Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Western Canadian Music Awards, which were presented last night from a gala Sunday night in Calgary as part of BreakOut West weekend. the Sheepdogs won Rock Recording of the Year for their self-titled album, while group member Ewan Currie won Songwriter of the Year for the band's song 'Feeling Good.' Hannah Georgas won Pop Recording of the Year for her self-titled album, while fellow Vancouverite Jill Barber earned francophone Recording of the Year for her release Chansons.

As Toronto Mayor Rob Ford & a delegation of City Councillors and music industry representatives head to Austin, Texas to research best practices on how the City of Toronto can continually promote and foster Toronto's internationally respected music sector, the Toronto Star's Ben Rayner suggests some possible take-aways:

The 2013 Squamish Festival generated $9.9 million in economic impact in Squamish, BC, and $18.7 million throughout the province, says a new report from the The Conference Board of Canada.

The three-day festival generated $2M in spinoffs for local restaurants, $1.5M for food and liquor stores, and $1M in retail shopping. Nearly 90% of festival goers traveled from outside the Squamish area and 73% of festival goers stayed overnight.

“The benefits to Squamish from this event are clear and range from direct spending that puts money in the pockets of local businesses to increased awareness of Squamish resulting from the fact that 90% of festival-goers come here from outside our community,” says District of Squamish Mayor Rob Kirkham. “We look forward to working with our partners Brand.Live and Live Nation Canada through 2014 and beyond to continue to grow this event to maximize the positive benefits for all.”

Congratulations to Godspeed! You Black Emperor, who won the 2013 Polaris Prize last night for their album 'Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend!.

The Prize, which goes to the best Canadian album of the year based on "artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation," was determined by a Grand Jury of 11 music media professionals drawn from the greater Polaris jury pool of over 200 writers, editors, broadcasters, DJs and personalities from across the country.

The wheels are in motion in Toronto and Austin to increase the amount of collaboration between the two cities. A mission led by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is going to Austin in early October to meet with city officials and music industry leaders there. Music Canada, as catalyst for the Alliance and the mission, and three other music industry leaders from Toronto are also participating.

In July, Toronto City Council signaled its support for a music city alliance, matching a motion which was passed by Austin’s City Council in late June. Now the two cities get to work to determine the best way to move forward:

The Anne Murray Centre & the National Music Centre announced a formal partnership this morning, which will begin with musical education and community program development for Nova Scotia by the Anne Murray Centre, while extending the reach of the NMC's music education program to Atlantic Canada through the AMC.

“Music is so important in the lives of children. Too often they are not exposed to it at a young age and I believe that it is essential for their development and growth into well-rounded adults. This partnership will allow the Anne Murray Centre and the National Music Centre to work together to deliver meaningful music experiences to the youth of Atlantic Canada,” said Anne Murray.

“We are excited to be a partner with the Anne Murray Centre and to share the unique music stories of Atlantic Canada with a wider audience. Anne Murray is not only a Canadian icon, but also a strong advocate for the power of music to inspire and transform, and we are honoured to count her as a friend and patron,” said NMC President and CEO Andrew Mosker.

A recently released report on how a city’s music scene can act as a catalyst for the development of technology hubs and innovation, completed by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) and supported by Music Canada, was cited in The London Free Press last week as the city consults on the options for a new performing arts centre in London.

In an interview with the Free Press, ICTC's Jeff Leiper said “the more a city can do to make a new venue amenable, not just to symphonic music, but also to rock, hip-hop, jazz and the blues,” the more successful it will be at attracting and retaining creative individuals, from technology workers to bureaucrats.

The report reinforces the relationship between the creative arts and economic development. “Given the impact that music scenes have on the attraction and retention of top-notch talent and quality ICT employers, governments are well-advised to focus on the quality and diversity of their cultural industries as a tool for economic development. This requires support at all levels of government.”

The full report is available at http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/MusicCatalyst.pdf

The Toronto Star remembers the life of Brian Chater, who passed away at 73 this week. Mr. Chater left an indelible mark on the Canadian music industry in his forty years in the business as a record executive, music publisher, music industry association president and consultant.

CBC’s The National investigates 'The Mumford Effect' following this past weekend's Gentlemen of the Road tour stop in Simcoe, ON, which brought more than $10million in economic activity to the small Ontario community.

Support from all levels of government for music education and scenes can help foster a talented tech workforce, a new report from the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) shows. Music education, the report finds, helps bridge gaps between technical know-how and critical soft skills, while the presence of music scenes in cities can help attract and retain skilled workers.

“Our findings suggest that music is more important in developing and attracting a skilled ICT workforce than we previously thought,” says ICTC’s Jeff Leiper, VP of Strategic Communications, Research and Policy.

“The value of music to society is multilayered. We already knew music was a rewarding career, means of cultural expression, healing and entertainment but now we have also confirmed that music can be leveraged to build more successful cities and to develop more innovative, successful workers in important fields like science and technology,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada. “Now there should be no doubt that we must prioritize music education programs and policies that foster growth in this important economic sector.”

The complete report is available at http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/?attachment_id=17127.

The Globe and Mail's Josh O'Kane reports on hmv Canada's streaming music service The Vault, which was launched last April and features a catalogue of more than 15 million songs.
For HMV Canada president Nick Williams, jumping into the growing streaming market was an easy decision: “We already sell music. Therefore, if you want music as many ways as you can get it, we should provide you a service to let you do that.”

The Toronto Star's Ben Rayner reports on Toronto City Council's unanimous vote to endorse a proposed musical twinship with “Live Music Capital of the World” Austin, Texas, aimed at further nurturing Toronto’s thriving music scene as a tourism draw and an engine of economic growth.

“This alliance is the first of its kind in the world,” said Graham Henderson, president of Music Canada. “We want to thank the mayors and councillors from Toronto and Austin for recognizing the important role music plays in creating jobs, attracting investment and talent, and enhancing quality of life.”

Congratulations to the 2013 Canadian Country Music Association Awards nominees! The 2013 CCMA Awards will be broadcast live from Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, and will air on Sunday, September 8 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC-TV, with encore airings on CMT (Canada) starting at 10 pm ET.

The 2013 Polaris Music Prize Short List was announced today at the Drake Hotel in Toronto, narrowing the field to 10 albums vying for the honour of "the best" Canadian album of the year as voted on by over 200 members of the Canadian music media.
Congratulations to all of the nominees!

Congratulations to Nova Scotia singer-songwriter Mo Kenney, the winner of the 2013 SOCAN Songwriting Prize for her song "Sucker."
“I am honoured to receive the SOCAN Songwriting Prize,” said Mo Kenney. “I wrote 'Sucker' in my first apartment in Halifax after getting dumped, I never dreamed back then that I'd win a prize for it. Thanks, SOCAN, and thanks to all the other nominees and the people who voted for me!”
Close to 14,000 votes were cast online for the English and French nominees, who represent the best of independent songwriting as determined by a panel of Canadian music experts.

Canada's telecommunications regulator has approved BCE Inc.'s $3.4-billion takeover of Montreal-based media giant Astral Media Inc., but with several conditions that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission says will protect the public interest.

The Unison Benevolent Fund has announced that Canadian music icons, RUSH, have generously offered to support Unison’s funding efforts by donating $1 from each ticket sold at 5 upcoming dates to the Unison Benevolent Fund.

“We are thrilled to have Rush recognize the importance of the Unison Benevolent Fund through their generous offer of sharing some of their concert proceeds with us,” said Unison Board of Director’s Chair, Jodie Ferneyhough. “This is a vital step in the growth and awareness of the fund and we hope that by their example and leadership others will follow.”

The Unison Benevolent Fund is a non-profit charitable organization that provides counseling, emergency relief, and benefit programs for those in the Canadian music community who face personal or professional challenges due to hardship, illness, unemployment or economic difficulties.

Congratulations to all the nominees named to the 2013 Polaris Music Prize Long List today, announced at the Phi Centre in Old Montreal.
"This year's Long List is all over the map, but in the best possible way," said Steve Jordan, Polaris Founder and Executive Director, in a release. "A lot of our jury expressed that this was the most difficult Polaris ballot they've ever submitted. The results of this careful and passionate deliberation will make for some truly engaging listening for music lovers."

