Page 2576 – That Eric Alper

Seymour Stein On Jethro Tull

Music

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Nov 16, 2016

I was at the Windsor Pop & Jazz Festival in 1966 or 1967. Jethro Tull were playing and they were unsigned. Mike Vernon was a producer then. I said to him: ‘Look, this band is great.’ And he said to me: ‘Oh Seymour, I could never work with a flautist.’ I didn’t know what a flautist was — we called them flute players! I thought he meant he was a deviant or something.

So I turned to Gus Dudgeon, who was sitting to the other side of me. He was an engineer who became Elton John’s producer, and I told him: ‘You could be involved in [Jethro Tull] — you could be their engineer.’ He said to me: ‘Seymour, obviously you don’t play a musical instrument. If you did, you’d have heard all the mistakes they made.’

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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Now Distributes 1 Million Books A Month

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Nov 16, 2016

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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Now Distributes 1 Million Books A Month

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which began as a small community outreach in Parton’s native Sevier County, Tennessee, has evolved to become the largest literacy program in the world. In December, the “little literacy program that could” marks another impressive milestone—one million books gifted to children around the world each month.

To celebrate the unprecedented success, Evey Johns, a two-year-old from Conway, Arkansas who just enrolled in the Imagination Library, has been randomly selected to receive a $30,000 college scholarship. The announcement was made by Parton during her Pure & Simple concert tour stop in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on Nov. 15. Proceeds from the concert benefit the Imagination Library.

“I thought long and hard about the best way to honor our achievement of reaching a million children a month,” Parton said. “The Imagination Library is all about inspiring dreams, so what better way to pay tribute to this moment than by helping one special child pursue her college degree. I’m thrilled that today I can let the world know that precious little Evey Johns from Conway, Arkansas will receive a $30,000 scholarship for the college of her choice.”

The scholarship will be held in a special account and distributed to Johns when she enrolls in college. Over the next 16 years, the amount of scholarship should grow to nearly approximately $50,000. Johns is enrolled in the Imagination Library in Conway thanks to the local affiliate in her area, Arkansas Preschool Plus.

“The thought of our daughter Evey going to college has been just that—a thought,” explained Evey’s mother, Connie. “Now, due to the enormous kindness and generosity of the Dollywood Foundation, that thought has now become a reality. Our family now has the means to develop a solid plan for our daughter’s future education. Thank you all so much for this unbelievable opportunity for our daughter.”

In 2016, the Imagination Library and its local partners will gift nearly 11.5 million books to children from birth to age five in participating communities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. To date, the Imagination Library, which is administered through the Dollywood Foundation, has provided more than 85 million books to children around the world.

Arkansas Preschool Plus is just one of the many local affiliates the Dollywood Foundation works with to provide books to children. To provide the Imagination Library, a community must make the program accessible to all preschool children in their area, and the community pays for the books, promotes the program and registers the children. The Dollywood Foundation manages the delivery of books to children’s homes.

Arkansas Preschool Plus enrolls 960 children in Conway, Faulkner and Perry Counties. Currently, nearly 15,000 children are enrolled in Arkansas. The Imagination Library currently is working with elected officials, foundations and corporations in Arkansas in an effort to make the program available to all children from birth to age five in the state.

Founded in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting organization that has, to date, mailed more than 85 million books to children in Australia, Belize, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States. Each month, the program currently mails more than one million specially selected, high-quality, age-appropriate books to registered children from birth until they start Kindergarten in participating communities. Dolly envisioned creating a lifelong love of reading in children, preparing them for school and inspiring them to dream. Recent studies suggest participation in the Imagination Library is positively and significantly associated with higher measures of early language and math development. Penguin Random House is the exclusive publisher for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Governor General of Canada to present Fran Herman, Canadian pioneer of music therapy, with Meritorious Service Medal

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Nov 16, 2016

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Governor General of Canada to present Fran Herman, Canadian pioneer of music therapy, with Meritorious Service Medal

His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, announced that the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) will be presented to Mrs. Fran Herman, one of the pioneers of music therapy in Canada, and the first Chair of the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund. Fran will receive her award from the Governor General this Friday, at the Music Therapy Centre she founded in Toronto.

After decades of being a Music Therapist (MTA) working with children with special needs, Fran used her unique skills as a story teller, author, an advocate for persons coping through challenging circumstances, and her passion for the profession of music therapy to do what some claimed was impossible – raise over $4 million with the support of the Canadian music industry.
These funds pioneered music therapy programs and research across the country and financed free and subsidized music therapy at the Toronto Music Therapy Centre.

