The MuchMusic Experience To Tour Canada In 13 Cities For One Night Only Events

Fri Jun 30 2023
The MuchMusic Experience

Following the worldwide debut at SXSW 2023, the documentary feature, 299 Queen Street West, is coming to Canadian venues. After each screening will be an Intimate & Interactive with iconic MuchMusic VJ’s and the Director, Sean Menard.

With unprecedented access to the MuchMusic archives, the two-hour feature tells the origin story and meteoric rise of the seminal music and pop culture brand, highlighting its beginnings as a scrappy Canadian television upstart.

Watch the doc trailer here:

A Hidden Treasure in Sweden – Meet Simon Roosé

Fri Jun 30 2023
Simon Roosé

Since Simon Roosé was five years old, he have wanted to be a musician. “It wasn't until I was 13 that I became completely obsessed with playing, creating, and listening to music. In the past eight years, I began my musical journey by singing in choirs. Later, I attended Christian 4:s Gymnasium in Kristianstad, where I experimented with many musical genres, including pop, rock, indie rock, hip-hop, jazz, funk, and fusion. I also studied a variety of instruments, including the guitar, drums, bass, and piano, but I fell in love with playing the guitar and have been playing the guitar as my main instrument ever since,” Simon tells us from his home in Sweden.

In addition to producing his own instrumental music, Simon eventually formed an indie band with some of his friends but as the story always goes the band eventually disbanded.

Redpath Traffic Collaborates with Music Legend Chris Birkett on New Single About Hiding As A Gay Man "Do You Love Me Now?"

Fri Jun 30 2023
Redpath Traffic

Hot off the heels of their most recent single "Hey Mona!", Toronto's terrific trio Redpath Traffic is striking a different chord with their latest release, "Do You Love Me Now?", featuring the legendary Chris Birkett on lap steel, keyboards, and backing vocals. Both tracks will be available on the group's debut LP Under The Crimson Sun, available everywhere this October. Check out “Do You Love Me Now?” on YouTube here:

 The electrifying brainchild of drummer Kerem Balci, bassist Mark Fernley, and guitarist/vocalist Rick Todd, Redpath Traffic creates genre-agnostic music that fuses blues and rock with a touch of punk, while weaving through their personal narratives of love, loss, redemption, and change.

Bruce Cockburn and Dar Williams The Royal Oak Music Theatre (USA)

Fri Jun 30 2023
Bruce Cockburn

To celebrate the release of his twenty-seventh studio album, the gorgeous O Sun O Moon, Bruce Cockburn will perform more than forty solo shows this year throughout North America and into the U.K. It is an ambitious schedule for any performer. At seventy-eight, with profound osteoarthritis and a congenital condition that limits his mobility, Cockburn sounds better than ever. His voice is clear and strong with a richer tone and perhaps greater range than in younger days. And his guitar playing, although not as acrobatic as it was forty years ago, is jaw-dropping. Playing the Royal Oak Music Theatre in Royal Oak, Michigan, in mid-June, the Canadian-born California resident demonstrated why he is recognized as one of the most important singer-songwriters and outstanding guitarists of his generation.

Agnes Mai – Soulful Beyond Her Years

Fri Jun 30 2023
Agnes MaI

Agnes Mai sings and plays the piano to her narrative pop songs with a lot of feeling and wisdom beyond her years. Her lyrics are often playful and written from a slightly unexpected perspective, and they can be about both the happy and difficult parts of life, taking you on a rollercoaster of emotions from joy to heartache and back again.

Even difficult things can turn into something beautiful in Agnes Mai's musical world. Agnes writes all her own songs as well as doing all her own productions, an amazing undertaking at such a young age, but when you listen her music she is writing and singing material beyond here age, with an ethereal way of presentation and delivery.