A campaign to position Toronto as one of the greatest music cities in the world will be launched at NXNE just one year after the concept was first discussed at the event. A study comparing Toronto to Austin Texas was released at NXNE by Music Canada in 2012 recommending, among other things, an industry-led initiative to brand the city’s music scene.

That brand will be revealed on June 13 by a panel consisting of:

Graham Henderson, Music Canada
Josh Colle, Toronto City Councillor
Mike Tanner, NXNE
Jesse Kumagai, The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall
Andrew Weir, Tourism Toronto


The Toronto music city campaign will activate artists, industry supporters, and fans of the Toronto music community in order to create more awareness about Toronto’s music scene, more opportunities for live music in Toronto and a more music-friendly City Hall.

When: Thursday, June 13 @ 4:15 pm
Where: NXNE Interactive, The Hyatt Regency, 370 King Street West, Room: Regency D


To arrange interviews, please contact Amy Terrill at aterrill@musiccanada.com or 416-967-7272 x 103.

Heritage Minister James Moore has announced the lineup for Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill, featuring performances from Carly Rae Jepsen, Metric, Marie-Mai, Karim Ouellet, Terri Clark, and Jennifer Gillis during the noon show, and music from Sylvain Cossette, Radio Radio, Lucie Idlout, and DJ Abeille in the evening show. Canadian astronaut and musician Col. Chris Hadfield will give a special performance during both shows.
For more information, visit http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/celebrate/canada-day/parliament-hill.

In a weekend editorial, the Waterloo Region Record calls Kitchener council’s push to position Kitchener as a music tourism destination, “music to our ears.” The Record’s editorial highlights Austin, Texas’ success in leveraging their music sector for growth and economic gain, and says branding Kitchener as a musician-friendly city makes “eminent sense,” urging implementing the transformative ideas percolating from the Music Works roundtable sessions “sooner rather than later.”

The Londoner spoke with Music Canada President Graham Henderson on the Ontario Music Fund, recently announced by the Ontario government: “It’s the first time the province has specifically earmarked a fund for music, but just as importantly, I think it’s the first time they’ve recognized the economic and political importance of the music community,” said Henderson.

The City of Kitchener's push to leverage live music for economic development puts it ahead of larger and smaller municipalities across southern Ontario, said Music Canada President Graham Henderson at a recent event organized by Kitchener Music Works.

The Waterloo Region Record reports on the event, which is part of the City of Kitchener's push to actively support and nurture an already lively local music scene. The city wants to use the area’s indie, blues, classical, jazz, and new music scenes and festivals to bolster tourism, help attract new businesses and retain highly mobile talent.

The Toronto Star's Ben Rayner reports on the Ontario government announcement to create the Ontario Music Fund, that will support the production, distribution and performance of music in the province and promote Ontario-made music across Canada and around the globe.

The Ontario government has announced plans to create an Ontario Music Fund that would help support and create jobs and position the province as a leading place to record and perform music.

"Music is a superpower that's primed and ready to perform for Ontario. It's a smart investment given the globally competitive advantage we have in the recorded and live music sectors. Research has shown that targeted support for music will pay off with enormous dividends including job growth, increased investment, tourism and the transformation of Ontario into one of the recording capitals of the world. As we in the music community like to say, music can help," said Music Canada President Graham Henderson.

The 42nd annual JUNO Awards were handed out this weekend in Regina, with Carly Rae Jepsen leading the way with three awards, including Single of the Year, Pop Album of the Year, and Album of the Year. k.d. lang was inducted to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and Larry LeBlanc was honoured with the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award.

Rest in peace, Rita MacNeil, Cape Breton's first lady of song, who passed away last night at age 68.

Today, the IFPI released the 2013 Recording Industry in Numbers report, providing a comprehensive picture of the key trends of today’s global music business.

The 2013 edition of Recording Industry in Numbers features recorded music sales for 2008-2012 by country, with in-depth statistics and analysis covering 49 markets worldwide, covering developments in physical, digital, performance rights and synchronization revenues.

Introducing this year’s RIN, IFPI CEO Frances Moore said the report is “a must-read publication for anyone following the global music industry. It is packed with the latest data and analysis, broken down by formats, revenue streams, regions and countries.”

The Toronto Star reports on a new report launched by Music Canada last week, identifying programs and public policies to stimulate the development of Canada’s commercial music sector.
“The Next Big Bang: A New Direction for Music in Canada” report proposes a renewed industrial strategy for music and pinpoints key recommendations in the following areas: music education, digital innovation, music tourism, export expansion and interconnected tax credits.

Music Canada is proud that Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada, will be inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame during Canadian Music Week 2013.

“When Neill called to inform me that I had been singled out for this honour, I will confess that I was deeply honoured but also profoundly surprised,” says Henderson. “It is not often that those of us who labour in the background or on matters as abstract as policy and copyright are invited into the limelight. I have been privileged to work with the most extraordinary people in my career which should be reward enough. I got into this business with the idea of helping artists to find a path to their dreams. Through them, I realized my own.”

IP Osgoode's Features Editor Mark Kohras recent spoke with Music Canada President Graham Henderson about how music can help you; and how you can help music:

The Canadian Independent Music Association released a new economic impact study conducted by Nordicity earlier this week, finding that the Canadian independent music sector generated approximately $292 million in revenues in 2011, and contributed more than $300 million in GDP to the Canadian economy.

Rest in peace, Stompin' Tom Connors: a proud Canadian whose music is ingrained in Canada's culture:

The Cape Breton Post reports that Cabot High has received a $10,000 Band-Aid grant from MusiCounts, which will be used to buy musical instruments and equipment for the school’s music program that studies the island’s musical traditions.

“Up here we are going to be looking into folk music a lot and just touching on our heritage in Cape Breton,” said Tara Coombs, music teacher at Cabot High. “We bought instruments like mandolins and banjos and different Celtic drums to kind of represent our heritage and get some instruments that some of the students wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to play.”

Music Canada and our members are proud to support MusiCounts.

The Toronto Star reports on the launch of IFPI's Digital Music Report yesterday, which announced that global music industry revenues increased by an estimated 0.3 per cent in 2012, the first year of industry growth since 1999.

“After years of drop after drop after drop, any increase might be cause, not for cautious celebration, but for riotous celebration,” said Graham Henderson, president of record industry advocate Music Canada.

Today, the IFPI released the Digital Music Report 2013, which reports that global music industry revenues increased by an estimated 0.3 per cent in 2012, the first year of industry growth since 1999, to US$16.5 billion.:

The nominees for the 2013 JUNO Awards were announced by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).  JUNO Week takes place from April 15 - 21 in Regina and Moose Jaw.  Their local committee has warned the country that "It's Gonna Get Loud"!  Music Canada is a proud sponsor of the Album of the Year Award.

The New York Times reports on the problem of brand supported piracy, where brands and advertising networks finance pirate sites with their ad dollars. The article highlights a recent report from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Innovation Lab, which ranks ad networks on the amount of ads served to pirate sites, with Google and Yahoo ranking high on the list.

Jonathan Taplin, the director of the Innovation Lab, says the report indicates that brands could keep their ads (and advertising dollars) off pirates if they wanted to: “Brands make sure that their ads never show up on porn sites, so we’re basically saying, why not do the same with piracy sites?”

Independent ticketing and marketing platform Ticketfly announced today that it has expanded into Canada, powering ticketing & marketing efforts for some of Canada's top venue and event promoters, including Union Events & Collective Concerts.

On behalf of our members and partners, Music Canada wishes to congratulate Mayor Rob Ford and the Members of City Council for their commitment to increase funding to the broad spectrum of arts in Toronto, including the city’s diverse and authentic music cluster.

“Toronto is by any measurement, one of the most successful music markets in the world, evidenced by the diverse and authentic live music offerings found throughout the city on any day of the week. The business of music employs thousands of people, attracts visitors from down the road and beyond our borders, and makes the city a desirable place to live, work and invest. With today’s decision, City Council demonstrates that it recognizes the importance of the music cluster and opens the door to a new level of communication and cooperation. We commend the leadership of Mayor Ford and Councillors Gary Crawford and Josh Colle, who were integral to making this happen,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

CTV reports on the nominees for the 25th East Coast Music Awards, which will be awarded during East Coast Music Week running from March 6th to March 10th in Halifax. Wintersleep had the most nominations with six nods including Record of the Year, while Matt Mays followed closely with five nominations.

