…and now, we bring you a quiet evening at Owl Farm in Woody Creek, Colorado, the homestead where Hunter S. Thompson, aka Dr. Gonzo is spending a quiet moment and having a civil disagreement with his neighbours. Using guns. And NSFW language.
Joe Elliott Of Def Leppard On The First Album He Ever Bought
The album was Every Picture Tells a Story by Rod Stewart. It was the first album I ever bought, and it was the first album I ever wanted to save all my pocket money for to buy. The first artist that I got into was Marc Bolan from T. Rex. Everything he did, the whole catalog, I wanted to be Marc Bolan. David Bowie when he did “Starman” on Top of the Pops as the first single from the Ziggy Stardust album, that blew me and everybody away. That song is the reference spot to so many different diverse artists — Boy George, Morrissey, Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet — all have said in the press that when they saw Bowie do that and threw his arm around Mick Ronson, that that just made them want to go out and buy a guitar or be a singer.
But the song that I’ve always said is my favorite song of all time and the one song that I’ve tried to write myself a million times and failed miserably is “All the Young Dudes” by Mott the Hoople, who are my favorite ever band in the world, as weird as that might sound. But “Young Dudes,” written by Bowie and recorded by Mott the Hoople, is the best song of all time. I tried to rewrite it on “We Belong.” Didn’t get there, but you can tell it’s a reference to it. Elton John once said to me, “If you’re in doubt, write a hymn,” and I tried to make that very biblical in its size and swagger, which I’ve always found “All the Young Dudes” to be. It’s never aged. It never will. It will sound as good in a hundred years’ time as it did in 1972.
You can be Keith Moon, John Bonham, and Phil Collins, all without a real drumset
Aerodrums is an air-drumming instrument. It runs on your computer and understands your drumming intent by watching you drum through a high speed camera. However, Aerodrums cannot be used to drum outdoors in daylight, so forget those Coachella dreams for a moment.
Aerodrums uses a subset of the Natural Drum Kit sample library, providing very high quality sound and expressiveness on par with a real drum kit.
For example, Aerodrums supports 16 different levels of openness for the hi-hats and uses as many as 58 different sound samples for a given openness level, per hand. Aerodrums uses different samples for the dominant and non-dominant hand.
You can point Aerodrums to your own sample collections to create new drums or cymbals to include in your drum kits. Aerodrums can also output MIDI notes as you drum, enabling you to trigger any MIDI compatible sampler (e.g. VST instruments such as Toontrack’s Superior Drummer), as well as record what you drum straight into a Digital Audio Workstation.
Here is a detailed list of the drums, cymbals and percussion that are sampled in the subset of the Natural Drum Kit library that Aerodrums uses:
- Snares: Yamaha Peter Erskine Signature Model, 10 x 4 and Pearl Masters “All Maple”, 12 x 7.
- Kick drums: Gretsch USA Maple, 20 x 16 and Gretsch USA Maple, 14 x 11 floor tom, positioned and played as a kick.
- Hi-hats: UFIP 13″ “Bionic Series”
- Splashes: UFIP 8″ and 12″ “Natural Series” splashes.
- Crashes: UFIP 15″ and 18″ “Natural Series” crashes.
- China: Zildjian 19″ “K Series”.
- Ride: UFIP 20″ “Natural Series”.
- Toms: Gretsch USA Maple 8″, 10″, 12″, 14″, 16″, one set of samples tuned for a bop sound and another set for a rock sound
- Cowbell: Meinl 8” “Original Realplayer” steelbell
- Tambourine
Canadian Music Week Announces 2016 Indie Awards Nominees
Canadian Music Week is proud to announce the nominees for the 2016 Indies – the16th Annual Independent Music Awards – presented with Indie88. Whitehorse, The Strumbellas, Carly Rae Jepsen, Grimes, Tobias Jesso Jr. are among the nominated artists being honoured across 14 categories on Wednesday May 4th at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in downtown Toronto. The full list of nominees is below.
The Indies happen at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, 410 Sherbourne Street in Toronto. Doors open at 7:00pm, and limited CMW wristbands/passes accepted. CMW wristbands and passes can be purchased here: https://cmw.net/music/wristbands/
Celebrating the best of independent music – both Canadian and International – the #IndiesWithIndie88, supported by the Ontario Media Development Corporation through the Ontario Music Fund, promise an unforgettable night out. This year’s awards will be hosted by Indie88’s Raina Douris and will feature special performances from nominated artists, including Wintersleep (nominated for Single of the Year), The Strumbellas (nominated for Single of the Year and Group of the Year), Alberta Cross, and The Zolas (nominated for Alternative Group of the Year).
Public and industry votes decide the winners of the 2016 Indies. Fans can vote online as of today at http://www.indies.ca.
