Line-Up Announced for Canadian Music Week Film Festival (And I Have a Movie in Here!)

Along with all the music festival and all the industry-related events, Canadian Music Week also stages a film festival featuring a variety of movies and documentaries.  

Two years ago this month, I started work as story editor on a documentary about Arthur Fogel, the Canadian who has worked his way up to being the CEO of Global Touring and Chairman of Global Music Live Nation.  

Starting as a security dude at a Toronto club called The Edge and later as the manager of Martha and the Muffins, Arthur has turned into one of the most powerful people in music.

How powerful?  He organized the 360 Tour for U2.  He engineered the it-can't-be-done Police reunion tour. He's behind mega-tours for Madonna and Lady Gaga.  He's worked with everyone from Bowie to Neil Young to Depeche Mode.

Chances are, then, you've been to an Arthur Fogel show but didn't know it.

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5 Things Record Labels Don't Want You to Know What They Do

This is another list from Cracked.com.  There's a bit of hyperbole with a couple of these items (in my opinion), but then again, the author is dealing from the music industry from an American perspective--which is rather dirty when compared to Canada.

Still, some of the points may cause you to go "Hmm..."

5.  Demanding Payment Virtually Any Time Music Is Played in Public

Obviously, if you want to use somebody's music for commercial purposes, like in your movie or TV ad, you have to pay. So, you have to license it from a group like ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC, which makes sure record labels and artists collect the royalties they're owed for this sort of thing. Makes sense, right? Well, hang on, because it's about to get stupid.

It probably won't surprise you to know that things like charging a crowd of people $2 each to listen to a band's CD is illegal -- you're basically getting paid for a performance of somebody else's music that you don't own the rights to. But the definition of the word "performance" is mind-bogglingly vast when it comes to music royalties.

Continue reading.

And the Nominees for the 2013 Junos Are...

The Juno nominations were announced this morning in Toronto.  Here's who's up for what in a few selected categories (okay, the ones I care about.  The full list can be found here.)  Meanwhile, more information about everything happening in Regina from April 15-21 can be found here.

Single of the Year

Billy Talent:  Viking Death March

   

Carly Rae Jepsen:  Call Me Maybe

  

Hedley:  Kiss You Inside Out

 

 

Serena Ryder:  Stompa

  

The Sheepdogs:  The Way It Is

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Beat Delete: A New Service Resurrecting Out-of-Print Vinyl

Yes, digital tracks are more convenient, but there are many releases that have yet to make the transition to digital because of technical issues, legal problems and other annoyances.  In some cases, it would be simpler to just re-print the vinyl.  And let's not forget that some vinyl is prized by collectors.

Ninja Tune is a British indie label behind Beat Delete, which aims to resurrect some precious vinyl that was lost in a warehouse fire set during the London riots of the summer of 2011.  Some hard-to-find vinyl from labels like Domino, Beggars Banquet and others was turned into petrochemical goo.

NT came up with an idea:  get fans to pledge money towards the vinyl they'd like to see resurrected the most. Nine indies are on board so far with the promise of more.  Details here.

Remember Alison Moyet? Remember Yazoo? She's Back.

Alison's eighth solo album, the minutes [sic] (her first in more than five years) will be out reasonably soon (May?).  Ahead of that is this lyric video for a song called "Changeling."