Music Canada congratulates Mayor Rob Ford and the Executive Committee Members for their forward-thinking decision to approve a multi-year funding strategy which will increase the per capita funding of arts and culture; prioritize key initiatives including support for Toronto’s music cluster; and implement the Creative Capital Gains Report.

“This decision will lead to a stronger economic future for the City of Toronto,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada. “It is through the leadership of Mayor Rob Ford, Councillor Gary Crawford who framed the motion, as well as all members, past and present, of the Executive and Economic Development Committees, that we will succeed in leveraging Toronto’s vibrant music cluster in order to stimulate employment, develop Toronto’s international brand as a music city, and attract further investment. We have developed a music strategy where everybody wins and are thrilled to have overwhelming support at City Hall.”

The Londoner reports on 'Strike The Right Note' event in London, a forum to highlight the potential economic benefits from London's music sector, featuring Ontario MPPs Chris Bentley and Deb Matthews, London Mayor Joe Fontana, Councillors Dale Henderson and Joe Swan, as well as representatives from the London Chamber of Commerce and Orchestra London, plus as a performance by local artist Olenka Krakus.

The London Free Press' James Reaney reports on 'Strike the Right Note', an event featuring local MPPs and business leaders to discuss ways to create more jobs within the music industry and strengthen London’s creative economy.

The Londoner reports on 'Strike The Right Note' event in London, a forum to highlight the potential economic benefits from London's music sector, featuring Ontario MPPs Chris Bentley and Deb Matthews, London Mayor Joe Fontana, Councillors Dale Henderson and Joe Swan, as well as representatives from the London Chamber of Commerce and Orchestra London, plus as a performance by local artist Olenka Krakus.

Metro London reports on 'Strike The Right Note' event, which featured London West MPP Chris Bentley touting the economic benefits of the music industry. "The goal here is to strengthen who you are (and) recognize the economic advantage," said Bentley, speaking to a crowd of London's music community members at the London Music Hall.

On Thursday, January 10th, Music Canada’s Graham Henderson will speak at ‘Strike the Right Note’, an event to highlight and discuss the future economic potential of London’s music scene. The event takes place at the London Music Club at 2pm, and will include London West MPP Chris Bentley, London Chamber of Commerce’s Gerry Macartney, London Economic Development Corporation's Peter White and London Tourism, Ontario, Canada’s John Winston. London singer-songwriter Olenka Krakus will perform at the event.

Henderson spoke with The London Free Press' James Reaney about the event, saying that London's music scene is full of potential to create jobs and retain young talent, while improving the general quality of life in the community. “Here is something that nobody in the history of Ontario has ever even thought about. It is this gleaming jewel of an asset. It is our music community, our live music scene, which is one of the best in the world."

The Globe and Mail's Report on Business section profiled HMV Canada in the middle of the holiday buying cycle, a time when the entertainment retailer generates one-third of it's annual revenue:

The Los Angeles Times highlights a new report from USC's Annenberg Innovation Lab, which ranked Google and Yahoo among the top 10 advertising networks that support major piracy sites around the world.
The lab's report is the first in a monthly series that aims to add transparency and show brands how to steer their ad dollars away from sites that exploit artists for profit.
"Whenever we talk to a brand about the fact that their ads are all over the pirate sites, they're like, 'Oh, how did that happen? We thought it would be easier if they knew what ad networks were putting ads on pirate sites — so they could avoid them," said Jonathan Taplin, director of the Innovation Lab.

Target pirate site operators in the pocketbook, by going after the brands that support them with advertising dollars, says David Lowery of Cracker & camper van beethoven: "You’re never going to shut down the cyber locker sites altogether, so let’s make it hard for them to make money. It’s low-hanging fruit."
paidContent writes that Lowery's 'name and shame' campaign suggestion would "remind pirate site users and the tech press, who so often romanticize pirate site owners, that these sites are an illegal business and not a cultural movement."

Congratulations to Larry Leblanc: The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has announced he is to be honoured with Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at The JUNO Awards 2013!

Cashbox Canada reports that Solid Gold Records, one of the most successful independent Canadian labels in the 1980s, has been acquired by Linus Entertainment.

Canadian music continues to punch above it's weight in 2012, with Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Drake, Michael Buble, and DeadMau5 selling millions of albums around the world.

But this success belies the state of Canada’s pop and rock
industry, says Music Canada President Graham Henderson, who likens CanPop to a pyramid, with one per cent of bands at the top, and scores of middle-level acts — “on the way up or the way down” — spread across the pyramid’s broad base, the Ottawa Citizen reports.

Henderson calls for various levels of government to get involved in promoting young talent, citing the enhanced visibility of music tourism on that Ontario Travel website as an example of cooperation, while highlighting Austin, Texas' model as an example for Canadian cities.

The Globe and Mail's Report on Business section interviews Canadian singer-songwriter Selina Martin on the subject of royalty payments from music streaming services:
"There, in black and white and a whole bunch of decimal places, was a dam
ning portrait of the new economy that went something like this: $0.003 for streaming her song “Public Safety Management” on the radio service Rdio, $0.00695 for the on-demand streaming of her acclaimed cover of Rush’s classic “Spirit of Radio” on Spotify, $0.01788 for a premium subscriber to listen to her song “Throw Me in the Water” on Rhapsody."

“It just seemed ludicrous,” said Martin. "It just seems like a slap in the face. It becomes comical.”

Canada needs a 21st century reboot of the way it markets its music talent domestically and internationally, said Music Canada President Graham Henderson at the Franco-Canadian Digital Content Summit this afternoon. QMI's Jessica Murphy reports:

Reuters Canada covers the launch of IFPI's Investing in Music report, which reported that record companies invested $4.5 billion in A&R (artists and repertoire) and marketing in 2011. The report also showed that more than 70 percent of unsigned acts in Britain and Germany wanted a record deal, despite the perception that many artists are eager to go the DIY route.

Canada's largest arts advocacy agency, the Canadian Conference of the Arts, is winding down operations after 67 years because its federal funding has been cut.

Live music is a key economic driver in Durham Region: Durham Tourism writes that the Oshawa core was humming last Friday night when Joel Plaskett played the Regent Theatre, with people lining the streets and restaurants packed with diners. "The economic spin-off of live events is invaluable to Durham Region, especially in downtown areas," says Kerri King, Region of Durham's tourism manager.

The Financial Post reports that music streaming service Songza has now signed up over one million Canadian users since launching in Canada less than three months ago.

The JUNO Awards are headed back to Winnipeg! The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and broadcast partner CTV, announced today that Winnipeg will host the 2014 JUNO Awards and JUNO Week celebrations, March 24-30. The 43rd annual JUNO AWARDS will broadcast on CTV from the MTS Centre on Sunday, March 30, 2014.

The Western Canadian Music Awards were handed out last night in Regina: Dan Mangan received three awards, Independent Album Of The Year (Oh Fortune), Rock Recording Of The Year (Oh Fortune) and Songwriter Of The Year (Post-War Blues), while Carly Rae Jepsen took the Pop Recording of the Year award for 'Curiority.' Jill Barber won Jazz Recording of the Year for her 'Mischievous Moon', David Gogo won Blues Album of the Year for 'Soul Bender' while Swollen Members took Rap/Hip Hop Recording of the Year for 'Dagger Mouth'.

Special congratulations to The Northern Pikes, who were inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame!

Canadian acts Arcade Fire, Drake, Nelly Furtado, Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen have scored nominations for this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards. Stratford, Ont. singer Bieber is in the running for four awards, including best male artist and biggest fan draw.

Now in its third year, TIFF’s Festival Music House was started by a few members of the Canadian music industry with one fairly simple goal: give Canadian musicians a chance to perform in front of film industry players, thereby improving their chances of having their song featured in a movie.

