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Corus Entertainment and Disney/ABC Television Group Join Forces in Licensing Agreement

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Corus Entertainment Inc., one of Canada’s leading media and entertainment companies, today announced a groundbreaking, long-term licensing agreement with the Disney/ABC Television Group that marks a new chapter for kids and family entertainment in Canada. Under the terms of this expansive agreement, Corus secures English- and French-language rights to Disney Channel’s world-class content and becomes steward of the brand with the launch of Disney Channel in Canada.

Scheduled to debut on September 1, 2015, Disney Channel will give Canadian kids and families full access to Disney Channel’s slate of high profile and popular shows such as K.C. Undercover, Girl Meets World, Austin & Ally, Liv and Maddie and many others. The agreement also includes authenticated simultaneous streaming and ad-supported video-on-demand rights for select programs airing on the channel, allowing fans to catch-up on episodes of their favourite series. Following the launch of Disney Channel in the fall, select Disney branded kids linear television offerings will also be rolled out in the future as those brands and programming are transitioned to Corus.

This multi-year agreement expands on the relationship between Corus and the Disney/ABC Television Group that began in 2011, when Corus announced the launch of its millennial-targeted service ABC Spark, based on Disney/ABC’s hugely successful ABC Family channel in the United States.

“We are very excited to take our partnership with the Disney/ABC Television Group to the next level, and proud to be forging a new course for the iconic Disney Channel brand in Canada,” said Doug Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Corus Entertainment. “With an extensive roster of exceptional content to tap into, we look forward to delivering the full Disney Channel experience to families across the country. This deal underscores our commitment to provide Canadians with the highest quality content from around the world and reinforces our position as Canada’s market leader in kids and family-focused offerings.”

“With this licensing agreement, we couldn’t be more pleased to expand upon our highly valued and significant relationship with Corus Entertainment by bringing the Disney Channel brand — along with its hit programs and franchises — under their purview in the Canadian marketplace,” added Janice Marinelli, President, Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution.

In the United States, Disney Channel is a top-performing destination for kids, geared towards ages 6-14.  The 24-hour kid-driven, family-inclusive television network is available in over 96 million U.S. homes and watched by millions of viewers on Disney Channels around the world.(Thursday April 16, 2015 – Toronto) – Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B), one of Canada’s leading media and entertainment companies, today announced a groundbreaking, long-term licensing agreement with the Disney/ABC Television Group that marks a new chapter for kids and family entertainment in Canada. Under the terms of this expansive agreement, Corus secures English- and French-language rights to Disney Channel’s world-class content and becomes steward of the brand with the launch of Disney Channel in Canada.

Scheduled to debut on September 1, 2015, Disney Channel will give Canadian kids and families full access to Disney Channel’s slate of high profile and popular shows such as K.C. Undercover, Girl Meets World, Austin & Ally, Liv and Maddie and many others. The agreement also includes authenticated simultaneous streaming and ad-supported video-on-demand rights for select programs airing on the channel, allowing fans to catch-up on episodes of their favourite series. Following the launch of Disney Channel in the fall, select Disney branded kids linear television offerings will also be rolled out in the future as those brands and programming are transitioned to Corus.

This multi-year agreement expands on the relationship between Corus and the Disney/ABC Television Group that began in 2011, when Corus announced the launch of its millennial-targeted service ABC Spark, based on Disney/ABC’s hugely successful ABC Family channel in the United States.

“We are very excited to take our partnership with the Disney/ABC Television Group to the next level, and proud to be forging a new course for the iconic Disney Channel brand in Canada,” said Doug Murphy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Corus Entertainment. “With an extensive roster of exceptional content to tap into, we look forward to delivering the full Disney Channel experience to families across the country. This deal underscores our commitment to provide Canadians with the highest quality content from around the world and reinforces our position as Canada’s market leader in kids and family-focused offerings.”

“With this licensing agreement, we couldn’t be more pleased to expand upon our highly valued and significant relationship with Corus Entertainment by bringing the Disney Channel brand — along with its hit programs and franchises — under their purview in the Canadian marketplace,” added Janice Marinelli, President, Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution.

