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The Western Canadian Music Alliance and Byta Launch #HowWeListen

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The Western Canadian Music Alliance (WCMA) and BreakOut West, Western Canada’s largest music industry event, and Byta, the platform for securely sending digital audio files and streams, are excited to announce that they will partner to present a five part series titled #HowWeListen. Beginning in January 2021, these will be conversations focused on music discovery with representatives from within the music industry. Five discussions, each focusing on different genres of music creation: Folk, Country, Hip-Hop, Francophone and Rock/Indie.

How industry insiders listen to and discover new music is one of the most important things for artists and their teams to understand. These are the insights artists require in order to properly craft pitches and to target how potential audiences might hear about them.

Hosted by music industry veteran and Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, each discussion will consist of three special guests who work deep within Western Canada’s music industry. A diverse line up of voices will join the conversations including Jordan Sowumni (Boosie Fade), Jim Cresman (Invictus), Mariel Buckley (Artist), Nathan Stein (Dine Alone Records), David ‘Click’ Cox (CLK Creative Works), Cartel Madras (Artist) and more. These conversations will divulge actionable insights into how people working in every level of the music industry consume, discover, and experience new music.

The #HowWeListen series is scheduled to launch January 27 at 11 a.m. CT, with the first panel focusing their attention on Indie Rock music. Each month BreakOut West and Byta will present a new panel discussion with the last and fifth instalment taking place in April.

This is a great opportunity to help you start building a stronger and more effective strategy, no matter the style of music you create or work with.

Panel discussion date are as follows:
January 27 – Rock/Indie
February 17 – Country
March 3 – Hip Hop
March 24 – Francophone
April 7 – Folk

The Western Canadian Music Alliance is a pan western organization created by the Music Industry Associations (MIA’s) of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, The Northwest Territories, the Yukon Territory, to promote and celebrate western Canadian music. WCMA, with the financial support of each provincial and territorial government partner, FACTOR, the Government of Canada and of Canada’s private radio broadcasters, WCMA annually hosts their core artist and industry development event, BreakOut West. The event is held in a different western Canadian city on a rotational basis and is the prime music industry event in western Canada. BreakOut West 2021 will be held October 13-17 in Winnipeg, MB, including a four-day music conference, a three-night multi-genre music festival and the Western Canadian Music Awards and Industry Awards programs.

WCMA’s head office is in Winnipeg. We recognize the ancestral lands, from Treaty One Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.

Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is run as a distributed team across three continents. Byta is unrivaled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files – reading and writing file metadata, converting file formats and delivering fast yet secure streaming. Byta recently launched their #HowWeListen not-for-profit, dedicated to providing musicians and their teams with the knowledge required to move their careers forward.

Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler Reunite For New Single “this is how you fall in love”

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Rekindling their undeniable chemistry once again, singers, songwriters and producers Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler return today with a new single “this is how you fall in love” out now.

“this is how you fall in love” heralds the arrival of their forthcoming EP, brent ii, releasing February 5th. Pre-order/pre-save HERE. Additionally, they unveiled the song’s official music video. “this is how you fall in love” is a smoothly harmonious song that brings Jeremy and Chelsea’s strongest vocals to the table in what they describe as “the kind of song to slow dance to at your wedding.”

In the middle of the global pandemic, Zucker and Cutler safely returned to the Connecticut cabin where they crafted their platinum single, “you were good to me,” and 2019 fan favorite EP, brent, to write, record and produce five new songs that continue the brent story. PAPER Magazine hailed them a “pop power duo,” as Ones To Watch said brent “beautifully showcases Zucker and Cutler’s stunning vocals alongside one another.”

Of “this is how you fall in love,” Jeremy says, “we wanted to write an iconic love song – Chelsea and I always seem to gravitate towards heartbreak, so writing ‘this is how you fall in love’ was a ton of fun for us. as on the nose and cliché as it sounds, it’s a song we imagine people in love slow dancing to.”

