt the industry? What is the alternative?
Be sure to grab the next issue of Canadian Musician Magazine, dropping early September, to learn more about the 360 Deal. We tapped Steven Kane, President of Warner Music Canada, Shaun Frank, lead singer of The Envy, and entertainment lawyer Miro Oballa to offer their professional and thoughtful insight into the matter.

La Blogotheque

Need some help procrastinating? Dust of your French to English dictionary and swagger over to www.blogotheque.net and fall into the "Take Away Show" section; click on "Concerts A Emporter". Featured here are over one hundred impromptu acoustic music videos filmed by French indie filmmaker Vincent Moon. Artists who have lent their talent and time to the project include: Arcade Fire, R.E.M, The Shins, Man Man, Vic Chesnutt, Final Fantasy, Caribou, and many, many more.

A Night At The Toronto Independent Music Awards

The annual Toronto Independent Music Awards aka TIMA was held at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on Friday, July 23rd. Daniela Oliva (pictured) who is presently studying entertainment law in California, founded the awards in 2004 at the young age of 17. Her purpose was to showcase deserving independent artists, providing them with an opportunity to take their careers to the next level. The interesting thing about these awards is that they are judged strictly on the strength of the music, rather than the artists business chops or connections in the industry. The awards are widely spread out ranging from Blues and Rap all the way to Urban, Country and Folk. If you are an independent artist and want to be a part of TIMA, be sure to check out: www.torontoima.com.

Vivian Clement is a Toronto-based musician and freelance writer. Visit her site www.femalemusicianonline.com for content by and for female music makers. Photo by Wendy M. Rombough

Get In On The Big Schmooze

If you're not yet familiar with our friends over at The Big Schmooze, hit the link and go check em' out. The Big Schmooze! and Music Industry Tour is produced by a group called MusicBiz Seminars. Their mandate is to assist and educate independent artists, helping them gain insight and practical knowledge about the music industry through learning, networking, and showcasing events. MusicBiz Seminars' President, Ellen Drake, is extremely knowledgeable about the industry and has already built quite the reputation for herself and her projects. Anyhow, if you're able to attend any of these events, take advantage.

Recording At Home? Don't Miss The Next Issue...

I've already let one cat out of the bag, so might as well whet your appetites a bit more... We have our annual Home Recording feature dropping in the September/October 2010 issue of Canadian Musician, and we've rounded up a KILLER list of Canadian engineers, producers, songwriters, and artists to give us their takes on Home Recording and how to use it to your advantage. This year, we'll have a focus on the pre-production process - what it entails, its importance, and more. I already told you we have Gavin Brown's input, but also spoke with GGGarth Richardson, Tawgs Salter, and a few others, so it should be quite insightful and informative. Be sure to grab your copy in September...

Six Degrees of Crush

I had the chance to speak with Canadian producer extraordinaire Gavin Brown on Friday. After we'd taken care of business, we started shooting the breeze about mutual friends and so on. That weekend, I was actually going to Nova Scotia's Annapolis valley for a cottage weekend with, among other fine folks, Paul Lamb. Paul, along with Cory Tetford, used to front an east coast rock band called Crush. They were nominated for a Juno and took home 7 ECMAs over the years. Anyhow, Paul and his new band Wreckhouse delivered a killer performance on Sunday night at Middleton, NS' Heart Of The Valley festival, making me go back and check out some old Crush tunes. Great rock band with some pretty big hits. What's more? The cottage where we stayed is where Paul and Great Big Sea's Sean McCann wrote the song "Good People" from the latest GBS record. Small world...

Living With (Paper) Lions

So the night before last, I had the opportunity to drive up to the north side of PEI to meet with one of the Island music scene's most beloved group of sons. Having toured across Canada and the US with a wide-ranging variety of acts, from Cake to the Spill Canvas and even hopping onto a few Vans Warped Tour dates, these guys know the ins and outs of being a Canadian touring band. Anyhow, the band was jamming out some new tunes in Colin (guitar)'s garage in Grand Tracadie, and I had the pleasure of bearing witness to the creation of a Paper Lions tune. Is it good? Really good. Anyhow, the band will be filming a video for the first single from their upcoming Trophies EP, and when that's done, Canadian Musician will have an exclusive video interview with the boys about the business. For now, check out www.paperlions.com.

For Those Who Play Bass...

...we salute you in our July/August 2010 issue of Canadian Musician. Check out our annual bass feature for interviews with folks like Melissa Auf der Maur (pictured, and I think she's wearing clothes behind there, so worry not!), Ric Fierabracci, Roberto Occhipinti, Brian from A Wilhelm Scream, and a few others. We're discussing all-things thick-string, with a focus on laying down the rhythmic foundation in the studio. Grab a copy where other fine print titles are sold!

Heart Of Gold On Bravo! Tonight

Looks like Bravo! (quickly becoming one of my favourite television stations) is airing Jonathan Demme's live concert DVD/documentary Neil Young: Heart Of Gold tonight at 8 pm EST. I'll be watching, and if you're fan, you should too. Hell, even if you're not a fan, you should probably still check it out.

Little Teaser for the July/August 2010 issue...

Our July/August issue of Canadian Musician is about to drop, with plenty of goodies for a wide variety of musicians and music fans. We've got a cover story on the magnificent Johnny Reid, who's profile seems to be growing exponentially each day...

We also have a feature on the resurgence of vinyl with input from Dine Alone Records' Joel Carriere, MMS' Lindsay Gillespie, The Flatliners, Hannah Georgas, and Sam Bradley. We also have an IT overview from CM's favourite computer guru, Eric Price.

Look for it in your mailbox or on your local newsstand.

All The Best To DJ Champion

CM extends best wishes to Montreal's Maxime Morin, aka DJ Champion, for his upcoming battle with lymphoma blood cancer. Hopefully he's back to commanding dance floors across the nation in no time...

Your 2010 Polaris Music Prize Short List