Innovative digital services paired with a crackdown on illegal pirate sites with support from the ISPs has lead to an encouraging example in the UK: the BBC reports that Omnifone, the British firm that powers music streaming services from Sony and Blackberry, has posted its first annual profit in its nine year history:

The Financial Post highlights the Canadian expansion of Songza, a New York based start-up that bills itself as a “music concierge” that lets users pick the “right music at the right moment” by selecting playlists curated by music experts for every occasion.
The article highlights Songza's Canadian licensing experience with Re:Sound, which co-founder Peter Asbil said “was actually pleasant.”

Universal Music Group's proposed acquisition of EMI's recorded music division has passed another hurdle, albeit not the European Commission or FTC approval that the companies are so actively seeking. Today, the Canadian Competition Bureau signed off on the sale, following in the footsteps of Japan and New Zealand's regulatory committees who both approved the deal in the past month.

The BBC reports on new research from Strategy Analytics, which suggests that revenue from on-demand streaming services will grow 40% to generate £696m in revenue for the music industry globally:

IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide, today welcomes the closure of the Demonoid bitTorrent service, which was a significant channel for the distribution of infringing content worldwide.
Jeremy Banks, director, anti-pirac
y, IFPI, says: "Demonoid was a leading global player in digital music piracy which acted as unfair competition to the more than 500 licensed digital music services that offer great value music to consumers while respecting the rights of artists, songwriters and record companies. The operation to close Demonoid was a great example of international cooperation to tackle a service that was facilitating the illegal distribution of music on a vast scale. I would like to thank all those officers involved in this operation to close a business that was built on the abuse of other people's rights."

The 2012 Canadian Country Music Association Awards announced their nominees today, with the awards handed out on September 9th in Saskatoon, broadcast live on CBC.

The Polaris Music Prize announced their 2012 Short List today at the Drake Hotel, narrowing the field to 10 albums vying for the honour of "the best" Canadian album of the year as voted on by over 200 members of the Canadian music media.

The Globe and Mail reports on five recent decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada, several of which added new distinctions to the way the music industry monetizes content online:

With the Royal Assent of Bill C-11, The Copyright Modernization Act, Canada joins a long list of countries that recognize the importance of protecting intellectual property in the digital environment.  Music Canada President Graham Henderson comments on the law's passage. 

The Globe and Mail's Report on Business takes a look at MapleCore, which was founded in Toronto in 1999 with "a vision of how musical artists could use the Internet to promote and sell their wares" and has grown to a 35-employee company that is currently divided into a music services division and an online division; including its two record labels, Open Road Recordings and MapleMusic Recordings; the e-commerce site MapleMusic.com; online ticketing agency TicketBreak Ltd; music distribution company Fontana North Distribution; music publishing company MapleMusic Publishing; and Pheromone Recordings, a boutique label of which it is a partner:

SOCAN has announced that their new Board of Directors for 2012-2015 has elected its president and officers, as well as appointed the chair and members of its four committees.
Stan Meissner will head the Board, and the Executive Governance Committee as President and Chair. Meissner has already served on SOCAN’s Board of Directors for nine years, including six as Treasurer (2003-2009), and has been President of The SOCAN Foundation for the past six years.

Congratulations to Sarah McLachlan and Randy Bachman, who among the six inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame for 2012!

30,000 Canadians from 135 countries sent in nominations for the honour, which were evaluated and whittled down by a committee during "very heated" discussions, says CWO’s President Peter Soumalias.

The other inductees include actor Phil Hartman, ballerina Sonia Rodriguez, football player Russ Jackson, and the 1972 members of Team Canada. The inductees will receive their tribute on Sept. 22, with the awards will be broadcast in October on Global TV.

The CBC reports on Bill C-11, the Copyright Modernization Act, which cleared the House of Commons third reading stage Monday night:

The Polaris Prize Long List, announced yesterday in Vancouver, BC, is getting great press across the country! 

A quote from Polaris Founder and Executive Director Steve Jordan:

"The year's list deliciously illustrates the burgeoning sense of community in our jury," he said. "Almost half of the selections on this list were the direct result of passionate recommendations made by individual members to their peers. We hope the ultimate result of this dialogue will likewise inform the taste of adventurous music lovers from Canada and the world."

Watch for the Short list on July 17th!

MusiCounts celebrated the Toronto District School Board recipients of the 2011/2012 Band Aid Grants this week at Roy Thomson Hall. The event recognized the six schools from the TDSB benefiting from $60,000 worth of grants through a partnership with the Slaight Family Foundation. The event featured a performance by 2012 JUNO nominee Alyssa Reid, as well as a presentation by Toronto Symphony member John Rudolph and flutist, Kathleen Rudolph.
“There are so many positive benefits associated with music education, all of which are why we feel so strongly that every Canadian student should have this opportunity, especially the students here in Toronto, right in our own back yard,” said Gary Slaight, President & CEO of the Slaight Family Foundation and Slaight Music.

Re:Sound announces that the Copyright Board of Canada has certified a number of new tariffs (Tariffs 5.A to G) under Re:Sound’s Live Events Tariff, which apply to the use of recorded music accompanying live events such as weddings, karaoke, conventions , ice shows, and fairs.
“Recorded music is a vital part of the business model for many live events and, indeed, it is impossible to imagine a fashion show, festival, parade or karaoke bar without music,” said Martin Gangnier, Re:Sound’s Director, Licensing. “Tariffs 5.A-G ensure that the recording artists and record companies who create this music are fairly compensated when their work is used at these events.”

Leonard Cohen was honoured with the Glenn Gould Prize last night, graciously donating the $50,000 prize that accompanied it to the Canada Council for the Arts.

Billboard report on layoffs at Roadrunner Records yesterday: according to the story, 20 staffers will lose their jobs internationally during realignment. However, according to Billboard, Roadrunner will continue to have staff in every territory it does currently, with the exception of the Netherlands office, which will be closed.

The Globe and Mail has a terrific piece on the contributions that JUNO award-winning drummer and producer Billy Bryans made to music, calling him "cultural bridge-builder who changed the sound of Canadian music." Bryans died in Toronto’s Kensington Hospice on Monday at the age of 63.

Universal Music Canada and Canada Rugby League have joined forces in a partnership that sees UMC become the exclusive music partner for the 2012/2013 seasons.
"This is a massive step forward for our sport in Canada," said CRL President Cory Tukeli. "Working with Universal Music signals a new era for Rugby League, an era of entertainment and expansion."
Universal will provide talent for live performances at Team Canada Wolverines matches. Universal Music Canada will also be fully integrated in The Rugby League Show which airs every Thursday night on Sportsnet World.

The CBC reports on last night's East Coast Music Awards gala at Casino New Brunswick in Moncton, where Blou won the coveted Fan's Choice Entertainer of the Year prize, while David Myles won Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for "Simple Pleasures," Matt Andersen won Blues Recording of the Year and Solo Recording of the Year for "Coal Mining Blues," and Hey Rosetta! won both Album of the Year and Group Recording of the Year for "Seeds."
Saint John's Catherine McKinnon received the Helen Creighton Award, a lifetime achievement honour. McKinnon paid tribute to Creighton in her acceptance speech, saying “I owe my career to Dr. Helen Creighton. If this woman hadn’t gone through the Maritimes in a rowboat with an old tape recorder, we wouldn’t have the wealth of material that we have, that I was lucky to find and very proud to sing.”
Edmundston, New Brunswick's Roch Voisine was presented with the ECMA’s Director’s Special Achievement Award. Over his 25 year career, Voisine has sold 11 million albums, a discography of 25 albums, and received 14 Felix, two Geminis, two Victoires de la Musique, two Junos, a Much Music Award, an NRJ Award, a Girl and a Diamond Award FM.
He has been appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade (International Francophonie), Knight of the Orde of Arts and Letters and Officer of the Order of Canada. He was also spokesman for Unicef World, received his wax statue at the Grevin Museum in Paris, an Honorary Doctorate in Music at the University of Moncton and the Award for Leadership from the Government of Canada.

Billboard reports on new data from Hadopi, which shows that France's graduated response approach to copyright legislation is having a positive impact on digital music sales while curbing piracy.