Chelsea chimes in, saying, “this is how you fall in love’ is easily one of my favorite songs Jeremy and I have written together, and we knew as soon as we wrote it that it felt really special. it really shows the direction of the project and the growth since brent.”

Growing up in suburban New Jersey, 24-year-old singer, songwriter and producer Jeremy Zucker has always been surrounded by music. In 2015, he released his first EP as a freshman at Colorado College pursuing a degree in Molecular Biology, and by 2017 he had signed a major label record deal with Republic Records. Since then, he has released four EP’s with breakthrough singles, such as Gold Certified singles, “talk is overrated” featuring blackbear and “all the kids are depressed,” and his biggest song to date, “comethru,” which is Platinum Certified and has surpassed over one billion streams. In 2019, Jeremy collaborated with Chelsea Cutler on brent and their Platinum-Certified global viral hit, “you were good to me.” Last spring, Zucker released his long-awaited debut album, love is not dying, to praise from critics and fans alike, as he recently crossed over a staggering 3.2 billion total streams across his catalogue with his latest single, “supercuts.”

Instantly-relatable lyrics and handcrafted lo-fi soundscapes have established Chelsea Cutler as a quiet, yet disruptive, force for popular music. Within two short years, the singer, songwriter and producer went from bedroom-constructed uploads to 750 million-plus cumulative streams and acclaim from Billboard, The New York Times, E! News, PAPER Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, UPROXX, L’Officiel, and more. In 2017, her breakthrough single “Your Shirt” paved the way for her debut EP, Snow In October. Leaving college shortly after, she hit the road alongside Quinn XCII at the top of 2018 before kicking off a prolific string of releases, including the independently released mixtapes Sleeping with Roses and Sleeping with Roses II, leading to two completely sold-out nationwide headline tours in 2018 and 2019 and appearances at Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and more. Signing to Republic Records in 2019, Chelsea uncovered undeniable chemistry with Jeremy Zucker on the collaborative brent EP, which spawned the platinum single “you were good to me.” Honing her style further, she unveiled her 2020 debut album, How To Be Human, featuring the breakout single “Sad Tonight.” Bringing the new music to fans across the country, Cutler launched the sold-out How To Be Human Tour last spring, highlighted by two consecutive sellouts at Terminal 5 in New York City.

Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly Makes Directorial Debut With First Of Its Kind Musical Film Experience, ‘Downfalls High’

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Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly is kicking off 2021 with his directorial debut, the 49-minute musical film Downfalls High, available first on Facebook, is narrated by himself and Travis Barker, featuring Sydney Sweeney and Chase Hudson (Lil Huddy), with musical appearances by blackbear, Iann Dior and Trippie Redd.

Last year, the multi-hyphenate talent flourished following the release of his Billboard 200 No. 1 album Tickets to My Downfall. The album spawned a bevy of Hot 100 singles, including “bloody valentine” and “my ex’s best friend.” MGK celebrated his 2020 success by performing his hit records during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. The mesmerizing performance took place in an empty Times Square area where his rockstar swagger ruled. To follow up his impressive showing, MGK upped the ante with a three-song medley on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The multi-faceted star flaunted his musicality playing three different instruments throughout his fun-filled session.

The film, which started as a passion project written by Baker and Mod Sun, was filmed in Los Angeles in 2020 and fans on Facebook will get an exclusive first look. Fans can access the world premiere by visiting www.facebook.com/machinegunkellymusic or DownfallsHigh.com.

“The Booksellers” Is THE Doc For Book Lovers

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Antiquarian booksellers are part scholar, part detective and part businessperson, and their personalities and knowledge are as broad as the material they handle. They also play an underappreciated yet essential role in preserving history. THE BOOKSELLERS takes viewers inside their small but fascinating world, populated by an assortment of obsessives, intellects, eccentrics and dreamers. “The Booksellers” is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Grant Lawrence of The Smugglers and Lisa Marr of cub join Lookout Records virtual reunion

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In the spirit of UNITY, togetherness, community, friendship, good times, and yes, nostalgia, Oceanside Productions announces the first in a monthly online live performance series for 2021 called LOOKOUT ZOOMOUT.