In the United States, Disney Channel is a top-performing destination for kids, geared towards ages 6-14.  The 24-hour kid-driven, family-inclusive television network is available in over 96 million U.S. homes and watched by millions of viewers on Disney Channels around the world.

Josh Groban Announces North American Tour For “Stages” Album

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Multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban has announced that he will launch a Fall 2015 North American tour in support of his upcoming album Stages. The tour, produced by Live Nation, will begin on Sept. 12 in Atlanta and continues through early November. THE STAGES TOUR will visit specially selected theaters around the country, giving fans accustomed to seeing Groban perform in arenas (as he did on his 2013 “In The Round” and “All that Echoes” tours) a more uniquely intimate experience. Tickets go on sale April 24 at www.livenation.com. With every ticket purchased online, fans will receive a choice of either a standard physical or a standard digital copy of Stages.

Groban will make several television appearances during release week for Stages, which is due from Reprise Records on April 28. He will appear on Good Morning America on April 28, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Live! with Kelly and Michael on April 29, and Dancing With The Stars on May 5. He will also sing the National Anthem at the 2015 Kentucky Derby on May 2.

Stages is a collection of some of the greatest musical theater songs of all time, which Groban describes as “gorgeously arranged songs that have stood the test of time,” and which he was drawn to because of their combination of “incredible melody with an incredible story.” The album is available for pre-order at all participating retailers and JoshGroban.com. An exclusive edition of the album will be available at Target containing two extra tracks.

Recorded with producers Humberto Gatica and Bernie Herms in both Los Angeles and London’s Abbey Road (with a 75-piece orchestra), Stages features songs from Les Misérables (“Bring Him Home”); Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel (“You’ll Never Walk Alone”); Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George (“Finishing the Hat”), Sweeney Todd (“Not While I’m Around”) and Into the Woods (“Children Will Listen”); The Fantasticks (“Try to Remember”); A Chorus Line (“What I Did For Love”); Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera (“All I Ask of You”), The Wizard of Oz (“Over the Rainbow”), and others. Another highlight is “Pure Imagination,” originally sung by Gene Wilder in the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Watch the album trailer for Stages here.

JOSH GROBAN – THE STAGES TOUR

Sat, Sept. 12, 2015 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Mon, Sept. 14, 2015 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
Wed, Sept. 16, 2015 Philadelphia, PA Verizon Hall at Kimmel Center
Thu, Sept. 17, 2015 Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Center
Mon, Sept. 21, 2015 Toronto, ON Sony Centre for the Performing Arts
Fri, Sept. 25, 2015 Boston, MA Citi Performing Arts Center – Wang Theatre
Sat, Sept. 26, 2015 Wallingford, CT The Dome At Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre
Tue, Sept. 29, 2015 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Fri, Oct. 02, 2015 Providence, RI Providence Performing Arts Center
Sat, Oct. 03, 2015 Albany, NY Palace Theatre
Tue, Oct. 06, 2015 Syracuse, NY Landmark Theatre
Wed, Oct. 07, 2015 Buffalo, NY Shea’s Performing Arts Center
Fri, Oct. 09, 2015 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
Sat, Oct. 10, 2015 Cleveland, OH State Theatre at PlayhouseSquare
Tue, Oct. 13, 2015 Louisville, KY Palace Theatre
Wed, Oct. 14, 2015 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
Fri, Oct. 16, 2015 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
Mon, Oct. 19, 2015 St. Louis, MO Peabody Opera House
Wed, Oct. 21, 2015 New Orleans, LA Saenger Theatre
Fri, Oct. 23, 2015 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall
Sun, Oct. 25, 2015 Dallas, TX Music Hall at Fair Park
Mon, Oct. 26, 2015 Houston, TX Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
Thu, Oct. 29, 2015 Los Angeles, CA Dolby Theatre
Tue, Nov. 03, 2015 San Francisco, CA The Masonic

 

Q relaunches on CBC Radio with live show, new host, Shad, and new look

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Shadrach Kabango, the Juno award winning hip-hop artist better known as Shad, kicks off his role as the new host of CBC Radio’s revamped arts and culture program next week with a live show under the program’s refreshed banner.