The Montreal Gazette reports on the launch of ZIK.ca, a new streaming music service launched by Groupe Archambault, a subsidiary of Quebecor Media. The subscription allows access to over 12 million songs, including 1.2 million Francophone songs, for a monthly fee.

To see the full list of winners and nominees at the 41st Annual JUNO Awards, visit the JUNO's official site here:

Billboard's Karen Bliss covers the JUNO Awards broadcast night on Sunday, hosted by William Shatner and attended by over 12,000 fans at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place:

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports on The JUNO Awards Gala Saturday night in Ottawa, where many of the awards were handed out, including the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award to Gary Slaight and the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award to Simple Plan:

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports on Live Nation Canada's Riley O'Connor's induction to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at the 30th annual Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards and Gala Dinner last week in in Toronto.
Burton Cummings helped pay tribute to O'Connor at the ceremony, adding that Riley "made me feel like one of the Rolling Stones, always."

IFPI's annual Recording Industry in Numbers report was released today, providing a comprehensive picture of the key trends of today's music business.

The 20th edition of Recording Industry In Numbers features recorded music sales for 2007-2011 by country, with country-level data for 50 territories, and including splits for physical, digital, performance rights and synchronisation revenues (2010-2011 figures included for the first time).

The CBC reports that the organizers for the 2012 East Coast Music Awards are predicting the Moncton area will receive significant economic benefits when it hosts the annual festival from April 11 to 15.
The Awards and Festival are expected to draw over 6,000 people to the Moncton area, says Adam Gould, president of the ECMA's local organizing committee, which will help local businesses by stimulating the local economy.
"They expect indirect economic impact of over $6 million so we're looking at somewhere between $8 million to $9 million of economic impact with this activity happening in the Moncton area," said Nancy Whipp, the chief executive officer of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce.

Billboard's Karen Bliss writes that the 2012 Polaris Music Prize Long List announcement will be taking place on June 14 in Vancouver, marking the first time the competition has held their announcement outside Toronto.
The 40 albums nominated for the Long List will be revealed in front of the local media and industry at the Waldorf Hotel. The ten short list nominees will be announced in Toronto July 17 at the Drake Hotel.

Variety reports that Warner Music has launched a new Youtube channel called "The Warner Sound," that will feature exclusive new content from the major.

CBC reports on Tuesday's Bill C-11 committee meeting featuring the Canadian Federation of Musicians, Re:Sound Music Licencing Company, and Pineridge Broadcasting.

The Ottawa Citizen reports that the 2012 JUNO Awards are set to inject about $10-million into the Ottawa economy:

Music Canada is saddened to learn of the passing of Pierre Juneau, a true champion of Canadian music:

The CBC reports the Canadian Independent Music Association, the Canadian Federation of Musicians, the Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations and Re:Sound are lobbying Ottawa to cancel what they say is a 15-year-old "subsidy" for more than 600 commercial radio stations.
The groups say royalties are an important revenue stream for artists, particularly when other streams have been declining because of illegal downloading and other factors.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences revealed the contenders for Canada's highest-profile music award in Toronto on Tuesday morning, announcing nominees for the 41st annual JUNO Awards.
Nominees in 41 categories were announced, including candidates for the inaugural 'Hard-Rock/Metal Album of the Year' category.
William Shatner was announced as host of the JUNO Awards show, which will be held in Ottawa on April 1st, and broadcast live across Canada on CTV.

SOCAN has announced that it has acquired the assets of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In a release, Eric Baptiste, CEO of SOCAN, said “The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame is an important institution that celebrates the successes achieved by Canadian music creators. The Hall of Fame gives our legendary songwriters and composers the public recognition they deserve. Their creations form not only a cherished part of the fabric of Canadian culture, but also contribute to the economic success of the music industry.”

Billboard magazine reports on a new paper by Dr. George R. Barker of the Australian National University, which reexamines data from a 2006 survey conducted by Decima Research and commissioned by Industry Canada. Dr. Barker's paper finds clear evidence that P2P has negatively impacted music purchases in Canada. The study was conduced in order to support Industry Canada's policy decisions regarding copyright.

Dr. Barker says that "based on this data, I therefore conclude that P2P downloads have strong negative effects on legitimate music purchases and, contrary to the original analysis of the data, P2P downloading acts as a substitute for legitimate music purchases. One can infer from this analysis that stronger copyright laws would substantially increase music purchases and music industry sales revenues and, by implication, increase artist income and industry employment and contribute to both economic growth and higher government tax revenues in Canada."

Astral Radio has announced the launch of its all-new digital music service across the NRJ and Virgin Radio Networks. Astral Radio is the first radio broadcaster in Canada to offer this kind of on-demand music and music video streaming service. The service offers listeners new and innovative platforms to discover and share new music, but at the same time it provides its local and national advertisers with new business opportunities on new platforms.

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has issued a release welcoming SOCAN and AVLA as partners in CIMA’s music exporting services, aimed at creating exposure, excitement and business opportunities for Canadian independent music businesses and their artists around the world.

“Having the generous support of SOCAN and AVLA enables CIMA to provide business opportunities to the independent music sector around the world,” says CIMA President, Stuart Johnston. “In essence, our collective focus is to deliver great Canadian music to fans and consumers across the globe, while at the same time strengthening the independent music sector domestically.”

Mediacaster reports on two new deals reached by the Audio-Video Licensing Agency, which are set to offer Canadians more opportunities to listen to their favourite music.
The AVLA recently brokered with the CBC that will trigger the launch of a new digital music service from the CBC.
Toronto-based digital music company Mediazoic also has a new deal with AVLA, allowing Mediazoic's Internet radio network to carry the music catalogues that the association represents.
Mediacaster says both AVLA deals are seen as clever and imaginative business propositions, and among the first such negotiated collective licenses in Canada for on-line streaming and podcasting of radio and online digital music programming.

Toronto-based digital music company Mediazoic today announced a deal with the AVLA (Audio-Video Licensing Agency), which will allow Mediazoic's internet radio network to carry the music catalogues of more than 1000 record companies representing the majority of all sound recordings and music videos produced and/or distributed in Canada.

CBC and the Audio-Video Licensing Agency (AVLA) are pleased to announce that a groundbreaking music licensing deal has been reached. This historic deal will allow CBC to offer Canadians more of its radio programs on-line, on demand, as well as launch a new Canadian digital music service this winter.

The Canadian Press reports on the historic licensing deal reached by the Audio-Video Licensing Agency and the CBC, allowing CBC to stream more of its radio programming online unedited and on demand.

In a release, Chris Boyce, executive director of radio and audio of CBC English Services, said the deal "allows us to make more of our radio programming available when and how Canadians want it. It leverages CBC's strength around Canadian music, it takes advantage of our ability to create original content, to provide context, to build community."

Today, the IFPI released the Digital Music Report 2012 - 'Expanding Choice. Going Global.' The report provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the global digital music business at the start of 2012. The report highlights unprecedented global expansion in 2011, as well as key steps forward taken in several markets to help tackle digital piracy.

The Canadian Radio Music Awards have announced the nominees for their 15th annual awards, to be announced on March 23rd during a gala luncheon during Slacker Canadian Music Week.
Leading the nominations this year are Alyssa Reid and Martin Solveig & Dragonette, who both have 5 nominations a piece, including SOCAN Song of the Year.

The Globe and Mail reports on HMV Canada's plans to launch a new subscription streaming music service, which HMV Canada president Nick Williams said is to launch in March 2012. Mr. Williams says the service will charge the industry-standard $5 per month for unlimited access through a desktop computer and an additional $5 per  month for access from a mobile device.

The Globe and Mail reports on the launch of iTunes Match in Canada, a service which allows users to upload their music collection to the cloud and stream it to a variety of devices for the cost of $27.99 per year.

The Vancouver Sun reports that the first round of performers at the 2012 JUNO Awards in Ottawa have been announced: Blue Rodeo, City and Colour, Deadmau5, and Feist will perform live at Scotiabank Place on April 1, and the show will be broadcast live across Canada on CTV.