The reunions will bring together the singers and songwriters from Lookout Records, the iconic Berkeley, California pop-punk record label founded in 1987 by Larry Livermore and David Hayes. Until its demise in 2012, the label had one of the most recognizable logos in the world, and was most notable for bands like Green Day, Operation Ivy, the Donnas, the Mr. T Experience, and Screeching Weasel.

The Smugglers and cub were the label’s only Canadian artists.

“If your band was lucky enough to land on Lookout Records like ours did in the 1990s, it felt like winning the lottery”, states the Smugglers frontman Grant Lawrence, who will lead the conversation between performances. “It was an incredible community of artists, bands, and friends. It didn’t end well, but there were some amazing times and some really, really great records while it lasted.”

The first Lookout Zoomout will occur live on Sunday January 31 at noon PT / 3pm ET and promises to be an interactive experience with fans from around the world. Tickets are available now: https://sidedooraccess.com/shows/7neh5hsekDcH5hDgy3YI.

Featuring:

– Grant Lawrence from the Smugglers… the lead singer of the Vancouver garage rock ‘n’ roll band that was on Lookout from 1995-2005. “Selling the Sizzle”, the band’s highest selling record, was released on Mint Records in Canada and Lookout internationally in 1996.

– Lisa Marr from Cub … the front woman of the “cuddlecore” all-female sensations from Vancouver BC, Lisa sings with a smile in her voice and has always had an incredible knack for hooks. cub’s final album “Box of Hair” was released on Mint Records in Canada and Lookout internationally in 1996.

– Dr. Frank from the Mr. T Experience  … arguably the architect of modern pop punk in sound and lyrics, Dr. Frank and his Berkeley-based band were on Lookout longer than any other artist.

– The Queers … over the course of 40 years, Joe Queer and his black leather jacket-clad band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire have released a string of popular bubblegum punk rock records, none better than “Don’t Back Down” on Lookout, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

– Jon Ginoli from Pansy Division … the lead singer of the first openly gay punk rock band on the planet.

– Raf Classic from The Crumbs … from Miami, Florida, the Crumbs were arguably one of the most underrated punk rock ‘n’ roll bands in Lookout’s entire catalogue.

Reggae Hall of Famer RUPERT (OJIJI) HARVEY Walks Memory Lane With “Old Friends” in New Video

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Multi-award winning artist and Barrie, ON-based Rupert (Ojiji) Harvey takes a trip down memory lane, extending his arms to “Old Friends” in this, his new video.

As both a solo recording artist and the founder of legendary funk band, Crack Of Dawn, and world-renowned Reggae outfit, Messenjah, Harvey has been an iconic mainstay on the Canadian music scene for more than four decades and counting. Along the way, he’s stacked a tower of awards, including a JUNO, CASBY, and the Q107 Music Award. Inducted into the Canadian Reggae Music Hall of Fame, Harvey’s music has been featured in several television and movie soundtracks; there was also a cameo appearance in the movie Cocktail.

“Old Friends” is mined from Harvey’s extensive archive; he wrote the track in 2004 and produced it in 2020 with contributions from his brother, Carl, a long-time member of the GRAMMY Award-winning reggae act, Toots and the Maytals.

The freshly pressed video — produced by Michelle Melles and Pedro Orrego, and featuring engineering and production contributions from Harvey’s son, Meshach — is based on Harvey’s life story, a detail he explains in the opening scene.

“It’s like walking down memory lane,” Harvey muses. “We used photos from my personal photo albums as well as old, archived footage to show Toronto in the 70s — just around the time when many Jamaicans and other West Indians were arriving in Canada.

“The video really hits some very emotional chords,” he continues. “It lays out the very unique journey that was experienced, not just by the Harveys, but by all the people of colour that were starting to settle in Canada.”

