• James Finkelstein, Billboard’s Latest Owner
• The Man Behind Anne: Leonard Rambeau To Be Honoured
  
• Globealive Approval Re-Defines Canadian Ownership & Control
• Black Friday For CRTC With 3 Decisions Overturned
• SuBo Bursts Christmas Dreams In Toronto
• CBC Radio 3 Top 30
  

JAMES FINKELSTEIN, the man heading the e5 investment consortium that has purchased Billboard magazine – along with The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, Medaweek, Brandweek, Film Journal International – controls News Communications with his father Jerry Finkelstein. The company has bought and sold a series of business trades and local papers over the years and has 92 employees and $12.1 million in revenue, according to Bnet.

Billboard magazine was founded in Cincinnati in 1895 and covered carnivals, circuses, fairs and vaudeville in its early days. The growth of the jukebox business led the magazine to publish music charts that ultimately became the publication’s core asset.

The founding family sold the publication to Boston Ventures in the 1980s, which later
sold it to Dutch publishing company VNU, In 2001, VNU acquired the AC Nielsen Co. One big questions not addressed so far is that since AC Nielsen is the aggregator of the raw data used by Billboard to compile its sales and music format charts, does this now mean that Billboard will be licensing its chart data from an outside firm?

CANADA’S OWN RAMBEAU: The announcement that the Music Managers Forum Canada has named the late Leonard Rambeau as the inaugural honouree of MMF’s Pioneer Award is wonderful news.  The award has been created to pay homage to the efforts of those who have been instrumental in creating the framework for Artist Management in the Canadian entertainment industries–and that describes the Maritime music mogul who guided Anne Murray’s career to success perfectly. The presentation will take place during Canadian Music Week  on Wednesday March 10 at Bymark Restaurant, as part of the 4th Annual Honour Roll reception in Toronto.

Backgrounder: In 1968, Leonard Rambeau was involved with a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia youth group who were trying to raise money when he suggested a concert by Anne Murray, who was then best-known as a popular singer on CBC’s Singalong Jubilee. Anne agreed to perform at the youth fundraiser, and a deep friendship was born, which eventually led to a successful business relationship.

As Anne’s burgeoning career took off, she left the East Coast for Toronto, where Leonard eventually joined her, forming Balmur – a management/promotion company with Anne, her husband Bill Langstroth, and J. Lyman MacInnis. Rambeau assumed the role of General Manager and quickly established himself as a talented and fair negotiator, who would seek positive outcomes for those on both sides of the table, this is most strongly evidenced by his early talks with Capitol Records (now EMI Music Canada), still Anne Murray’s recording home. In addition to Anne Murray, Balmur also guided the careers of George Fox, Rita MacNeil and Anne’s brother Bruce.

Rambeau was known as a gentleman and a scholar, for his kindness and his warmth and his understanding. He was a believer in the power of television and the effect that it would have on his artists and the industry, and was pivotal in creating a bond between the CBC and the music industry- a bond that exists to this day. As the second President of CARAS, Rambeau was a key player in the eventual televisation of the Juno Awards, and the later recipient of the first CARAS Global Achievement Award.

“Although Leonard Rambeau has been acknowledged over the years for his contributions to both Management and the Industry, he has never been acknowledged by his peers in management. Since Artist Management is now at the forefront of the industry and the conduit by which most artists break in today’s climate, the time has never been better to recognize a true Pioneer of Artist Management, and we are is truly humbled to honour Leonard Rambeau posthumously with the MMF Pioneer Award.”, said Brian Hetherman, MMF Canada’s President.

GLOBE TRULY ALIVE: Industry Minister Tony Clement’s early morning press conference announcing the government’s decision to reject the CRTC’s decision and approve Globealive opens the way for a round of reinterpreting Canada’s foreign restrictions in the Telecommunications field. The government’s legal view seems to be saying that because the strategic decisions and day-to-day operations remain in Canadian hands, Globealive’s Egyptian-based debt owner is of secondary importance. The Cabinet ‘variance’ will be endlessly discussed in the coming week; meantime, Telco stocks short-term will be punished with the news that a new player is approved, and global markets will be scrutinizing the decision to see if the rules on Canadian Ownership and Control of media have changed.

CRTC’S BLACK FRIDAY: It’s been a tough year for the CRTC. First, it was told to re-think an earlier decision that turned down down a community-based francophone application for a licence in the Capitol region, and today Cabinet overturned three regulatory decisions that will leave some thinking the commission is more impotent than important. The Globealive decision (see separate story) grabbed the lion’s share of headlines, but the government today also quietly tossed a pair of earlier decisions favouring open-access to broadband. Cynics might be led to think that the latter two Cabinet decisions were salves to Bell,Telus  and Rogers – which own and maintain the networks and just happen to be the most affected by the Globealive ‘variance’.

DID I READ THAT RIGHT? British entertainment retailer HMV Group is hoping strong demand for music this Christmas, fuelled by “The X Factor” TV talent show, will offset weak markets in books and computer games.

BOYLE BURSTS DREAM: Subo is giving Canada the cold shoulder this Christmas. Here’s the  official statement from Syco Music regarding Susan Boyle: “Unfortunately Susan will no longer be visiting Canada at the end of this year. The trip will be rescheduled for 2010 to allow more time between international promotional trips. Please accept apologies for any inconvenience and Susan is very much looking forward to visiting Canada next year. Regrettably, the performance and autograph event on Dec 21st at First Canadian Place in Toronto is cancelled.”

CBC Radio3 - Top 30 – week of December 11, 2009

• 1. Great Lake Swimmers – Still
• 2. The Rest – Sheep In Wolves’ Clothing
• 3. Magneta Lane – Lady Bones
• 4. The Slew – 100%
• 5. Zeus – How Does It Feel
• 6. Little Girls – Last Call
• 7. John Southworth – I Get It Now
• 8. We Are Wolves – Me As Enemy
• 9. You Say Party! We Say Die! – Laura Palmer’s Prom
• 10. More Or Les – Pop N Chips
• 11. The Diableros – Quell The Cold
• 12. Julie Fader – Maps
• 13. Said The Whale – Black Day In December
• 14. King Khan & BBQ Show – Crystal Ball
• 15. Boo Hoo – The Future
• 16. Analog Bell Service – I Guess
• 17. Carolyn Mark & NQ Arbuckle – Officer Down
• 18. Land Of Talk – May You Never
• 19. The Wooden Sky – Oh My God (It Still Means A Lot To Me)
• 20. John K. Samson – Heart Of The Continent
• 21. The Wheat Pool – This Is It
• 22. Rose Cousins – White Daisies
• 23. The Mountains And The Trees – Up & Down
• 24. For Those About To Love – Good Vs Evil
• 25. The Wilderness Of Manitoba – Evening
• 26. Dog Day – Synastry
• 27. RickWhite Album – Me And My Pillow
• 28. Ox – Burnout
• 29. Red Mass – Saturn
• 30. Joel Plaskett – Gone, Gone, Gone