The Financial Post reports on Rara.com, a new subscription service set to launch in Canada by the end of this week. The service is targeting new adopters to digital subscription services with an initial subscription price of 99cents for the first three months.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has announced that Blue Rodeo will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2012 JUNO Awards on April 1, 2012 in Ottawa, ON.

Canadian music fans are set to get another digital service in the new year: the Canadian Press reports that music streaming service Deezer is set to launch in Canada in January 2012.

The CBC reports on the Canadian Folk Music Awards, who announced their winners on Sunday, presenting Bruce Cockburn with the Contemporary Album of the Year and Solo Artist of the Year awards. Dave Gunning also received two awards, winning New/Emerging Artist of the Year and Traditional Singer of the Year. Genticorum also won two awards, taking home Traditional Album of the Year and Ensemble of the Year. Please visit the link for the full list of winners.

The Grammy Award nominees were announced on Wednesday night, with Kanye West, Bruno Mars, and Adele leading the nominations.
Several Canadian artists also picked up nominations, including Toronto's Drake, who received nods for Best Rap Performance (with Nicki Minaj), and two entries in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category.
Niagara Falls' Deadmau5 was nominated for Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronica Album, and Best Remixed Recording.
Whitby's Sum 41 were nominated for for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, and Toronto's Melanie Fiona was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance
 

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports that Gary Slaight will be honoured with the 2012 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2012 Juno Awards in Ottawa.
In a statement, CARAS president and CEO Melanie Berry said "Gary Slaight's remarkable intuition in business as well as the Canadian music industry is rare. He's not only distinguished himself as a music innovator, he has made it his mandate to proactively support our nation's talented artists through the Slaight Family Foundation and Slaight Music."

The CBC reports on last night's SOCAN Awards gala, where some of Canada's most talented songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers were honoured for their work.
The Stampeders were honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award, while Prairie Oyster was recognized with the National Acheivement Award, and Bob Ezrin's career was recognized with the Special Achievement Award.

The Hamilton Spectator reports on last night's Hamilton Music Awards ceremony, where Jeremy Fisher was the big winner, taking home Album of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Video of the Year honours.
Other honourees included the Dinner Belles, winners of Best New Group, Alternative Country Recording of the Year, while the band's pianist, Greg Brisco, won the Keyboardist of the Year award.

The Globe and Mail reports on yesterday's launch of Google Music, which offers 13 million tracks for sale, from three of the four major recording companies. The service is currently only available to customers in the U.S., but Google aims to roll it out eventually to some 200 million Android users globally.

Kobo has announced that it has partnered with Rdio to bring streaming music to their readers. The Rdio application will come pre-loaded on the Kobo Vox, allowing users to play music from a catalogue of 12+ million songs directly from their e-reader.

In a release, Rdio CEO Drew Larner said: "By adding Rdio to the Kobo Vox, our subscribers can now easily extend their Rdio listening experience into their reading life, and it gives them yet another platform to access our service. For Kobo customers, we bring a new and unique social approach to music discovery. Reading and listening to music have always been preferred leisure activities and now customers can enjoy them together, seamlessly."

Billboard reports that Live Nation Entertainment has hired veteran Canadian electronic music producer Ryan Kruger to manage a new division called Electronic Nation Canada .

CBC reports on the Nova Scotia Music Awards, held in Yarmouth on Nov. 5th, where Cape Breton's Carmen Townsend was the big winner, taking home four awards, including Recording of the Year for Waitin' and Seein.'

The Ottawa Citizen reports on last week's Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, where Winnipeg group Most took home 6 awards including Best rap/hip-hop CD for GoodFellaz and single of the year for Don’t Stop.
Nine awards were handed out when the APCMAs were broadcast live on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, while an additional twelve were awarded on Thursday during a non-televised gala.

The application deadline for next year's JUNO Awards is fast approaching - make sure to have your submissions to the CARAS office by Thursday Nov. 10th to be considered!

MusicAlly reports that EMI has announced a partnership with The Echo Nest to create a 'sandbox' for developers to make apps based on its content & artists. Called OpenEMI, the label aims to open it's catalogue to developers and streamline licensing agreements.
EMI will be the publisher of any apps that result, and will take responsibility for licensing and clearances, while the app developers will retain the app's underlying intellectual property. The Echo Nest’s CEO Jim Lucchese says this is key: “There are a lot of reasons why it makes sense for EMI to be the publisher for these apps, but they’re making it clear to app developers that they retain ownership of their IP. We’re targeting passionate, commercially-minded developers who want to make a living and build successful businesses. The IP issue is crucial.”

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports that the Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) and Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) have formed a formal strategic alliance to benefit both labor unions.
Ferne Downey, ACTRA's national executive director said "This alliance formalizes the long-standing and mutually-beneficial relationship that ACTRA and the CFM have had for more than 60 years," "Our members work side-by-side, and in many cases - are members of both of our unions. It only makes sense that we would strengthen our bond and work closely together to promote our mutual interests."

MusicAlly profiles the Canadian music marketplace, which is the sixth biggest global market in terms of digital music sales and the seventh biggest in terms of physical sales.

The Toronto Star reports that the National Music Centre, set to open in Calgary in 2014, will operate as a museum, with the aim to bring cultural artifacts from Canada's musicians under one roof.
National Music Centre CEO Andrew Mosker said “It will be spectacular. There are a lot of smaller museums operating around the country, but this would be the definitive.” The centre already has one of Anne Murray's guitars and an accordion from Grammy award winner Walter Ostanek.

A release from the Canadian Country Music Awards reports that the broadcast on CBC generated an average audience of nearly three-quarters of a million viewers, with almost one million viewers at peak time and more than 3.1 million Canadians watching some part of the two-hour show.
"These results certainly demonstrate that Canadian country music fans are alive and well in Canada," said Jim Cressman, Chair of the CCMA's Television Committee. "As a team we continue to exceed our ratings targets, making us a leader in broadcast award show programming. It wouldn't be possible for us to reach these outstanding results without the diligent work of our incredible team. A big thanks goes out to the artists, labels, managers, CBC, CMT and the Corkscrew creative team for creating a collection of compelling moments in the show."

In a banner night for Manitoba musicians on Sunday, Winnipeg-based artists took seven of the 19 musical categories at the 2011 Western Canadian Music Awards at the Yukon Arts Centre, in Whitehorse, Yukon.
The night concluded with the induction of 54-40 into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame, who closed out the show with a live performance.
The WCMAs reward artists based in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and, new for 2011, the Northwest Territories.

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports on the Western Canadian Music Awards from Whitehorse, YT, where The Sheepdogs won the Rock Recording of the Year award for their album "Learn & Burn" while Del Barber two home both the Independent Album and the Roots Solo Recording for "Love Songs For The Last Twenty."

The Canadian Folk Music Award Nominees were announced with Dave Gunning and Bruce Cockburn leading the nominations with four each.  Other nominees in the 19 categories include The Wailin' Jennys, The Good Lovelies, Lynn Myles, Ron Hynes, and Andrea Ramolo.  Submissions are still open for the new category of "Unsung Hero" until October 31st.  All winners will be announced at a gala event on December 4th.

The Financial Post Tech Desk reports on the growth of Sirius XM Canada, who announced on Wednesday they have passed the 2 Million listener mark, putting it in the same tier as some of Canada's largest television and cable providers. President and chief executive Mark Redmond credits the recovery of the auto market for much of the growth, saying :"the big driver of our business today and into the future is the automotive business." Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have all partnered with Sirius XM Canada.

The Vancouver Sun reports on MetroLyrics, a Vancouver-based site that has grown to become the world's largest online lyrics website and the third largest site among all music websites, which was recently been acquired by the CBS Interactive Music Group.
Originally created as a way for then 16-year old Milun Tesovic to earn money to buy a car, the site has grown into the largest database of legal music lyrics in the world, with over 700,000 songs. A 2008 licensing agreement with Gracenote allows MetroLyrics to pay royalties to artists for all the lyrics it displays.

The world is mourning the loss of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who died yesterday at the age of 56.  According to Music Canada President Graham Henderson, "The brilliant execution of the iPod and iTunes has had an enormous impact on the music industry.  Were Jobs not taken long before his time, there is no doubt he would have continued to transform and revolutionize technology and media as we know it."   Billboard has an excellent story about Job's life and contributions to the entertainment industry. 