To raise these funds Fran used the most simple of all media – connecting with people. Fran mobilized a team seemingly simply by telling them about the histories of children she worked with and how music therapy had transformed their lives. The work and visibility of the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund and the Music Therapy Centre (both continue to this day) reach individuals of all ages across the country and inspire programs internationally. To date, her efforts have contributed to the funding of over 400 music therapy projects from coast to coast to coast, enabling new research, new program development and direct music therapy services to reach thousands of men, women, children and seniors with different needs (physical disabilities, palliative care, mental health, just to name a few) in healthcare and special education settings.

Music therapy is a research-based practice and profession in which music is used to actively support people as they strive to improve their health, functioning and well-being. Music therapists incorporate a range of music making methods within and through a therapeutic relationship. They are employed in a variety of sectors including health, community, aged care, disability, early childhood, and private practice. Music therapy is different from music education and entertainment as it focuses on health, functioning and well-being. Music therapists are committed to supporting people of any age and ability regardless of musical skill, culture or background and they use the power of music to heal, rehabilitate, and promote wellness across a broad array of challenges, including autism, Alzheimer’s, depression, physical disability, homeless youth, and assisting with end of life care. Brain imaging has shown that music affects our brains like no other experience, and that the way our brain engages in music is special. Music engages the whole brain, giving it the power to bypass injury and help reprogram the brain. Yet despite the mounting scientific evidence, music therapy remains unfunded by government health care or corporate benefit programs.

Leonard Cohen Reads His Poetry In This Lost Interview From 1974

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Nov 16, 2016

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Leonard Cohen Reads His Poetry In This Lost Interview From 1974

“I don’t feel any compulsion just to stand under the spotlight night after night unless I have something to say“ – Leonard Cohen

One evening in December of 1974, Leonard Cohen went on WBAI FM in New York City. This radio interview has rarely been heard since the night it aired. But it’s been preserved by the Pacifica Radio Archives.

Cohen talked about his creative endeavors and influences during the interview, but we circled in on the conversation about his writing and his poetry. Cohen read a poem he had written nearly 20 years earlier, Two Went to Sleep. There’s something about hearing him read his own words and taking a journey into his mind.

The Cast and Crew of Sesame Street Do the Mannequin Challenge

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Nov 16, 2016

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The Cast and Crew of Sesame Street Do the Mannequin Challenge

Brought to you by the letters L, I, and T. It’s lit on Sesame Street!

No surprise…Leonard Cohen sales explode since his passing

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Nov 15, 2016

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No surprise…Leonard Cohen sales explode since his passing

Doug Spence, VP for client and business development at Border City Media in Canada, writes to FYI Music to update readers on the uptick in sales on Leonard Cohen’s catalogue sales.

“The expected resurgence of interest in Leonard Cohen’s catalog has already begun, since the announcement of his passing on Nov 10th.

“For the six days leading up to the announcement (Nov 4-9,) Cohen’s catalogue combined for a total of slightly over 3,500 album sales. On the day of the announcement, the one-day total album sales of his catalogue was 3,350 units. BuzzAngle can also report a total catalogue sales number of 15,100 units for the first two days after his passing (Friday Nov 11- Saturday Nov 12th).

“The increases were led by his latest release, You Want it Darker, surging to the top position on the BuzzAngle Album Consumption Ranking (week-to-date Nov 11 &12) with a two-day consumption total of 9,300 units, along with The Essential Leonard Cohen coming in at #3. In total, the Leonard Cohen catalogue holds 13 positions in the Top 100 rankings week-to-date.

“Also, during the two days of reporting since his passing, Leonard Cohen songs have been streamed an incredible 1.9 million times, obviously led by the beautiful ‘Hallelujah.'”

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NXNe returns to Toronto June 16-25, 2017

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Nov 15, 2016

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NXNe returns to Toronto June 16-25, 2017

The 23rd Annual NORTH BY NORTHEAST (NXNE) is expanding to ten days, with a dynamic selection of music, gaming, comedy, and more June 16 – 25, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario.

NXNE will return to the Port Lands for three days from June 23 – 25, 2017, continuing to utilize a unique location in an unexplored area of the City of Toronto. NXNE Port Lands will include two main stages, art installations, sponsor activations, and comfortable places to chill between acts, as well as a comedy tent, and carnival rides.

