CBC — Corp spokesperson Jeff Keay takes issue with recent comments made by Ian Morrison of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. The outspoken Morrison has criticized the public network, suggesting it is dumbing down content, is bedevilled by internal morale problems and then set about mapping out his agenda to “fix” the broadcaster. After pissing on their parade, Keay enthusiastically sets the record straight in the Ottawa Citizen today.
Keay writes : “We’re proud to have excellent relationships with our unions…And far from ‘dumbing down’ programming, we are on the cusp of a new prime-time season with a mix of returning favourites, exciting new shows and a schedule of news, current affairs and documentaries unmatched on Canadian television.” Now that’s telling him, Jeff!
Biz – HMV Canada president Humphrey Kadaner has unexpectedly quit and is believed to be taking a senior executive position with Rogers Communications, Billboard reports …
The Recording Industry Association of America said on Monday that current U.S. copyright law is so broken that it “isn’t working” for content creators any longer. RIAA President Cary Sherman said the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act contains loopholes that allow broadband providers and Web companies to turn a blind eye to customers’ unlawful activities without suffering any legal consequences [CNET] …
In a separate story, CNET quotes Elektra Records‘ founder Jack Holzman saying “I think we need to be paid for our music. I think we are entitled to something from the ISPs. They have been getting a free ride on our music for a long time”
Digital Media — California-based mobile streaming company MSpot is offering a cloud based digital music locker service without paying licensing fees to music rights holders, relying on a “fair use” legal argument that arguably lets people make copies of their music for personal use…
Google rolled out ‘Calls’, a new Gmail service yesterday. The browser plug-in allows account users to make calls direct to conventional phones free-of-charge in North America and offers discount priced rates for overseas calls. Calls thrusts Google into direct competition with Skype, the Internet telephone company, and with telecommunications providers [NY Times] …
Google has added four new languages – Croatian, Filipino, Serbian and Slovak -Â to its script translator service, bringing the total to 28 officially supported languages …
Barnes & Noble, the world’s largest chain of bookshops, posted a quarterly loss of $63m… Sorry? What’s that? You no longer want to be called the world’s largest chain of bookshops? Let’s start again…Barnes & Noble, the “leading content, commerce and technology companyâ€, posted a 42 per cent increase in quarterly sales from its website, BN.com on Wednesday [Independent]
Mobile Media — Business software specialist Intuit is bringing an entire credit card payment solution to the iPhone, an addition that will help boost the device’s presence among small business users [TG Daily]
Copyright -- India’s Copyright Board has altered the formula FMs must pay music providers, in effect lowering the rate to 2% of ad revenues
Music — A chapter in US history of music shared by black, Hispanic and Jewish communities is featured in a new show at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations includes an accompanying audio exhibit showcasing recordings of Jewish songs and verse by Billie Holiday, Al Jolson, the Supremes, Eartha Kitt, Nina Simone and other notables [LA Times] …
Singer-songwriter Roseanne Cash walks her own line as her recently published memoir, Composed. In an LA Times interview, the daughter of iconic Country music parents admits the hardest part in telling her story was writing about the deaths of Johnny Cash and June Carter.
“Writing about my parents’ deaths was very difficult emotionally. In fact, I didn’t want to do it. I kept calling my editor, going, ‘This is too hard, I can’t do it.’ But I had to. How can you write a memoir without it? It was too important in my life” …
After surviving a plane crash that killed 4 others, Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker is set to releaes a solo album on Oct. 21 that pairs him with a celebrity list of rappers that includes Eminem, Lil Wayne, Drake, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell …
Canadian-born record producer Fred Mollin hit the big time with partner Matt McCauley
when he co-produced Sometimes When We Touch, a song collaboration between Barry Mann, Barry Manilow and then unknown folk singer Dan Hill. Mollin went on to arrange and produce for stage, screen, TV and a string of pop acts, chief among them songwriter Jimmy Webb. After 31 years apart, Mollin teamed up with McCauley and Hill again, last year, to find out if the collective Midas touch was still there, and then went on to produce a Country album with Johnny Mathis.
Let It Be Me is set for release by Mathis’s longtime music label Columbia on Sept. 21. Long out of fashion, it’s worth noting that the now 75 year-old Lounge Music makeout king has 130 albums to his credit, and over 350m album sales worldwide. And Mathis is the only artist to have two albums reside on Billboard’s Top 10 Longest Charting Albums index. Greatest Hits is 2nd only to Pink Floyd‘s Dark Side of the Moon, charting 490 weeks, and Heavenly places 6th, charting for 295 weeks …
Guitarist Alex Lifeson tells Alan Sculley of The Morning Call that the band has six new songs for the next studio album pretty much ready to go and three others almost done. He adds that Rush plans to write at least a couple of additional songs after the tour …
TMZ reports that Justin Bieber wrestled a movie deal out of AEG Live Entertainment in return for an exclusive on a tour deal for up to 140 dates between June and December 2011 …
Bachman & Turner is the title of the reunion album between the two BTO stalwarts, due out on Sept. 7. At a news conference prior to a Casino Rama gig outside of Toronto, Bachman and C.F. Turner laid out plans for re-engaging audiences in the US and Europe, and how they have committed to a three year term together [Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sun]
Live – The Star’s Ben Rayner shouts ‘Hallelujah’ over Tom Petty‘s ACC performance on Wednesday, but then practically gags over “the sloppy, disharmonious mess (CSN) and their drowsy accompanists made of Déjà vu, Our House and Wooden Ships“ …
Russian police detained Amnesty International activists and tore down their tents at U2‘s 1st Moscow concert, where frontman Bono sang Knocking On Heaven’s Door with anti-Kremlin rock star Yury Shevchuk in front of 75k fans. U2‘s frontman was unaware of the boorish police behaviour, Shevchuk later said. Earlier in the week, Bono had met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at his holiday villa near the Black Sea resort town of Sochi as part of his campaign to prevent the spread of HIV [AFP]
Obit – ’50s Country singer Bill Phillips – who had his biggest hit in 1966 with with Put It Off Until Tomorrow (You’ve Hurt Me Enough Today), penned by his niece, the then unknown Dolly Parton – aged 74