Canadian Music Week has just announced that acclaimed producer and engineer Daniel Lanois will be inducted to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at the 2012 Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards gala at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel during Canadian Music Week’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
In a release, Canadian Music Week President Neill Dixon said “I have been a personal fan of Daniel Lanois since the beginning. Through his work with U2 to Neil Young, he has made an indelible mark on the industry and solidified a reputation for himself as a world-renowned producer over the past four decades. It’s time we in Canada celebrate the career of this remarkable man with this Hall of Fame induction.”

Drake was honoured with the Allan Slaight Award last weekend at the Canada's Walk of Fame gala. The Allan Slaight Award is presented to a young Canadian making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy.
In accepting the award, Drake said “I am a proud Canadian, and I am grateful to Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Slaight Foundation for this award.”
Drake donated the $10,000 honourarium accompanying the award to Dixon Hall, a Toronto non-for-profit group that offers supportive programs and services in East Downtown Toronto.

Billboard reports on the introduction of Bill C11, the Copyright Modernization Act, yesterday:

Music Canada is pleased to see long overdue copyright reform legislation back on the Parliamentary agenda and a strong commitment to get it passed.  President Graham Henderson:  “Like any bill, we are fully confident it will undergo changes in committee, particularly given the consensus that developed during review of Bill C-32 that slight adjustments were needed so that the legislation would meet the government’s anti-piracy objectives and support jobs in the creative industries.”

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has issued a statement welcoming the introduction of the federal government's new Copyright Modernization Act today, said they look forward to its passage for the benefit of the nation's independent music sector.
"The government should be congratulated for reintroducing this bill so quickly," says Stuart Johnston, President of CIMA. "Our members are encouraged by the government's commitment, and we look forward to working with the government to help smooth out the wrinkles in the legislation. The bottom line is Canada needs this new copyright act to protect the intellectual property of our artists and the music industry businesses that represent them."

Billboard reports that CIMA, the Canadian Independent Music Association, has elected 10 new members to their Board of Directors at their annual general meeting on Sept. 27 in Toronto.

The Canadian Press reports that the JUNO Awards have added a new category for the top Metal/Hard Music album of the year. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced the new prize Wednesday, which brings the total number of categories to 41. The JUNO Awards will be announced at the ceremony in Ottawa on April 1, 2012.

Congratulations to the winners and nominees of last night's 102.1 the Edge’s annual CASBY Music Awards, where The Sheepdogs took home 3 awards, winning NXNE Favourite New Indie Release for "Learn & Burn", Molson Canadian Favourite New Artist, and Favourite New Album for "Learn & Burn". City and Colour won the award for Favourite New Single for "Fragile Bird", and Mumford and Sons won the award for Favourite Edge Session. The CASBYs are chosen entirely by fans.

Billboard reports on the Facebook Music announcement, which was a major part of today's F8 presentation:

Billboard reports that Jeremy Summers has been named EVP/Chief Marketing Officer at Interscope Geffen A&M. Summers formerly served as the senior VP of Marketing for Universal Music Canada, a position he held since autumn 2010. He had been a part of the sales department at Universal Music Canada since 1994.
Universal Music Canada President Randy Lennox praised Summers in a statement: "Jeremy is a modern music executive with a marketing pedigree earned from seventeen years of service to our Canadian company. He has enriched our business through his acumen and imagination-and will surely do likewise for our cousins Stateside. We shall miss his keen insights and wish him ever greater successes in his continued career with Interscope."

Make it 4 out of 4 for Arcade Fire.  At a gala last night in Toronto, the Montreal-based band was named the 2011 Polaris Prize winner, selected from a strong field that also included Ron Sexsmith and Hey Rosetta.  That makes 4: the number of award programs that has put Arcade Fire on top with Polaris being added to earlier wins at the Grammys, the Junos and the Brit Awards.

The clock is ticking down to the Polaris Prize Gala and announcement of this year's winner.  The gala will be broadcast live on Sirius XM and CBC Radio 3, Webcast live on Much tonight at 8 p.m. and Broadcast on Much on September 24th at 1 p.m. and midnight.

The Telegraph reports that Jeremy Hunt, the British Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, is set to deliver a speech calling on Google and other search engines to play a bigger part in the fight against online piracy. Mr. Hurt argues that by taking "reasonable steps," search engines can make a significant difference in reducing infringement. Mr. Hunt's speech goes on to state “We do not allow certain products to be sold in the shops on the high street, nor do we allow shops to be set up purely to sell counterfeited products. Neither should we tolerate it online.”

The Montreal Gazette reports on last night's Canadian Country Music Awards, where Dean Brody was the big winner, taking home Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Songwriter of the Year accolades for his sophomore album Trail in Life.
Johnny Reid also had a big night, winning Male Artist of the Year, the Fan's Choice Award,  as well as CMT's Video of the Year award for "Today I'm Gonna Try and Change the World."
Terri Clark won Female Artist of the Year Award, on the strength of her latest release, "Roots and Wings."
Edmonton trio Hey Romeo won the award for Best Group or Duo, while Chad Brownlee won the Rising Star award, his first CCMA award.

The EU decision on copyright term has broad support in the European industry as AEPO-ARTIS, FIM, GIART, ICMP, and IFPI, which represent all the facets of the music sector in Europe, issued a joint statement warmly welcoming the decision by EU Member States and applauded the Polish Presidency and supporting Member States for their commitment to this initiative.

Over 38,000 artists and musicians signed a petition in favour of term extension, acknowledging the positive impact it will have on the sector.

In a statement from the IFPI, the international recording industry welcomed today's decision by the European Union to extend the term of copyright protection offered to performers and producers from 50 to 70 years.

Plácido Domingo, chairman of IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide, applauded the decision: "The decision to extend the term of protection for recordings in Europe is great news for performing artists. Artists at the start of their careers will benefit from an increased pool of revenue that will be available to invest in new talent. Established artists can benefit from their work throughout their lifetimes. This is especially important today when licensed digital services make music widely available online."

.The Canadian Country Music Association celebrated their 2011 Hall of Fame inductees at last night's Gala Dinner Awards.
This year’s two Hall of Fame Inductions honoured Michelle Wright and Bill Langstroth . The Slaight Music Humanitarian Award recipient, Johnny Reid was honoured and also received recognition as Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year.
Click the 'More' link for the full list of Gala winners:

Alan Cross, veteran radio broadcaster and musicologist, will launch his latest music history radio show with Orbyt Media, broadcast beginning October 11th from boom 97.3 in Toronto.  The Secret History of Rock with Alan Cross will is a two hour weekly program focusing on rock from the 70's, 80's and 90's.  It will be written and hosted by Cross.

The legendary rock band U2 proved to be highly sought after on the red carpet on opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival which launched with the world premiere of the U2 documentary From the Sky Down, directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim.  The Hamilton Spectator has published a Q&A with Guggenheim which is a great read. 

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Heritage Minister James Moore said that the Conservative government will re-introduce Bill C-32 this fall, and he hopes to see the amendments to the Copyright Act pass by Christmas. The bill will be re-introduced in it's current form, and go back to a legislative committee for study.
"This is long overdue in Canada. We did so much consultation, so much preparation, there was such a depth of understanding of the legislation that we tabled that we want to continue the study of that legislation", said Moore.

The National Music Centre which is to open in Calgary in 2014 has caught the attention of Canada's Walk of Fame.  The Centre has been chosen as the beneficiary of the Canada’s Walk of Fame Inductee Charity Ball presented by RBC on October 1, 2011 in Toronto.  The ball will follow the awards ceremony of the newest inductees.

Festival Music House to host K’naan, Sam Roberts Band, the Arkells, Rural Alberta Advantage and more during TIFF 2011.

The 2nd round of voting is now open for in the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards.  A full list of nominees is available online.  Voting is open until October 6th and the winners will be announced November 4th.