Rupert Ojiji Harvey’s solo releases include Ojiji – The Shadow, Ojiji – Halfway Home, and most recently, Once A Lion.

Former ARKITEX Frontman ROGOV Draws Paris’ Illicit & Illustrious Underground with New Single, “Dancing Girls”

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Canadian artist ROGOV and former frontman of 80s-era rockers ARKITEX draws inspiration from Paris’ illicit and illustrious underground as he offers up an unrelenting new alt-rock single, “Dancing Girls.”

Produced by long-time friend and collaborator — Gold- and Platinum-selling, award winning Canadian producer and former lead guitarist for David Bowie, Stacy Heydon (Teenage Head, Long John Baldry, Sheriff) — the track lands as a pulsating, beat-driven ear worm, enticing audiences with its infectious hook, introspective lyrics, and eclectic approach; in all, it’s a great time.

The second release to preview ROGOV’s forthcoming EP, Tourist, the song’s inception sprang to life one summer evening, the artist recalls. “I was walking home, past a book shop, and saw a book called The Crazy Horse Saloon in the window.

“Initially, I’d mistaken it for a book about saloons and horses, but it was about anything but,” he continues. “(The book was actually about) Le Crazy Horse de Paris, a Parisian cabaret known for its diverse range of stage shows, including magic, variety, jugglers, mimes, and — most notably — burlesque.

“I was curious and bought the book. It was gregarious and inspired the pulse, writing, theme, and sonic fabric of ‘Dancing Girls.’”

“Dancing Girls” follows the album’s premiere release, “Mistakes are Beautiful,” a track Canadian industry icon Alannah Myles enthused as “thoughtful, complicated, and extremely interesting.”

Easy Songs to Play with the Ukulele

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Playing the ukulele is not as hard as it seems. This musical instrument is beginner-friendly, meaning that you can start learning at any time or any age!

If you have held a ukulele before, you likely know how easy it is to carry them. Although playing ukulele chords may take you a few minutes, you’ll be playing songs before you realize.

Today we’ll be presenting to you some of the easiest songs you can play with the ukulele. Of course, you’ll have to learn the different ukulele chord variations first, but these songs make the job straightforward for you.

Most of the songs we considered for this list contain easy ukulele chords, so don’t worry about getting lost. However, please note we recommend learning how to read chord charts first before starting the songs. Doing so will make the process a lot more straightforward.

That being said, let’s begin by telling you what songs you can play with the ukulele for beginners!

“22” by Taylor Swift

“22” by singer and songwriter Taylor Swift is extremely easy to learn. It is first on our list because it only uses three notes, meaning that you can learn how to play it in a few moments.

The order is as follows: G – D – C – D. Did you think there was more? That is all. It didn’t take Taylor too much to make of “22” a hit song!

This song is part of Swift’s album Red, which marks a departure from her traditional country sound and incorporates a lot more pop into her music. You can guide yourself better by listening to the song.

“Someone Like You” by Adele

This song by the hit-maker Adele is hugely popular. We doubt you haven’t heard it! This is one of the best ukulele beginner songs you can learn, especially if you’re into sad songs.

Similar to the previous option, this one isn’t complicated to learn either.

The order is as follows for most of the song, except the pre-chorus: G – D – Em – C.

For the pre-chorus, you’ll need to play: D – C – D – C – D.

Although there is a bit of variation here, we doubt you’ll get lost. Listen to the song once, and then try to play it!

“With or Without You” by U2

The famous band U2 has delivered some hits throughout the years, so you probably know about this one (if you don’t live under a rock).

The Irish band used this chord progression for the hit song: C – G – Am – F.

It would be best if you strummed the chords four times each, downwards.

“With or Without You” is a beautiful song, and it’s hugely easy to learn for those who are just getting started into the ukulele world. Watch a detailed tutorial here.

Playing the ukulele is not challenging!