She has always loved making music, but started writing songs regularly in high school. Before that, she played a lot of covers, and was active in the choir in Lund, which has influenced her music and given her tools to create her own music. This shows in her song “Like a Virus”. Watch Agnes Mai with a live version of “Like a Virus” on YouTube here:

Kenny Rogers’ Song Cycle ‘Life Is Like A Song’ Features New And Rare Material

Fri Jun 30, 2023

Kenny Rogers’ first posthumous album, Life Is Like A Song, out via UMe, is a heartfelt collection of songs that were near and dear to the late legend but in most cases never released. Curated and executive produced by the Country Music Hall of Famer’s widow, Wanda Rogers, the album features eight never-before-heard recordings, spanning 2008-2011, and showcases Rogers’ range through an array of original material and covers, including interpretations of Eric Clapton’sWonderful Tonight”and Lionel Richie’sGoodbye,”as well as the artist’s long-sought-after lost duet with Dolly Parton, “Tell Me That You Love Me,” presented here in a never-before-released, newly remixed form.

From Local Hero to Global Hero

Fri Jun 23 2023
Peter Åstedt

I have stopped going to Swedish galas. Recently it was the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. You have never heard of the Polar Music Prize? I’m not surprised. To make it simple the fifth member of ABBA, Stickan Anderson left a big chunk of money to make a Nobel Prize for music. You get a Polar Prize for your good work in the music industry. And there are many famous artists that have gotten the prize like Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Max Martin, and BB King to mention a few.

In the beginning members of the music industry were invited also to the Gala. The problem has always been that the only real famous people have been that one big artist that won. A Gala with just one big artist and then a whole concert room full of nobodies. It’s not like the Grammy Awards in L.A or even better the Oscars where you really have famous people. Over the years they have tried to fix this problem by removing people from the music industry and replacing them with more famous people. Famous in that way that the general public in Sweden know who they are, not the global audience.

Canadian Music Week 2023 Soared in Success at the Westin Harbour Castle

Fri Jun 23 2023
Ivytide

Canadian Music Week 2023 was a highly anticipated event that brought together industry professionals, musicians, and music enthusiasts from across Canada and beyond. This 41st edition took place on June 8-10, 2023 and saw a welcome return to original location at the Westin Harbour Castle, which offers CMW regulars and newfound visitors a place to meet, network and exchange ideas. The Mentor’s Café featured global experts who sat down for short meetings with the purpose of advising and empowering developing artists and professionals to navigate the ever-evolving music landscape and stay ahead of industry trends.

Bruce Cockburn feat. Susan Aglukark "To Keep The World We Know" New Video Is Out Now

Fri Jun 23 2023
Bruce Cockburn

“Time takes its toll, but in my soul I’m on a roll,” Bruce Cockburn sings on his latest studio album, O Sun O Moon. Smart and catchy, it’s the kind of memorable line—like “gotta kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight” from his classic song “Lovers in a Dangerous Time”—the world has become used to hearing from Cockburn.

Watch the video Bruce Cockburn feat. Susan Aglukark - To Keep the World We Know on YouTube here:

SPIKE BULGARIAN FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SPIKE x IMB School Scholarship Opportunity

Fri Jun 16 2023
SPIKE BULGARIAN FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SPIKE x IMB School Scholarship Opportunity

SPIKE is proud to announce its partnership with International Music Business School and our inaugural scholarship! IMB School is the first school exclusively dedicated to the global music business and is backed by more than 15 years of experience developing leading training programs for professionals in the music sector.

The scholarship winner will receive a 1000 EUR endowment toward the cost of tuition for the IMB School Postgraduate Diploma in Music Business Mindset.

“Music Business Mindset” Diploma

The Artist Is In The Driver's Seat

Fri Jun 16 2023
Peter Åstedt

If you think that your future will be to get signed to a record label, think again. I read in several places that artists today must invest so much more before they are in alignment to be picked up by professionals in the industry. You must start thinking as an artist that you are your first label, your first publicist, your first publisher, and your first manager.

The future of the music industry will be consulting. There is not enough money to go around to be able to invest in new artists. In the old days, you invested dollars into 100 artists, and only 10 of them would make money, but on the other hand, these ten would bring in so much money that it paid for the other 90.