2016 INDIE AWARDS NOMINEES
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Carly Rae Jepsen – Emotion (604 Records)
Grimes – Art Angels (4AD / Crystal Math)
Majical Cloudz – Are You Alone? (Arts and Crafts)
Tobias Jesso Jr. – Goon (Arts and Crafts)
Viet Cong – Viet Cong (Flemish Eye)
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Arkells – Leather Jacket (Arkells Music Inc. / Universal Music Canada)
Coleman Hell – 2 Heads (604 Records)
Jocelyn Alice – Jackpot (Disruptor Records / Sony Music Canada)
The Strumbellas – Spirits (Six Shooter Records)
Wintersleep – Amerika (Dine Alone Records)
GROUP OF THE YEAR
BADBADNOTGOOD (Innovative Leisure)
Metric (Metric Music International Inc. / Universal Music Canada)
The Strumbellas (Six Shooter Records)
Whitehorse (Six Shooter Records)
Young Empires (Pirates Blend Records / Sony Music Canada)
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Carly Rae Jepsen (604 Records)
City and Colour (Dine Alone Records)
Grimes (4AD / Crystal Math)
Lights (LIGHTS Music Inc. / Universal Music Canada)
YOAN (Productions J)
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
City and Colour (Dine Alone Records)
Hayden (Arts and Crafts)
Tobias Jesso Jr. (Arts and Crafts)
Whitehorse (Six Shooter Records)
Young Empires (Pirates Blend Records / Sony Music Canada)
ABORIGINAL ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
A Tribe Called Red (Pirates Blend Records / Sony Music Canada)
Buffy Sainte-Marie (True North Records)
City Natives (Unsigned)
Drezus (Drezus Music)
Tanya Tagaq (Six Shooter Records)
ALTERNATIVE ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Destroyer (Merge)
Half Moon Run (Indica Records / Glassnote Music)
Mac DeMarco (Captured Tracks)
The Zolas (Light Organ Records)
Yukon Blonde (Dine Alone Records)
ELECTRONIC/DANCE ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
A-Trak (Last Gang Records)
Braids (Flemish Eye)
Keys N Krates (Dim Mak)
Pomo (HW&W / Ultra Music Canada)
Purity Ring (Last Gang Records)
FRANCOPHONE ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Chocolat (Grosse Boite)
Galaxie (La Meute)
La Bronze (Kartel Musik)
Louis-Jean Cormier (Simone Records)
Marie-Pierre Arthur (Simone Records)
POP ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Coleman Hell (604 Records)
Dan Talevski (eOne Music Canada)
Jocelyn Alice (Disruptor Records / Sony Music Canada)
Ria Mae (Ria Mae Media / Sony Music Canada)
Tyler Shaw (Tyler Ip / Sony Music Canada)
RAP/R&B ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Daniel Caesar (Independent)
Jazz Cartier (Safe & Sound)
John River (Independent)
SonReal (Black Box)
Spek Won (Independent)
ROCK ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Dilly Dally (Buzz Records)
Hey Rosetta! (HR Music Inc. / Sonic Records)
Monster Truck (Dine Alone Records)
The Elwins (Hidden Pony Records)
The Glorious Sons (Black Box)
SINGER-SONGWRITER ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Basia Bulat (Secret City Records)
Dan Mangan (Arts and Crafts)
Lindi Ortega (Grand Tour Records / Last Gang)
Patrick Watson (Secret City Records)
The Weather Station (Outside Music)
INTERNATIONAL ARTIST/GROUP OF THE YEAR
Alabama Shakes (Cadence Music / ATO Records)
Courtney Barnett (Mom + Pop)
Major Lazer (Mad Decent)
Mumford & Sons (Glassnote Music)
Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats (Bottleneck Music / Concord Music Group)
Canadian podcast listenership among drivers are growing
A new survey reveals that Canadian podcast listening in cars has continued to rise. Audience Insights polled more than 2,000 Canadians over the age of 18 about their use of audio in cars. The results showed 8% of the respondents having listened to a podcast in their vehicle in the past week. The rate appears low, but it has been gradually rising from 5% in December of 2010.
The results showed notably more podcast consumption among the 18-34 age group at 17%, compared with 8% for ages 35-54 and just 2% for the over 55 group. It was also most popular among university graduates compared with other education levels.
The podcast listeners demonstrated a more even distribution of time spent across audio formats in their cars. AM/FM radio had just a 40% share for podcast listeners, compared with 66% for all respondents. The podcast fans also had 21% share toward digital personal music collections and 19% share for the podcasts themselves. And while the car listenership is growing, the charts also revealed that home is the listening location of choice.
