Morning Coffee with David Farrell, Oct. 29

Updated @ 12:50pm

As I’ve expressed on many occasions in this and other forums, I believe strongly that the days of the need to own music are rapidly coming to an end. That’s not to say, however, that music is now or should be free, far from it. Music had traditionally been paid for by a very small segment of the audience. There is now the real opportunity for artists, songwriters, labels and publishers to be compensated in a meaningful way through revenues derived from on-demand and user-influenced models that are finally taking center stage– Ted Cohen, MIDEM blog

– Music / NYC: Author, broadcaster and music consultant Ritchie Yorke returned to the hallowed pages of Rolling Stone magazine recently with a review of the 1st show of the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience in Dawson Creek, BC. It had been 40 years since Yorke was a regular contributor to – and Canadian – and Canadian editor of – Rolling Stone. During a Manhattan meeting this week, Yorke and magazine publisher Jann Wenner explored the possibilities of Rolling Stone excerpting parts of his forthcoming book on John and Yoko Lennon’s War Is Over peace campaign. Working title for the book is Peace Man.  Yorke was the Lennon’s International Peace Envoy in 1969-70.

Ritchie Yorke in Manhattan this week with Jann Wenner, Rolling Stone magazine's co-founder and publisher.-- Music / NYC: Author, broadcaster and music consultant Ritchie Yorke returned to the hallowed pages of Rolling Stone magazine recently with a review of the 1st show of the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience in Dawson Creek, BC. ace Man. Yorke was the Lennon’s International Peace Envoy in 1969-70.

– Digital Media / Gatineau: Metered internet usage is on the way, with the CRTC handing down its final decision yesterday on how wholesale customers can be billed by large network owners. The federal regulator gave Bell Canada the approval to implement so-called usage-based billing to wholesale customers — usually smaller internet service providers that rent portions of its network — within 90 days. Under the plan, Bell will charge wholesale service providers a flat monthly fee to connect to its network, and for a set monthly usage limit per each ISP customer the ISP has – CBC.

– Digital Media / Timmins, ON: The CRTC has begun hearings in Timmins this week over the future of broadband internet service in rural and remote parts of the nation. The basic thrust of the hearings is whether or not the regulator should consider broadband access a basic service. The CBC reports that arge internet providers such as Bell Aliant as well as satellite company Barrett Xplore have argued that no intervention is necessary from the CRTC. They said that improving wireless and satellite options are providing better services and choice to rural Canadians. According to the regulator’s Communications Monitoring Report, there are 700,000 households currently out of reach of DSL, cable or the fixed wireless access.

Biz / Toronto: SparkNetworks has an exclusive deal with Toronto-based RockPeaks to distribute a new weekly Web series for radio station websites. The deal also brings together two well-known Canadian radio and media industry leaders, Barnaby Marshall and Jean-Marie Heimrath. Called VLOG, each video-enabled episode includes the week’s most important music performance news, grouped into four segments – On Air, On Disc, On Tour and On File – for a total running time of  4 minutes. Marshall founded the privately-held music video web portal with investor Gary Slaight several years back. He describes RockPeaks as site that “connects the dots between YouTube, Wikipedia and Amazon”. SparkNetwork, launched earlier this year, is a full-service radio syndication and marketing arm of Vancouver-based SparkNet Communications–an international radio consultancy specializing in programming, licensing, marketing and strategic consulting.

– Biz / Montreal: Canadian Radio Star (CRS) is now accepting entries from aspiring and proficient songwriters – published or unpublished – across Canada. Sponsored by Astral Radio, and presented in association with Canadian Music Week, the contest offers emerging artists the opportunity to submit their songs for the chance to win music equipment, services and up to $10,000 in cash.  New to the Canadian Radio Star competition this year, songwriters can submit their songs directly online or to the participating radio station in their area.  Complete details and contest rules can be found online at www.radiostar.ca.

In announcing the launch, Astral Radio’s Rob Braide said that through initiatives like CRS “We have the opportunity to discover, empower and promote the stars of tomorrow” and CMW president Neill Dixon added that the competition offers a “launching pad” for Canadian songwriters and ” opens doors  to new possibilities” and provides “unrivaled exposure” for their songs.

– Broadcasting: A California AM has rolled out a listener call-in contest that is offering a half-ounce of pot every day. “Obviously, this giveaway will only be available to those listeners with doctor recommendations. This will be part of a daily feature entitled ‘Rate That Bud!’ with callers commenting (on) and rating the best medical marijuana buds and what dispensaries carry them,” KFI/640 AM host Frosty Stillwel explains – Orange County Register.

– Talent _ Music: U2 will issue a limited edition three-track live EP, Wide Awake in Europe, including a previously unreleased song, as an exclusive item for independent record stores on Nov. 26. Limited to 5,000 copies, the 12-inch vinyl release will include a version of the concert favourite Mercy, recorded live in Brussels on Sept. 21. Set will also feature I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (cut in Dublin in July 2009) and Moment of Surrender (recorded last month in Paris).

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