Today there is no one with a proper ROI plan that would invest in that way. The different streams of income make it so unpredictable. With the new digital tools, you can also wait until everything is stable to start to invest.

For an artist is not good enough to just have a good song. It’s not good enough to have a look. Instead, we expect that you come with good songs, a good image and a fanbase, along with a hell of a live show and also be an active professional on social media. 

Kardinal Offishall Receives Social Justice Award at Canadian Music Week

Fri Jun 16 2023
Kardinal Offishall

Canadian Music Week was proud to present Kardinal Offishall with the Social Justice Award at the CMW Music Summit on June 10, 2023 at the Westin Harbour Castle. Canadian media personality Master T hosted a keynote interview with Kardinal Offishall, followed by the presentation of this second annual award.

Social Justice is grounded in the idea that everyone deserves the full spectrum of political, economic and social rights, and opportunities. The annual Social Justice

Award recognizes a current artist/celebrity pursuing social justice and upholding the values of equality, respect and inclusion.

After years of earning global respect as one of Canada’s most energetic and innovative emcees, Kardinal Offishall has been a staple in the global music scene. He has collaborated on hit records such as “Beautiful” with Akon, “Just Dance” with Lady Gaga, “Numba 1” with Rihanna, and made history with his monster classic “Dangerous” which scorched to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, making him the first rapper from Canada to do so in history.

The Awesome Music Project June 21st In Support Of Young Adult Mental Health at the Legendary Elmo

Fri Jun 16 2023
The Awesome Music Project

Fefe Dobson, Tyler Shaw, Danny Michel, Nicolina Bozzo, Antonio Michael Downing And More Join The Awesome Music Project June 21st In Support Of Young Adult Mental Health, with live event and an online live auction.

Live Auction Items include:
- A pair of great seats to see Beyonce July 8th at the Rogers Centre on her Renaissance Tour

- A pair of Gold tickets to see a regular season Toronto Maple Leafs game during the 2023-24 season

- A guitar signed by everybody involved in the June 21st show

- A $1000 personal photography tutoring package with a professional editorial/commercial/portrait photographer

- An Altec-Lansing waterproof bluetooth portable speaker

Access the Live Auction here: https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/The-AMP-Salute-to-Frankie…

On June 21, 2023 at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto, The Awesome Music Project will kick off summer with a night of music and storytelling you won’t soon forget.

Canadian Music Week International Awards for Agent and Promoter of the Year

Fri Jun 16 2023
Marty Diamond and Neill Dixon

Canadian Music Week was proud to present two major International Awards during the CMW Music Summit at the Westin Harbour Castle during the 41st Annual Festival. On Thursday June 8, CMW presented Executive Vice President and Managing Executive of Wasserman Music, Marty Diamond, with International Agent of the Year. On Friday June 9, CMW presented Michael Chugg, Founder/ CEO of Chugg Entertainment, with the International Promoter of the Year.

Toronto Music Historian Bob Wegner Chronicles The Untold Story Of Max Webster in New Book “High Class”

Fri Jun 16, 2023

Toronto-based music historian, multi-instrumentalist, and radio host Bob Wegner scours the archives over countless hours to bring audiences the definitive guide to one of Canada’s most prolific rock bands of all time, Max Webster, with the new book entitled, “Max Webster: High Class” — available now!

Wegner’s latest authorial pursuit sees him wearing many hats as he documents Canadian music history with an unprecedented look at infamous Toronto rockers Max Webster. “In the case of this book, you’re a journalist, fact-checker, designer, audio engineer, and archivist,” says Wegner.

“I relentlessly scoured the world for anything I could find on the subject. Interviewed most of the band members and various other people in the fold and on the periphery,” says Wegner, who would sometimes spend hours researching a single footnote. Wegner also oversaw the digitization of photos, audio, and video, including nearly 400 pages of photos and text.