The Netherlands Sees Streaming And Digital Growth in 2015
NVPI, the Netherlands’ industry organization, announced the figures for the Dutch music sector’s performance in 2015. The music industry grew 12.5% to €136.9 million last year. All digital revenue totaled €72.2 million, and an impressive €61.3 million of that was generated by streaming. Digital revenue also secured a larger part of the Netherlands’ total music economy at 52.7%. Streaming alone held a 44.8% share of the 2015 industry revenue, falling just shy of the 47.3% share held by physical format sales.
These positive results are even stronger than the initial wave of information NVPI released about 2015. The Dutch data also offers further support for the recent global report from the IFPI, which emphasized streaming as the key revenue driver on a worldwide scale.
Ticketmaster, Eventbrite confirmed to sell tickets through Facebook
Following Facebook’s announcement in December that it would start selling concert tickets directly through its event pages via a ‘buy tickets’ button, the social media behemoth has signed up its first two ticketing partners: Ticketmaster and Eventbrite.
The former will start selling event tickets on Facebook by the end of April as part of an agreement that will see it pay the social network an affiliate fee for each ticket it sells, while Eventbrite will pilot a similar scheme but will not pay any fees for the duration of the trial period.
According to DigitalGov, Americans using mobile devices spend 87 per cent of their time in apps versus just 13 per cent in browsers (browsing, for example, the Ticketmaster or Eventbrite website) – and 50 per cent of their time in their most-used app and 78 per cent in their three favourite apps – so it’s obvious why the ticket agencies want a piece of what will be for many their most-used mobile app.
Meghan Trainor is going to tour one small place in Canada, and you can choose which one
Today, the AIR MILES Reward Program kicked off AIR MILES DETOUR, a new music program that will be rewarding one lucky community in Canada with an incredible once-in-a-lifetime live music performance, featuring Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, Meghan Trainor.
No stranger to large stadiums, the ‘All About That Bass’ singer is set to rock music fans in a location that isn’t usually frequented by touring A-list artists. This summer, AIR MILES DETOUR will highlight five music-loving communities that deserve to win an epic concert experience. In the end, one will be chosen to host Meghan Trainor for what is sure to be an unforgettable performance.
The winning community will be selected by AIR MILES Collectors across the country. Starting today, Collectors can go online to register for one of the five communities in the running. Beginning May 1, every AIR MILES Reward Mile collected at participating Partners will count as one vote for their chosen community. Collectors who pre-register, beginning today until April 30, will also get five bonus votes. Voting ends on May 31, 2016 and will be tabulated to reveal the winning community later this summer.
Throughout the program, along with thousands of Bonus Miles that are up for grabs, Collectors will also have the chance to win one of five VIP DETOUR concert experiences in the winning community. When Collectors register online and use the VIP coupons, they will get an entry for every VIP coupon used. The concert is scheduled to take place later in the summer.
The five communities vying for the votes of Canadians are:
- Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan: A tight-knit community with a roaring live music history
Starting in the Roaring ’20s, Moose Jaw’s vibrant live music scene echoed from countless venues, big and small, including the historic River Street district. To this day, music is still ingrained in the local culture; it binds a tight-knit community that rallies around both local artists and big names who have created a strong tie between Moose Jaw and the larger Canadian music scene. There is a strong following for many different types of live music in the city, which even hosts Canada’s longest-running electronic music festival each year. - Morin-Heights, Quebec: A legendary recording hub paves the way for a tradition of musical culture
Nestled in the Laurentians, this cozy ski town played an important role in Rock N’ Roll history. The vein of live music started running through Morin-Heights in the 30s and 40s and thrived in the 70s and 80s when locals played music all the time and made the community a happening place to be. Many international artists passed through over the years and laid down tracks at Le Studio, a historic recording studio that played host to the likes of David Bowie, Rush, Chicago and the Bee Gees. Locals have countless stories of interacting with legends, like Keith Richards and Sting, while they were in town. Le Studio is no longer operational, but the magic still lives on in the community; it’s a vibrant hub for producers, directors and musical artists who continue to hone the tradition of musical culture through the generations. - Mulmur, Ontario: Home to a historic music festival and tranquil inspiration
As counter culture was alive and well in the late 60s and 70s, this town of only a few thousand people welcomed tens of thousands each year for the Freak Out Festival, Canada’s answer to Woodstock, to hear The Guess Who, Lighthouse and more play at historic Rock Hill Park. The grounds were closed to concerts a decade later, but the essence of music lives on. Surrounded by tranquil, natural settings, music is experienced in a very intimate way within the community; in homes, small pubs and churches. The beauty and serenity of the township provides a space for musicians and artists to create and connect with themselves and their music away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. - Nelson, British Columbia: Where community, music and peace of mind come together
Nelson is a unique community that has drawn in arts and culture lovers seeking peace of mind since the hippie scene of the 1960s. People of all ages have made the conscious choice to move to this picturesque place and music has been one of the biggest unifying threads among them for decades. With local talent playing every genre of music, no matter what you like, you can go out and find live music to enjoy any night of the week. Each spring and summer, Nelson and the surrounding areas also host numerous music and arts festivals, keeping the region’s music culture alive. - Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia: Music Flows through its veins
A hardworking community with heartwarming unity, Port Hawkesbury’s culture is rooted in local musical expression. With reportedly more fiddlers per capita than anywhere in the world, you won’t have to look far to find someone who can play an instrument. Outdoor venues like the Granville Green provide local artists with a chance to make their mark on the live music scene, while traditional Celtic kitchen parties keep locals on their feet, laughing and enjoying the company of friends.