Q, is relaunching on April 20 with a special two-hour broadcast in front of a live audience at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, the broadcaster announced Wednesday.

Shad’s first day behind the mic will feature a number of live performances and a diverse lineup of guests, including:

  • American comedian and WTF podcast host Marc Maron.
  • Juno Award-winning Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq.
  • Canadian pianist Chilly Gonzales.
  • Canadian singer/songwriter Afie Jurvanen, better known as Bahamas.
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Canadian singer/songwriter Afie Jurvanen — better known as Bahamas — will also perform an acoustic tune and talk about an exciting new project he’s been working on for q, says CBC.

The show is already sold out, but there will be a rush line for those who didn’t get advance tickets.

Fans in Toronto who couldn’t get tickets can watch it at a live public screening in CBC’s atrium, starting at 8:45 a.m. ET.

Ticketholders must be in their seats by 8:45 a.m. ET, with the doors opening a half-hour before.

Listeners across the country can catch the livestream on CBC.ca/q from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET. The broadcast will also air in its traditional slot on CBC Radio One starting at 10 a.m. (10:30 NT).

Shad

Shad’s first day behind the mic on q will feature a number of live performances and a diverse lineup of guests. (CBC)

Q fans will notice a number of changes as CBC producers attempt to spruce up the popular radio program. For one, instead of the show’s upper case “Q,” the show’s brand will now use a lower case version of the letter.

Other visual changes to come include a redesigned studio space using a new colour palette. Listeners can also expect to hear new sounds on the broadcast, including new audio signatures and a new opening theme song.

“We can’t reveal the artist yet, but suffice it to say we’re big fans,” says the show’s official blog.

Cindy Witten, interim executive director of CBC Radio and Audio, said Shad fulfilled their desire to have an “original thinker” and “a good conversationalist” behind the mic.

Born in Kenya to Rwandan parents, Shad was raised in London, Ont., and went on to earn a business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., and a master’s degree in liberal studies from Simon Fraser University in B.C.

Q airs weekdays on CBC Radio One at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. (10:30 NT), on SiriusXM at 10 a.m., 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. (ET) each day.

In the U.S., Q is broadcast in 165 cities through PRI and reaches a weekly audience of over one million people, the broadcaster said.

Music Managers Release Statement on ‘Fair Play Fair Pay’ US Radio Bill

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American terrestrial radio has never paid performance royalties for master use. A number of attempts have been made to change this over the years but the radio lobby always wins out. Click here for the outreach document about the latest attempts.

The Music Managers Forum have released a statement on the US Radio Bill ‘Fair Play Fair Pay’:

Music is one of the most important social, emotional, artistic, and cultural forces in human society. It affects each and every one of us, every single day – from the smallest of personal moments and feelings to the largest and most vital arenas of social change.

Music is also a business and, for many, a job. And for too long the rules governing the economics of music have been stacked against those of who create it – from Top 40 superstars to garage bands hoping to break through and everyone in between.

We applaud Representatives Jerry Nadler and Marsha Blackburn for introducing the Fair Play Fair Pay Act of 2015, and we thank all of their colleagues who have lent their support to this landmark effort to make the rules for the use of musical recordings more just and fair.

We love radio in all its forms and are proud to partner with terrestrial, Internet, and satellite music services in many different ways. We admire their innovation and support their growing success. In our view, this legislation will make those partnerships stronger, healthier, more lasting, and more fair. We encourage all our fans and everyone who loves music to support this legislation.

Sharon & Bram perform “Peanut Butter” with help from Kevin Drew & Max Kerman

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To get ready for Field Trip 2015, the legendary Sharon & Bram perform their classic “Peanut Butter” song, with help from Kevin Drew, Max Kerman, and Raina, host from Indie 88 in Toronto.

