Updated at 8:25 p.m.
Aerosmith‘s final concert in Canada on their current tour may be the band’s final concert period according to lead guitarist Joe Perry. “Technically speaking, after the gig in Vancouver (on Sept. 16), I don’t have a job with Aerosmith,” Perry tells the Calgary Herald “We know these are the last shows for awhile. And I really do mean awhile. I don’t know when we’ll be out there again, the five of us, so we’ll be playing with everything we’ve got.”
The reason for the uncertainty is frontman Steven Tyler’s new gig as a judge on American Idol, although the Idol camp has yet to make it official. But Perry doesn’t think too highly of the move, “It’s a reality show designed to get people to watch that station and sell advertising. It’s one step above (Teenage Mutant) Ninja Turtles,” he tells the Herald…
Live Nation stock took has taken another tumble following an influential Stifel, Nicolas & Company analyst lowering his rating from a “buy†to a “holdâ€. Ben Mogil lowered his rating of the company on concerns about Live Nation’s financial guarantees to artists, which he believes are high. “We are lowering our rating on Live Nation from Buy to Hold as we would like to see further signs that the industry is committed to reducing artist guarantees,” Mogil wrote in an email to investors on Tuesday – Ticket News
Ticket News reports Broadway box-office receipts last week totalled $16,6m, only slightly stronger than the previous week at $16,1m. Overall, the gross this year is $298m compared to $291m, same time last year…
Cultural groups and broadcasters are lining up to be part of the CRTC’s new media working group following the Aug. 31 deadline to apply to participate. The Wire Report has confirmed that the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC), the Alliance and Radio Artists (ACTRA), the Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), Rogers Communications Inc., Bell Canada and the CBC have applied to be members of the working group. The CRTC has yet to announce who will be part of the group…
Canwest Global Communications announced today that the Ontario Superior Court has granted Canwest, Canwest Media Inc. and subsidiaries an extension of the stay period granted under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, from Sept. 8 to Nov. 5. The transaction between Canwest and Shaw Communications Inc. remains subject to certain conditions, including CRTC approval. Public hearings on the proposed transaction are scheduled Sept. 20, 2010. On the closing date of the transaction, Canwest will be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange. In addition to the Global TV Network, Canwest operates 19 specialty channels, 20 online properties and an ownership stake in 5 specialty channels…
Psst! wanna win a six-figure chunk of change just for playing in a band?
If you are a hungry musician you may want to think twice before adapting the uncut lyrics of Chee Lo Green’s latest hit to fit what your thoughts are about your local Hot AC or Rock FM that studiously ignores your calls or playing your new single that all your friends are telling you is a smash hit in waiting.
True, it might seem Ludacris for radio programmers to uniformly go Gaga over Justin Bieber when your song is so much hotter, but don’t despair. For several reasons which we won’t go into here now, Canadian FM broadcasters are generous with their cash and often times willing to invest some of their ill-gotten gains in developing emerging Canadian talent.
Take Live 88.5 for example. In conjunction with owner NewCap Radio, the Ottawa FM is literally offering a $250,000 cash purse to 10 bands with 10 cheques being cut in the amounts of $150,000 and $5,000. A couple of $500 giveaway prizes are also on offer to fans that come out in support the Big Money Shot showcase in Nov. Meantime, a trio of past winners get to strut their new material at an all-industry showcase in Toronto at The Rivoli on Queen W. on Sept. 23. Last year’s runner-up, Amos The Transparent are set to take the stage along with ‘08’s grand prize winner, The Draculas, and ‘06’s runner-up, St Joe’s Mission will be on-hand to play tracks from their latest, funded by their winnings. Wherever you live, make sure to find out what Canadian talent development initiatives your local stations have on offer…
Sex sells, and to prove it check out the top DMDS Downloads posted here. As for Canadian fare, it seems week after week the majority of acts that make the Most Active Indie post don’t have a video ready to go with their new release which is a major hinderance if viral marketing is part of the gameplan. Even a YouTube post with an audio track would be a leg-up on having no profile whatsoever…
The Stanfields lead the pack with 6 nominations, followed by Dave Gunning, David Myles, Ghettosocks, Amelia Curran, Rose Cousins. and Myles with 4 each in the Nova Scotia Music Awards, to be held at the Yarmouth Mariners Centre on Sunday, Nov. 7. A panel of judges selected the first round nominees and the membership gets to vote on the winners. A separate Industry Awards brunch is to be held the day previous. A complete list of Music and Industry nominees and further details can be found here…
“Having insights involves hearing subtle signals and allowing loose connections to be made. This requires a quiet mind….” In a world that is always online and always connected, it’s helpful to close your computer as much as possible. Remove the distractions. So says Python John Cleese who adds, “We don’t know where we get our ideas from. We do know that we do not get them from our laptops.” Thanks to John Parikhal for turning me on to this 10-minute video…
Promoter Rob Bennett brings the all-star Experience Hendrix tour to the refurbished Sony Centre on Oct. 28. Tickets for the show that includes Billy Cox, Steve Vai, Living Colour, Ernie Isley, David Hidalgo & Cesar Rosas, among others, are scaled between $89.50 and 59.50. The $30m renovation of the 3,000 soft-seater, which opened its doors as the O’Keefe Centre 50 years ago as of Oct. 1, includes new seats and carpet in the proscenium theatre, new washrooms, restoration of the commissioned mural and removal of gypsum in the front foyer to reveal the original marble pillars. An acoustic curtain has also been installed, allowing 1,000 seat events to be scaled in the venue….