“In it’s first year the NXNE Port Lands saw thousands of attendees in two days,” said Michael Hollett, President and Managing Director of NXNE. “Our growth and expansion for 2017 are based on the success of last year with cool programming from indie rock to hip hop to soul and much more each day.”

NXNE Game Land will kick off the 2017 Festival at Yonge-Dundas Square with a massive live e-Sports competition, new video game demos, interactive activations, and live music June 16 -18, 2017. In 2016 NXNE Game Land saw 25,000 visitors over three days.

From June 19 – 25, 2017 NXNE will host hundreds of new and established artists at over a dozen venues across the city for NXNE Club Land, including The Danforth Music Hall, The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, and Adelaide Hall.

808, the trailer of influential Roland TR-808 drum machine documentary is here

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Nov 15, 2016

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808, the trailer of influential Roland TR-808 drum machine documentary is here

808 chronicles the incredible story of the influential Roland TR-808 drum machine, a small but powerful piece of technology that changed the course of music history. Narrated by Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, the film features commentary and contributions from such superstars as Pharrell Williams, Afrika Bambaataa, Questlove, The Beastie Boys, Damon Albarn, David Guetta, Phil Collins, Diplo, New Order, and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim), as well as pioneering producers including Rick Rubin, Jellybean Benitez, Hank Shocklee, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The filmmakers’ three-year-journey concludes in the 808’s birthplace of Japan, where Roland founder Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi at last reveals the untold reason for the machine’s mysterious early discontinuation, just as it was turning up on more hit records than any other drum machine.

The feature length documentary will be first released worldwide exclusively via Apple Music on Friday, December 9th before being available on the iTunes Store a week later. The official soundtrack arrives November 25th via Big Beat Records, also for sale on vinyl alongside other exclusive 808 merchandise.

808: The Music

1) Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force – Planet Rock
2) Beastie Boys – Paul Revere
3) Public Enemy – Yo! Bum Rush the Show
4) Man Parrish – Hip Hop Be Bop (Don’t Stop)
5) Planet Patrol – Play At Your Own Risk
6) Shannon – Let The Music Play
7) Strafe – Set It Off
8) T La Rock / Jazzy J – It’s Yours
9) 808 State – Flow Coma
10) Felix da Housecat – Kickdrum
11) Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz- What U Gon’ Do (feat. Lil Scrappy)
12) Flux Pavilion – Vibrate
13) Jamie xx – Gosh
14) Lil Wayne & Charlie Puth – “Nothing But Trouble”

Listening Habits Of Streaming Music Consumers

Music

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Nov 15, 2016

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Listening Habits Of Streaming Music Consumers

Although the relatively early stage of development of the streaming market means that most listening habits are not yet being changed, there are fundamental shifts emerging among streamers and subscribers that point to the future of music consumption:

Subscribers are fickle listeners: 58% of subscribers report listening to individual albums and tracks just a few times while 60% are doing this more than they used to because they are discovering so much new music. In both instances the rate is approximately double that of overall consumers. The abundance of choice presented by streaming services is contributing to lower listener engagement with any single artist or release. People are listening to more music but less frequently.

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Music Business Worldwide’s podcast this week features an interview with Mike Caren

Music

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Nov 15, 2016

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Music Business Worldwide’s podcast this week features an interview with Mike Caren, the founder of APG – the only label in the US to break two debut artist albums to Gold in the first half of 2016.

It’s not easy breaking artists right now – especially when you’re committed to building careers.

Just two debut artist albums went Gold in the US in the first six months of this year: Nine Track Mind by Charlie Puth and Islah by Kevin Gates.

Both of them happen to be on the same label: Mike Caren’s Artist Partners Group – an ‘independent major’ imprint of Atlantic Records run out of Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Islah has since gone Platinum, in a year when others are struggling to gain traction for emerging artists in the US and beyond.

So what’s Caren’s secret?

Caren partly puts APG’s success down to its determination to keep its roster manageable, and therefore dedicate creative resources to each artist than other labels can muster..

“We [at APG] believe that, if you are a star, you still have to essentially work harder than all your competition,” he says in the reborn MBW Podcast, available to listen to above. “We don’t sign [acts] who don’t have that.”

He adds: “Very few people have really studied the business [enough] to understand that the A&R timeline people have in their head of signing and being successful in 12-18 months is unrealistic.

“Possibly the reason why a lot of artists are successful on their second record deals is that the first team wasn’t patient enough.

“The real lifetime [to break an artist after signing them] is two years-plus. Advances are going to burn out before then – you need a business model that can make it to that point.”