To learn more about AIR MILES DETOUR and register to vote for your favourite town, go to www.airmiles.ca/detour.
Canada Outpaces Global Music Revenue Growth In 2015
The global music community celebrates a return to revenue positive in 2015 with a 3.2% growth of industry revenues to US$ 15 billion, while Canada more than doubles this upswing with an 8.3% increase, helping to make up for a double digit loss in 2014.
In a press release by Music Canada, they look at the strong release schedule and explosive growth in premium subscription services, largely the result of new entrants in the Canadian market, for 2015 finishing as an exceptional year for the Canadian music industry. In fact, three of the top ten global recording artists in 2015 were Canadian: Justin Bieber at number four, Drake at number nine and The Weeknd rounding out the top ten.
Despite these positive results however, it is too early to confidently declare a reversal in trends, given that losses in 2012 (-2.9%), 2013 (-5.4%) and 2014 (-11.0%) followed immediately after the positive 2011 figures (+3.1%), which marked the first revenue growth in this century in Canada.
Complete global figures and analysis were released today in IFPI’s Global Music Report 2016.
Highlights of Canada’s 2015 Music Revenues:
- Digital revenues surge to 52% of total revenues (US$173.5 million), somewhat higher than the global share of 45%
- Premium streaming revenues explode in Canada, with a 151% increase (US$29.4m in 2015 v. US$11.85m in 2014), overtaking ad-supported streaming revenue, which only grew 32% (US$19.49m in 2015 v. US$14.76m in 2014)
- Physical revenues in Canada make up 35% of the market (US$ 118.9million), slightly lower than the global share of 39%
- Performance rights revenues are 11% in Canada compared to 14% globally
- Synchronization rights are 2% compared to 2% globally
In Canada, as in other countries around the world, a record volume of music is being consumed, yet artists and producers are not enjoying fair compensation, primarily because upload services like YouTube are not paying normal music licensing rates due to the misapplication of a legislative framework called “safe harbours”. This has created what is known as the “value gap”. Furthermore, the “value gap” has resulted in a distorted market, where premium services are forced to compete unfairly with other services that use copyrighted content to build their businesses, but do not pay fair rates.
“In Canada, where premium streaming has had such a significant positive effect on our market in 2015, the “value gap”, where ad-supported services benefit from lower-than-normal licensing rates, causes immense concerns,” says Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “We hope that legislators will work with the music community to address this market distortion and reduce the gap so that rights holders are compensated fairly for their work.”
Complete market information for Canada and all other national markets will be released on Thursday, April 14, 2016 by IFPI.
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada, namely Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. Music Canada also works with some of the leading independent record labels and distributors, recording studios, live music venues, concert promoters, managers and artists in the promotion and development of the music cluster.
Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead is helping find the next Einstein
The Canadian Einstein Legacy Project, a series of initiatives that honour the greatest minds and innovators around the globe, is pleased to announce a partnership with Tribal Planet and the Citizen Science platform. Through the power of the Citizen Science platform, this collaboration launches the new home of Finding the Next Einstein, because they believe that the world needs not just one – but millions – of Einsteins.
Jeff Martin, Founder of Tribal Planet, will illuminate Citizen Science and how they have partnered with thought leaders from around the world to create an exciting platform that enables STEAM education outside the classroom, demonstrating the magic of science through experiments, games and play on a mobile device. The platform brings together leading partners in brands, entertainment, mobile technology and the foremost thinkers of today to realize their potential.
The Einstein Gala – a part of the larger Canadian Einstein Legacy Project – is also pleased to announce the participation of Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead. For Albert Einstein, insight did not come from logic or mathematics. Rather, it came from intuition and inspiration like it does for many artists. In fact, Einstein said that the theory of relativity occurred to him by intuition, and that music was the driving force behind that intuition. Linking physics and mathematics to the art of music was critical to Einstein – and to inspire the genius amongst our next Einsteins, Bob Weir will be providing a thought-provoking discussion followed by a performance.
For more information about the Einstein Gala, visit www.einsteingala.com