Meta: Video game music is now such a serious art form that it has its own category at the Grammys. Find out why this might be right here.

Music in video games is extremely important and has helped shape the video game industry over the past few decades. It enhances the players' experience and takes gaming to the next level. It even has its own category at the Grammys.

Let's dive into discover why video game music (VGM) is now a serious art form and look at some of the most memorable video game soundtracks in recent years. 

The Black History Month Classical Music Series, was created by Joy Bullen, Culturepreneur, to introduce Canadians to young, Black, Canadian, musicians who shatter stereotypes and are themselves in the process of making history.

We hear so little about Canadian Black Classical artist, composers and musician, like William Leather Nashville Symphony trumpet, Measha Brueggergosman Diva and Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser Conductor/Composer.

Since 2015, they present performances featuring musicians who excel in areas where Black voices and presence have often been silenced or ignored. Each year they partner with cultural and not-for-profit organizations across Canada to entertain and educate diverse audiences.

This year’s Black History Month Concert Series features:

By Popular Demand:
Feb 14: Hugh’s Room, Toronto
March 30: Brampton Onstage -Cyril Clark Theatre

Tickets Available Here:
showpass.com/micahbarnes/
tickets.brampton.ca/Online/mapSelect.asp

Acclaimed singer Micah Barnes, renowned for his soulful voice and captivating stage presence, is set to enchant audiences with a series of performances celebrating the timeless melodies of the 60s with two shows in Toronto, ON and Brampton, ON.

The eagerly awaited shows will feature Barnes showcasing his vocal prowess through a repertoire that includes iconic hits from the golden era of pop music, including classic songs from his legendary a cappella group The Nylons, along with a few teasers focusing on his upcoming "2nd Great American Songbook” ( Alma / Universal Music Canada, out in Spring, 2024), with tunes by Carole King, Burt Bacharach, Smokey Robinson featuring a top-notch band of Michael Shand on piano, bassist Russ Boswell and Amhed Mitchel on drums.

Editor's Note: We received this press release just days before the passing of Melanie, on January 23, 2024, at the age of 76. We felt it was still deserving to announce the upcoming release as it truly is now a timeless album.

Melanie, the acclaimed folk-pop icon whose performance at the historic Woodstock Festival in 1969 launched her career, continued to captivate audiences long after the counterculture revolution came and went. She’s released 25+ studio albums throughout her multi-decade career alongside multiple compilations. But it’s always been her live performances that resonated the most with her audience. Now those fans have cause to celebrate as one of her best live recordings is set for release on both CD and, for the first time ever, vinyl!

11:00am - Sunday, February 18th 2024
11:00am Worship Service at Verity Centre For Better Living - 449 Vaughan Road, Toronto
Guest Speakers: Eddie Bullen ~ Jazz Pianist; Dani Elwell and John Devenish ~ JAZZ.FM91
Guest Performers Drummers From The Community Verity Community Choir, Derrick Sweet & Son, and Kolette Easy

Jay Douglas first appeared on stage in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Throughout his time of entertaining, Jay has developed into an Internationally idolized musical renaissance man thanks to his wide-ranging repertoire of Reggae, American blues, West Indian rhythms, and jazz standards — including the Light in the Attic’s “From Jamaica to Toronto” concert series. In the late ’60s,

He was rock and roll music's first falsetto singing star, with Frankie Valli and Lou Christie soon to follow in his musical footsteps.

Del Shannon had a "Runaway" hit with his first hit in 1961, Charting #1 on the Cashbox Charts. Two years later in 1963, he had the first USA hit single written by the Beatles, before we would know who the Beatles would become.

Check out “From Me to You” here:

His first hit that put him in Rock ‘n’ Roll history books was definitely “Runaway”:

Neil Leyton has just announced the release of his newest single “Singerman” out NOW on Shame Destroyer Records. The new single follows Leyton’s tradition of crafting sing-along pop anthems with garage-rock-grit. Following the release of the “Michael Maker” and “Praia Verde Eldorado” singles recorded at Canoa Studios in Portugal, Portuguese-Canadian rock n roll singer-songwriter Neil Leyton brings us “Singerman”: an ode to his good friend from NYC Robert Singerman.

Listen on Spotify here: Singerman - song and lyrics by Neil Leyton | Spotify

Time Passages will publish JOURNEY: WORLDS APART, the definitive accounting of the multiplatinum “Don’t Stop Believin’” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hitmakers written by award-winning journalist Nick DeRiso, on December5, 2023.

A multiple “Columnist of the Year” award-winner for the USA Today network, DeRiso conducted dozens of interviews to compile a book that’s much more than just a detailed band biography – it’s an all-access backstage pass for casual and devoted Journey fans alike.

As the season is upon us, Cashbox Radio, like most stations at this time, is busy putting the rotation list together of the old standards as well as the 2023 Indie Releases that we feel deserve airplay and attention.

The Second Cashbox Radio Christmas Pick Hits are:

(in alphabetical order)

Don Graham –Make Every Day Like it Was Christmas Day

Len Mizzino – It’s Christmas

David McPherson is a Waterloo, Ontario-based author, freelance writer, and communications consultant. Ever since attending his first rock concert in 1989 (The Who) and buying his first LP (Freeze Frame by The J. Geils Band), music has become “the elixir of his life.” With more than 18,000 songs on my iPod, and an ever-growing vintage vinyl collection, it’s a joy to discover new music; he loves sharing these discoveries with his wife and two children. After watching his first show [The Old 97s] at the Horseshoe Tavern more than twenty years ago, he was in love with this iconic venue. David’s first book: The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern: A Complete History chronicled the history of this Toronto institution; it was published in 2017. Since, he has published two more books: Massey Hall (2021) and 101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts (2023).

Eric Alper PR is excited to offer a Spotify promotion and playlisting approach that keeps long-term streaming growth and algorithmic cohesion as its primary focus. This means that he only uses real human manual pitching to outlets curated by people who want to hear your genre of music, and to outlets that would be programming your song in lists with similar independent artists and marketing those lists to audiences who would be looking for music like it.

“What once seemed like the future is now, and the beat of innovation never stops. As we step into the now, I’m thrilled to announce that Spotify promotion has joined our repertoire of services.”

He works to use the digital streaming service algorithms to help put your music in spaces where listeners would expect to hear it, resulting in a lower skip rate. He uses his almost-decade experience third party playlists as a way to teach discovery algorithms that your song should be suggested to more listeners who like similar artists. It is our experience that as a result of this, there will be a longer period of growth on your track and a higher chance of it reaching people who will become real fans.

Buffy Sainte-Marie statement:

I want to begin by thanking the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the honour. As one of the most prestigious awards in the global entertainment industry, it is a true recognition of the outstanding team who worked on my story – the true story of my life.

I’ve always believed it takes rain and sunshine to bring a rainbow. This great honour does indeed come after the rain – as I continue to absorb and process the recent attack on my character, life and legacy. It’s a deep wound to my inner child, but as an 82-year-old now, I’m strong – and these allegations do not shake me.

Now it is time for me to shine a light on the truth, my truth.

I have never lied about my identity. The more I’ve known, the more I’ve pieced together a sense of self from what information has been available to me.

What I know about my Indigenous ancestry I learned from my growing up mother, who was of Mi’kmaq heritage, and my own research later in life. My mother told me that I was adopted and that I was Native, but there was no documentation as was common for Indigenous children at the time.