Michael Hollett Resigns from NOW Magazine in Toronto
The importance of Michael Hollett in Toronto, and this country, and around the world cannot be overstated. He’s that big in terms of influence, and presence, and championing music, the environment, human rights, and political events. He’s gone farther than anyone would ever have a right to expect from one person, because Toronto could never even imagine a Now Magazine until Michael and Alice Klein came along. Between experimentation and clear-cut direction, it’s not overreaching to call him a genius, and legend for what he’s been able to accomplish. Never take him for granted, and thank you, Michael.
North by Northeast (NXNE) President and Managing Director, Michael Hollett, has announced today he is resigning his other role as editor/publisher of NOW Magazine, the paper he co-founded in 1981.
“I will be concentrating my future efforts on running North by Northeast (NXNE) with my partners from SXSW and on writing,“ said Hollett in a statement issued today.
“NXNE took huge strides in 2016 and I am committed to building on this growth for 2017 and beyond with exciting ideas I look forward to sharing with all of you soon. Working with my Austin-based partners at Southby, I am convinced we will be able to achieve a SXSW-like impact for Northby in Toronto. Toronto is one of the greatest live music centres in the world and it will continue to be my pleasure to showcase that.”
Hollett co-founded NXNE, with SXSW and local partners, in 1994 and has had his dual roles with NOW and NXNE ever since.
“I am, of course, leaving NOW Magazine with mixed feelings,” said Hollett, “and I remain committed to its role as an independent media voice, an essential and unique media perspective reporting on politics and culture. I am confident that Alice Klein and her amazing NOW Magazine team will continue to push boundaries and tell important stories for years to come and I will enthusiastically support this effort in any way I can.”
Hollett says dates for NXNE 2017, which will be significantly expanded again, will be announced shortly.
400 vintage boom boxes go on sale for $20K
Craig Kenton, a collector living in New Zealand, is selling his collection of over 400 vintage boom boxes. “I feel like the collection is a piece of ’80s art,” he says, “and I hope they go somewhere they can be seen.” Kenton’s asking price is $20,000 — which he says is a bargain for the 20 most valuable boom boxes alone.
Neil Young’s Pono Music will be offline for ‘several weeks’
Pono has told customers its store will be offline for the next several weeks as it switches its back-end provider following that firm’s acquisition.
“In early anticipation of this change, some time ago we began, and subsequently concluded, negotiations to move our content provision to 7 Digital, the leading independent music content/services platform,” Ponomusic said on its Web site. “This process of transition is now well underway, but not yet complete.”
Baz Luhrmann, Nas, and Grandmaster Flash recreate the rise of hip-hop in Netflix’s new drama, The Get Down
The Get Down is a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to a new art form. Set in New York in 1977, this music-driven drama series chronicles the rise of hip-hop and the last days of disco -– told through the lives, music, art and dance of the South Bronx kids who would change the world forever.
The Get Down is from Baz Luhrmann and a team of collaborators including four-time Oscar winner and fellow executive producer Catherine Martin, legendary MC and executive producer Nas, associate producer Grandmaster Flash, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, co-creator and executive producer Stephen Adly Guirgis; and expert collaborators, including hip-hop historian and supervising producer Nelson George.
Shameik Moore (Shaolin Fantastic), Justice Smith (Ezekiel “Books” Figuero), Herizen Guardiola (Mylene Cruz), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Cadillac), Jaden Smith (Dizzee Kipling), Skylan Brooks (Ra-Ra Kipling), Tremaine Brown Jr. (Boo Boo Kiping), Mamoudou Athie (Grandmaster Flash), Jimmy Smits (Francisco “Papa Fuerte” Cruz) and Giancarlo Esposito (Ramon Cruz) star.
https://youtu.be/usv442G6H8A
ILS Group Appoints Experienced Music Executive Eric Alper…Er…Me… As Director Of Media Relations
The Independent Label Services Group (“ILS”), a leading worldwide entertainment distributor and marketing company with ties to Universal Music Group and Caroline International, announced the appointment of Eric Alper as Director of Media Relations.
In this role Alper will drive key media outlets to the artists and labels distributed by ILS, as well as oversee ILS’s relationships around the globe. Formerly with Entertainment One, Eric Alper is renowned as one of the world’s top publicists and brings to ILS over two decades of music industry and public relations experience.
“It’s like coming home. ILS Founder Dominique Zgarka hired me at KOCH Entertainment (now eOne Music) 18 years ago. I couldn’t be more excited to join the ILS family and to be working with ILS’s newly-signed artists Fred Eaglesmith, David Clayton Thomas, Brian McKnight, Eliot Lewis, Slaves On Dope, to name a few,” said Alper. “Working with the top PR and radio promotion firms internationally is a dream for me, and the ILS Group is an excellent company that is well positioned for growth with its committed team. I look forward to being a part of the leadership of this remarkable organization as we move forward.”
Zgarka adds, “Having Eric back as part of my family can only be called a godsend. He has truly defined public relations and promotions in our industry. His personal social media following speaks for itself and we’re thrilled to have him work alongside our team on behalf of our artists.”
IHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox, Sun Broadcast Group And Shazam Collaborate On Groundbreaking New Audio Measurement Solution
Broadcast radio industry leaders iHeartMedia, Cumulus, Entercom, Cox and Sun Broadcast Group announced a strategic alliance with Shazam for a groundbreaking audio audience measurement solution in the U.S. that will deliver market- and station-level audience metrics across all radio formats.
This new measurement solution for broadcast and digital audio brings together these companies’ proprietary data assets and measurement capabilities. Utilizing the most innovative audio recognition technology available and information from specific geographic markets, it will leverage information collected from tens of millions of devices to produce the accurate, stable cross-platform audience metrics that the industry has been waiting for.
“We welcome this kind of innovation in the audio sector, particularly as more and more advertisers are turning to audio solutions to reach the hundreds of millions of audio consumers monthly,” said Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder of Horizon Media. “A solution that better measures audio is good for us, for our clients and for their brands.”
“Shazam delivers unparalleled audio insights that will enable stable measurement across both digital and broadcast radio, making this an extremely exciting initiative for both iHeartMedia and the audio industry,” said Radha Subramanyam, iHeartMedia’s President of Research and Insights. “The richness of our data, combined with Shazam’s measurement capabilities, will enable much deeper insights than traditional audio measurement does, and we believe it’s a necessary and valuable addition to the evolving multi-platform audio measurement marketplace.”
“Shazam’s audio insights can be an empowering measurement tool for Cumulus Media, as well as the audio industry,” said Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer, Cumulus Media. “Clients are demanding more insights and targeting capabilities from media companies, and radio needs to offer what has become basic table stakes. Shazam can help us deliver on these expectations.”
“We are pleased to be working with Shazam and the industry in support of an alternative audience measurement tool that will provide more robust information on the hundreds of millions of local radio listeners,” said David Field, President and CEO of Entercom. “With this type of innovation, we believe media strategists and planners will be prompted to re-think their media mix models to give radio its fair share of the media buy.”
“We like what we see going on with Shazam,” said Bill Hoffman, President of Cox Media Group. “Listeners have more contact with their brand of choice than ever before. We continue to get excited about Audience Measurement that keeps up with the rapid advances of technology to accurately account for who and what makes up our audience.”
“Shazam has become the industry standard in delivering fast, accurate audio recognition at scale,” said Greg Glenday, Shazam’s Chief Revenue Officer. “We are thrilled to help support these radio industry leaders as they continue to innovate.”