“Jazz Hot”: The Rare ly-Seen1938 Film With Jazz Legend Django Reinhardt

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Here’s a remarkable short film of the great gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, violinist Stéphane Grappelli and their band the Quintette du Hot Club de France performing on a movie set in 1938. It was produced for the British media as a way to create some buzz before their first UK tour. As Michael Dregni writes in Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing:

The Quintette was unknown to the British public, and there was no telling how their new music would resonate. So, Grade sought to educate his audience. He hired a movie crew to film a six-minute-plus promotional short entitled Jazz “Hot” to be shown in British theaters providing a lesson in jazz appreciation to warm up the crowds.

John Oliver Takes On The IRS, With Help From Michael Bolton

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Nobody likes the IRS. But recent budget and staff cuts have made it increasingly difficult for the department to do its very important job. Don’t take John Oliver’s word for it. Ask Michael Bolton.

Take a Tour of Tom Waits’ LA in May

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If you’re in Los Angels, looking for something fun to do on Saturday, May 16th, look no further. 33 1/3 authors Kim Cooper and David Smay are hosting a fascinating bus tour of Tom Waits’ infamous downtown Los Angeles. The knowledgeable pair will show you the derelict haunts and seedy hotels that helped shape one the finest and most unique songwriters to date.

The locations discussed on the tour will range from famous rock ‘n’ roll hangouts like Canter’s Deli (which still exists and is amazing) and the Tropicana, to lesser known dives, clubs, and shadowy back streets.

Find more information on the tour here, and be sure to pick up a copy of Kim Cooper’s Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and David Smay’s Tom Waits’ Swordfishtrombones!

33⅓ (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books written about music albums, featuring one author per album. Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, the series was founded by David Barker, and is edited by Ally Jane Grossan.

What Happens When You Remove The Music From The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony Video? This.

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The lead track on their third studio album, Urban Hymns, The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony is based on an Andrew Loog Oldham orchestral version of The Rolling Stones’ song, The Last Time from which it samples a main theme, and involved some legal controversy surrounding a plagiarism charge as a result.

But you won’t hear any of that, thanks to Mario Wienerroither’s Musicless Musicvideo.

You HAVE to check out David Usher’s Let the Elephants Run book

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At David Usher’s company, CloudID Creativity Labs, there is a sign on the wall that reads: “Dream big, let the elephants run!” You know David from fronting the massively successful band, Moist, and his own solo career. Now, he’s written a best-selling book.

Based on his wildly popular speaking engagements, David Usher’s book on creativity and the creative process, Let the Elephants Run shows us how to reignite creativity whether in the head office, the home office or the artist’s studio.

David believes creativity is in our DNA; it’s in everyone, not just the creative class. We all start our lives as creative beings but for many that spark becomes lost over time. How do we jump-start our creative process as adults? What does it means to be a creative person? How do we follow through with our ideas and turn them into tangible outcomes?

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David empowers readers to achieve more “aha” moments through two cornerstone principles of creativity: freedom and structure. Using a mix of personal anecdotes and professional examples from the worlds of industry, technology, science, music and art, he shows us that creativity is not magic; it is a learnable skill that any person or business can master. The dynamic full-colour design includes photographs, artwork and illustrations, as well as action pages to help readers start cultivating the habit of documenting their ideas for future execution.

Let the Elephants Run is an essential guidebook to reconnecting with our imaginations and nurturing our creativity in accessible and productive ways. Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything explores a framework to help others –whether in the head office, the home office or the artist’s studio–through the creative process while also challenging the idea that creativity is intrinsic to the lucky few, that ideas are ever wholly original or that life as a working artist allows for hours spent at cafes discussing art (instead of writing grants).

As father to young children, David wakes at 5:00 am just to have time to think. While it may be easier to believe in inherit talent then endless grind, creativity isn’t elitist, it is a skill—like driving a car or learning a new language—that can be taught, and requires practice.

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