From Local Hero To Global Hero

Fri Jun 09 2023
From Local Hero To Global Hero

I have stopped going to Swedish Galas. The other day was the Polar Music Prize in Stockholm. You have never heard of the Polar Music Prize? I’m not surprised. To make it simple the fifth member of ABBA, Stickan Anderson left a big chunk of money to make a Nobel prize for music. You get a Polar Prize for your good work in the music industry. And there are many famous artists that have gotten the prize like Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Max Martin, and BB King to mention a few.

In the beginning members of the music industry were invited also to the Gala. The problem has always been that the only real famous people have been that one big artist that won. A Gala with just one big artist and then a whole concert room full of nobodies. It’s not like the Grammy Awards in L.A or even better the Oscars where you really have famous people. Over the years they have tried to fix this problem by taking out people from the music industry and replacing them with more famous people. Famous in that way that the general public in Sweden know who they are, not the global audience.

SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase 2023 Hits Success with Global Showcases and Delegates

Fri Jun 09 2023
SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase 2023

The SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase Festival in Plovdiv is an electrifying and vibrant celebration of music that captivates both locals and music professionals alike. Having attended the festival recently, I can confidently say that it exceeded all my expectations and left an indelible mark on my memory and a bunch of healthy connections in the Balcan music industry as well as the international market.

First and foremost, the festival's location in the beautiful city of Plovdiv adds an extra layer of charm to the entire experience. Plovdiv's rich history and stunning architectural backdrop create a unique atmosphere that perfectly complements the diverse range of performances at the SPIKE Bulgarian Music Showcase

Sultans of String and Digging Roots “Take Off The Crown” In New Single

Fri Jun 02 2023
Sultans of String

‘Take Off The Crown’ is a collaboration between Raven Kanatakta of 2x JUNO Award winning Digging Roots, and 3x JUNO nominated, 6x CFMA winning Sultans of String, with bed tracks recorded at Jukasa Studios, an Indigenous-owned world-class recording facility on the Six Nations reserve south of Hamilton, Ontario. It is the fourth single off the upcoming Sultans album entitled ‘Walking Through the Fire’ (Sept 22, 2023 release), a CD and concert of collaborations with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists across Turtle Island.

The lyrics are penned by Raven Kanatakta Polson-Lahache and Sho-Shona Kish, and the music created with Sultans of String.\

Smudge burning in the morning
Makes a healing cloud
News blackout on the lost ones
100,000 souls singing loud

Legendary Singer/Songwriter David Pomeranz Releases New Single of Chicago’s ‘You’re My Inspiration’

Fri Jun 02, 2023

Described by Billboard Magazine as "...one of our finer voices", David Pomeranz's recording and songwriting projects have earned him a total of 22 platinum and 18 gold albums - selling over 40 million records internationally. He has achieved success in virtually every entertainment medium and his concert performances have delighted and inspired audiences all over the world.

And now the latest release is actually a cover tune.

“I recorded a cool album containing some of my favorite Pop Radio Hits - mostly from the 80’s and 90’s. It consists of songs I didn’t write, but I thought it’d be fun to record them as if I HAD written them! I’ve just recently remixed and remastered the tracks, and they sound amazing!”, David explains.

A true songwriter at heart, David appreciates great songs written by others.

Even Festivals Have To Live With The Rules Of Economics

Fri Jun 02 2023
Peter Åstedt

I'm currently involved in booking artists for several festivals this summer. Recently, I spent some time reviewing applications for one particular festival. It's a smaller family-oriented event, driven by the local community and typically draws around 3000 visitors. While it may not be the most financially robust festival. It has though a family feeling and it’s a good starting point for a newer artist.

If you've worked in live booking, you know that personal relationships play a significant role - perhaps even more than you'd expect. The prices you can secure when you have established connections with booking agencies can be vastly different from what you'd get if you were just another person seeking a live show from an artist on their roster. In some cases, I've witnessed discounts of up to 50% off the regular price. This is why price tags are usually not listed on the agency's official websites; you have to contact them for a price quote, as it can vary greatly depending on the circumstances.