Blessed with matinee idol looks, Dave Borins has back-packed in the Himalayas, through China, Japan, Indonesia, India and Peru and stayed the course with the locals in St. John’s where he played a manic 7 shows in 8 nights–and always with his guitar and a folio of self-penned songs at the ready. And on Oct. 20 and 21, Borins and his band return to Hugh’s Room to record a live album of original new music. George Massenberg – the Grammy-winning producer/engineer best remembered for his work with Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat and James Taylor – is recording the shows with Chris Stringer (Timber Timbre, Obijou, Wooden Sky).
The performances will be the centerpiece of a documentary currently in production about the Canadian independent music industry — seen through the eyes of an emerging artist. And $30 in advance guarantees fans a personalized copy of the live album. Borins plans to have the whole thing completed by early January. “We’ll throw a party for everyone who supported the initiative, and we’ll hand out the completed album,” he says…
Event company Oye Canada, a partnership between Donald K. Tarlton, Steve Herman and Matt Zimbel has closed up shop and its operations absorbed into Montreal-based DKD Events. The firm handled large spectacles such as the Canada Olympics and Canada Day on the hill in Ottawa…
Sadly we neglected to note the passing of Miriam Braidberg, affectionately known to most simply as Mimi, proprietor of Mimi’s Restaurant and blintz house in Toronto. Well, neglected she is no more. The unofficial house mom to many a struggling musician, her generosity and kindness will be celebrated with an all-star cast of singers and musicians at The ‘Shoe tonight, Sept. 8 at 8:30 (show at 9, no cover). Mimi’s house band consists of Tony Quarrington on guitar, Denis Keldie on keys and accordion, Greg Bob Scott on drums, and Terry Wilkins on bass. Among those joining the qaurtet on stage: Molly Johnson, Micah Barnes, Kurt Swinghammer, Big Rude Jake, Jaymz Bee, Bob Wiseman, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Russell deCarle, Lee Harvey Osmond and Blue Rodeo. Congrats to David “Blue” Bluestein for pulling this event together…
Tim Hus fronts the hardest-working traveling band in western Canada, and one that plays about 250 dates a year. And despite that, he’s only played in Toronto twice before. Currently on tour with his band backing up Stompin’ Tom Connors out west, Hus is returning to Toronto’s â€home†of good rockin’ Canadian music, Queen Street’s Cadillac Lounge in Parkdale with his band for an early two-hour show on Fri. Sept. 24. Except to hear some Stompin’ Tom yarns from the Calgarian who’s made a name for himself playing old-time cowboy music…
Earlier posts
Broadcast — CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein has taken the unusual step of writing a letter to the Globe & Mail to publicly state that there has been no political interference at any level in the regulator’s authority, including the Sun TV file…
After 4 decades with CTV’s news operations in China, Washington and Ottawa, Tom Clark has resigned to pursue other opportunities. Some are suggesting his being passed over as Lloyd Robertson’s successor fuelled his decision to leave…
Andy Barrie, recently retired from CBC Toronto’s flagship Metro Morning program, joins Ryerson U as Distinguished Scholar in Residence in the Faculty of Communication & Design for the 2010-11 academic year…
Biz – A German court found Google Inc.’s subsidiary YouTube LLC guilty and ordered the company to pay compensation after users uploaded several videos of performances by singer Sarah Brightman in violation of copyright laws. The Hamburg state court said the standardized question to users about whether they have the necessary rights to publish material is not enough to relieve YouTube of the legal responsibility for the content, especially because the platform can be used anonymously – WSJ
Electronic group The xx won the 2010 Mercury Prize last night for their eponymous debut album. The trio beat out 11 other shortlisted acts including favourite to win Paul Weller and former winner Dizzee Rascal…
EMI is scrapping its Global Business Unit structure with the departure of executives including Nick Gatfield, as CEO Roger Faxon sets out a new vision for the company that puts its artists at the centre of its plans (Faxon’s memo setting ut the strategy can be found here).