All the songs mentioned above have something in common: they use almost identical and short ukulele chord variations. Therefore, it will only take you a few minutes to learn to play each one. Don’t start buying ukulele accessories just yet. Wait until you can play some more songs!

 

Andy Kim Christmas Special Raises Over $190,000 For Crew Nation, CAMH Gift Of Lights And Food Banks Canada

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The 16th Annual Andy Kim Christmas Special, presented by AIR MILES, which nationally aired on December 19th and December 24th on Citytv, Citytv.com, allowed viewers to donate while watching the special and raised over $190,000* for Crew Nation, CAMH Gift of Lights and Food Banks Canada. AIR MILES also gave viewers the chance to donate Miles towards rewards that directly benefitted Food Banks Canada and raised over $40,000.

“Work is just work unless there is The Purpose. I’m lucky and blessed to have been alongside the inspired who understood helping those in need was paramount during the 2020 Christmas and Holiday Season. Every artist I asked to donate their time and perform a song for our Christmas Special said yes because of the idea of helping others. Whether we do this again or not, I’m thankful to everyone for their time and commitment, and to everyone watching the show at home,” Andy Kim said.

The two-hour music special was broadcast from Toronto’s one and only, El Mocambo on December 19, which reached over 2.5 million viewers and re-aired on Christmas Eve with over 2.3 million Canadians tuning in.
The special was hosted by Sportsnet host and Juno-nominated musician, Tara Slone as well as Cityline host Tracy Moore, and gave Canadians a classic variety entertainment show over the holidays. Performances included some of the country’s most sought-after singer/songwriters and performers: Andy Kim, Barenaked Ladies, Broken Social Scene, Buffy Sainte-Marie, City and Colour, Glass Tiger & Roch Voisine, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Ron Sexsmith, Sam Roberts, Sarah McLachlan, Serena Ryder & William Prince throughout the special.

*$100,000 of the total was donated by The Slaight Family Foundation, which will directly benefit CAMH Gifts of Light. $40,000 will directly benefit Food Banks Canada as a result of AIR MILES collectors. The remaining $50,000 will distributed equally between Food Banks Canada, the Gifts of Light program at CAMH Foundation, and the Crew Nation at Charities Aid Foundation Canada.

My Next Read: “SONIC BOOM The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records, from Hendrix to Fleetwood Mac to Madonna to Prince” by Peter Ames Carlin

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From journalist Peter Ames Carlin—the New York Times bestselling music biographer who chronicled the lives and careers of Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, the Beach Boys, and Paul Simon—Sonic Boom captures the rollicking story of the most successful record label in the history of rock and roll, Warner Bros Records, and the remarkable secret to its meteoric rise.

The roster of Warner Brothers Records and its subsidiary labels reads like the roster of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Prince, Van Halen, Madonna, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, and dozens of others. But the most compelling figures in the Warner Bros. story are the sagacious Mo Ostin and the unlikely crew of hippies, eccentrics, and enlightened execs who were the first in the music business to read the generational writing on the wall in the mid-1960s. By recruiting outsider artists and allowing them to make the music they wanted, Ostin and his staff transformed an out-of-touch company into the voice of a generation. Along the way, they revolutionized the music industry and, within just a few years, created the most successful record label in the history of the American music industry.

How did they do it? It all goes back to the day in 1967 when the newly tapped label president Mo Ostin called his team together to share his grand strategy for the struggling company: “We need to stop trying to make hit records. Let’s just make good records and turn those into hits.”

With that, Ostin ushered in a counterintuitive model that matched the counterculture. His offbeat crew reinvented the way business was done, giving their artists free rein while rejecting out-of-date methods of advertising, promotion, and distribution. And even as they set new standards for in-house weirdness, the upstarts’ experiments and innovations paid off, to the tune of hundreds of legendary hit albums.

It may sound like a fairy tale, but once upon a time Warner Bros Records conquered the music business by focusing on the music rather than the business. Their story is as raucous as it is inspiring, pure entertainment that also maps a route to that holy grail: love and money.