With the announcement yesterday by Steve Jobs that he would be resigning as Apple's CEO, many questions are being raised about the future of the tech company.  While it has been made clear that Jobs will continue to be involved in strategic direction for Apple, the day-to-day operations will be in the hands of the new CEO, Tim Cook.  Billboard tries to answer the question on everyone's minds:  "Who is Tim Cook?".

How many times have you wondered where your friends are sitting at a concert venue?  A unique collaboration between Ticketmaster and Facebook enables you to find your Facebook friends in concert seating. 

MySpace's new VP Global Marketing says the site will return to its foundations with a relaunch later this year as a music hub, directly targeting the likes of iTunes, Spotify and VEVO.
According to the story in AdAge Digital, Al Dejewski says, "No other music destination online today can claim the breadth of partnership we have with the four major music labels in addition to the tens of millions of independent artists and the libraries of their songs."

Festival Music House will feature performances by K'Naan, The Sheepdogs, Dinosaur Bones, Ladies of the Canyon (including guest Music Canada blogger Maia Davies), The Sam Roberts Band, Lights and Parlovr among others, in this year's musical component of the Toronto International Film Festival. 

Performances will take place September 12, 13 and 14 at the Mod Club.  The feature performers were chosen by a panel of industry leaders from hundreds of submissions.

Music subscription service Rdio has taken a hint from its customers - they want a family plan!  Having teased the family subscription a few weeks ago, Rdio has officially made it available for customers in the US and Canada.  Rdio's VP of product design Malthe Sigurdsson talks about that and a lot more in an interview with Music Ally.

comScore has released its latest metrix on the number of people watching online videos in the US, where they're watching them, and for how long. 

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Warner Music Group has announced that Stephen Cooper has been named CEO, while Edgar Bronfman Jr. will serve as chairman.
Lyor Cohen, chairman and CEO of recorded music and Cameron Strang, chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, remain in their positions, and report directly to Cooper.

Riley O'Connor is the latest inductee to be announced for the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.  Part of Canadian Music Week's 30th anniversary celebrations, his induction will take place on March 22, 2012.  Earlier it was announced the Q107's John Derringer will also be inducted. 

BPI has established a fund to help indies affected by the Sony DADC warehouse fire in London.  More than £100,000 has been raised so far.

A collective licensing agreement, representing almost 1500 major and independent record labels in Canada, has facilitated the launch of Galaxie Mobile by Stingray Digital, the first Canadian-owned commercial-free mobile streaming music service.

Music Canada spearheaded the negotiations, empowering AVLA to act on its behalf. “We aggressively pursued this pioneering agreement because we understand how cumbersome our regulatory environment can be, and we are willing to help services better navigate it,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

"By enabling Stingray to clear all rights necessary with both major and independent music labels, we have created an accessible template for other semi-interactive services that want to come to Canada. In addition, AVLA’s independent members benefit from being at the ground floor of a deal that may otherwise have begun only with the largest rights holders. Developing the digital business here will remain an important priority for us in the months ahead,” says Victoria Shepherd, Executive Director of AVLA.

The story also appears in today's Globe and Mail.

A gust of wind took down another stage - this time in Indiana and this time killing five people and injuring more than forty. 

The tragic events have many in the music community sending their thoughts and prayers to Indiana.  Canadian artist Terri Clark writes on twitter:  "Stage collapse is our greatest nightmare. Thoughts and prayers going out to the victims and families of the Indy tragedy."

Just last month wind took down part of the stage at Ottawa's Bluesfest but fortunately there were only minor injuries.  CBC News has coverage and video from Indiana. 

Billboard reports that SOCAN members will receive their highest royalties ever this month, following additional revenues following the resolution of litigation related to Tariff 1A (Commercial Radio).
In a statement, SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste said “The boost in royalties that SOCAN members will receive in August represents an increase to the income which Canadian music creators and publishers depend on to make a living. SOCAN continues to work diligently towards ensuring that our members are paid adequately through the licensing of music use in Canada.”

The Guardian reports that numerous independent record labels fear they have lost a catastrophic amount of stock in a fire at a distribution warehouse in north London during the riots in the capital on Monday night. A three-storey, 20,000 square-metre building in Enfield, owned by Sony DADC and holding stock to be distributed by the Pias Group, was burned to the ground.

Billboard reports Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Watch the Throne" collaboration album was released exclusively on iTunes today, becoming the first major hip-hop release in recent memory to avoid being leaked.

Digital Music News reports that Deloitte has analyzed the top-grossing tours of the past decade and found that 94% of the top-grossing acts had a lead singer who was over 40 years old. PRS For Music posed the question: "Against the backdrop of falling record sales, who is putting the time, money and expertise into developing the arena, festival and stadium acts of the future?"

More tributes have been pouring in for Steve Propas - in this article Karen Bliss shares more about his negotiating prowess. 

He's been called a good friend, mentor, valuable liaison and legend of the music industry.

The Canadian music community is mourning the loss today of Steve Propas, best known as co-founder of Solid Gold Records with partner Neill Dixon.  Propas passed away last night at the age of 63.

"Steve was a beacon for our community for decades. Music was in his soul. Our community is impoverished by our loss of his prodigious talents and great love of music. Rest in peace, Steve. Hail and farewell," says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

Music writer David Farrell has written a piece chronicling Propas' life and sharing recollections from those who best knew him.

The funeral will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at the Steeles Memorial Chapel in Toronto.

The Hollywood Reporter  that Canadian David Foster is set to take the top position at esteemed jazz label Verve Records:

Plácido Domingo has been named as chairman of IFPI, the organisation that represents the recording industry worldwide.

Domingo said in the statement: "It is a great honor to be invited to become the chairman of IFPI. I have always passionately believed in the importance of respecting talent and in the rights of all those who perform, create, produce and invest in music. Today, the world of music and in fact most of the arts is undergoing enormous changes and challenges. Technology, which on one hand allows artists to reach many more than ever before, has led to a debate about how to find a way to protect the intellectual property rights of artists, creators and all those living and working in the world of music. I look forward to being a part of those discussions."

The New York Times reports on the passing of Amy Winehouse, who died today at age 27.

Monte & Avery Lipman, of Ms. Winehouse’s American record label, Universal Republic, said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer. Our prayers go out to Amy’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.”

IFPI has issued a release announcing that online payment service PayPal has agreed a partnership with City of London Police and the international recording industry that will see even stronger action to prevent PayPal's services being used by illegal websites worldwide that sell copyright infringing music.

Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide says: "We knew that when illegal online music services could no longer take payment from credit cards they would try to work around the restriction. That is why we and the City of London Police approached PayPal and I am delighted to say they responded instantly and positively."

The Guardian reports that Baidu, China's largest search engine, has signed an agreement with top music studios to distribute licensed songs through its MP3 search service, ending years of legal rows over allegations the company abetted piracy.

Music Canada presented Awards of Appreciation to M.P. Dean Del Mastro and Dan McTeague on behalf of the employees of major record labels in Canada in appreciation for their efforts to save jobs.

The Unison Benevolent Fund gets a big shot in the arm from Music Canada and Slaight Music, making the million dollar capital endowment fund goal much closer to being realized.  Music Canada and Slaight Music challenge others in the industry to join them in supporting this vital safety net.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), along with broadcast partner CTV, have announced that Ottawa, Canada’s Capital Region, will host THE 2012 JUNO AWARDS and JUNO Week events and festivities, March 26 – April 1, 2012.

The Polaris Prize Shortlist 2011 was announced yesterday, after a jury narrowed the 40 disc Long List down to 10 contenders vying for the title of the best Canadian album, based on artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history.

Billboard reports that Eminem's 2010 album 'Recovery' is the first album to sell over one-million digital downloads globally, citing Nielsen Soundscan. The article goes on to report that Adele's 2011 album '21' is expected to reach the same benchmark this week.

The Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations (CCMIA) and Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) have announced the formation of a strategic partnership.

As the release states, MROC is a Canadian federally incorporated not-for-profit collective society whose objectives include the collection and distribution of performer remuneration collected by Re:Sound (a music licensing company) formerly known as the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada.

MROC’s sole function is to collect and distribute to musicians the performer’s share of neighbouring rights royalties stipulated under various tariffs approved by the Copyright Board of Canada.