Meantime, tensions continue to rise between private equity firm Terra Firma and Citigroup in the run-up to a courtroom battle over the disastrous $4.7bn takeover of EMI. The bank is petitioning the court to toss the case. Terra Firma’s legal submission highlights how Citigroup benefited financially from the deal, and allegedly misled Terra Firma by pretending that another buyer was in the frame, forcing up the price — WSJ and The Guardian…
Amazon is acquiring online indie music shop Amie Street for an undisclosed amount. The plan is to absorb all of the site’s members and services, the company said in a note to subscribers this morning. Amie Street’s founders plan to concentrate on social music streaming service, Songza.com. According to a report in Paid Content today, the beta streaming service claims about 8m songs that allows users to create personalized online radio stations. The plan is to make Songza more like Foursquare than Pandora, with the addition of props, badges, and song check-ins…
Jean-Bernard Lévy, CEO of Universal parent company Vivendi, is to give a keynote speech at MidemNet 2011. Lévy, who previously keynoted the event in 2008, will appear on Saturday Jan. 22, when he will talk about Vivendi’s ongoing strategy on entertainment content distribution. The 45th Midem will take place at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, from January 23-26, with MidemNet running from January 22 until 26…
Michael Geist reports on the winding down of the ACTA negotiations and says that politicians in Europe and Mexico are adamant that the negotiated agreement must respect freedom of expression, privacy, and net neutrality
Music – USA Today picks Said the Whale, Hey Rosetta!, Wintersleep, city and colour and Andy Shauf as the 5 Canadian bands Americans should be listening to…
“…That Lady Gaga’s fan base is significantly younger and therefore less capable of comprehending the difference between reality and fantasy and more likely to interpret imagery on a literal level than the fans of past artists demonstrates why Gaga is such a central factor in the pornification of American youth through popular music…” – John W. Whitehead, Huffington Post…
Prevailing over eight other quartets from six countries through five rounds of competition, the Cecilia String Quartet succeeded in taking 1st prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition, an honour that comes with a $25k purse, a three-year schedule of concerts in North America and Europe, a recording session at the Banff Centre and topping this they also won $2k for the best performance of Canadian composer Ana Sokolovic’s commissioned piece, Commedia dell’Arte…
One of Britain’s leading composers has called for fellow classical musicians to adopt “blasphemous†ideas such as amplifying the sound in order to avoid playing to empty concert halls. Jonathan Harvey is concerned that British youth are alienated by the traditions that dictate that classical music should be played to rows of silent, seated listeners: “Young people don’t like concert halls… and wouldn’t normally go to one except for amplified music,” he told the FM community radio station Future Radio in London….
English folk singer and activist Billy Bragg is to record an album with Roseanne Cash, daughter of legendary country singer this November…
Folk-country icons Crosby, Stills & Nash’s next album covers hoary chestnuts made famous by the Beatles, Stones and Bob Dylan. The trio is about one-third through their first album in more than 10 years. Under the guidance of old geezer guru Rick Rubin, the trio of senior citizens no doubt will sound pure and sweet after a swipe through auto tune as they snooze through a snorefest of boomer jukebox faves that includes Norwegian Wood, Ruby Tuesday and Girl from the North Country…
Former mobile-telephone salesman Paul Potts became world famous and earned himself a fortune with his toothy grin and flawless rendition of Giacomo Puccini’s Nessun dorma on Britain’s Got Talent three years ago. His First Chance debut album went on to sell close to 2m copies, followed by Passione last year, noteworthy only for the scale by which it flopped. The burly tenor is back Oct. 19 with a movie-themed song collection, entitled Cinema Paradiso. Working with Avatar/Titanic/Moulin Rouge producer Simon Franglen, Potts serves up a candy stand of unforgettable tunes from The Godfather, Titanic, Dr. Chivago and West Side Story…
Described by Chicago jazz critic Brad Walseth as “a marvel of smoothly intricate and creative timekeeping,†Alberta-born drummer Karl Schwonik is a rhythmic master who is also legally blind. Earlier in the year the Calgary native released Visions From the Farm on Chronograph Records, and now finds himself nominated for a 2010 Western Canadian Music award in the jazz category, where he’s competing against mentors who first taught him to drum, and has won a Downbeat magazine composition award. Schwonik is the President and Founder of the Wetaskiwin Jazz Society in Wetaskiwin, AB, and Artistic Director of the Wetaskiwin Jazz Camp
Obit – Canadian radio lost one of its biggest fans on Sept. 6 when SOWNY Board founder and moderator Craig Morris “Smitty†Smith passed away. Known for being relentlessly fair and proud of the radio chat board, Smith was passionate about his connection to radio even as his professional background was in sales and accounting. Reminisces can be found on the Sowny board, and funeral service details at the Toronto Star online
