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Polaris Prize Reveals Short List For Slaight Family Heritage Prize

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The 2015 Polaris Music Prize Gala is just around the corner and today Polaris has revealed the short lists for its first Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, which honours Canadian albums of the past from four distinct time periods: the ’60s & ’70s, the ’80s, the ’90s, and the ’00s (2000-05).

Like the Polaris Music Prize, winners and nominees for the Heritage Prize are albums of the highest artistic quality, without regards to sales or affiliations.  The jury for the Heritage Prize consisted of 25 people from current and past Polaris juries as well as former members of the Canadian music media and Canadian music historians.

Below you will find the 2015 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize Short Lists. Voting is open now until October 5 and the winners will be revealed on October 9.

60s & 70s
The Band – Music From Big Pink
Robert Charlebois & Louise Forestier – Lindberg
Leonard Cohen – Songs Of Leonard Cohen
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Jackie Shane – Live

80s
Cowboy Junkies – The Trinity Session
Glenn Gould – Bach: The Goldberg Variations
Daniel Lanois – Acadie
Maestro Fresh-Wes – Symphony In Effect
Mary Margaret O’Hara – Miss America
Rush – Moving Pictures

90s
Blue Rodeo – Five Days In July
Bran Van 3000 – Glee
Dream Warriors – And Now The Legacy Begins
Lhasa de Sela – La Llorona
Sloan – Twice Removed

00s (2000 – 2005)
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Broken Social Scene – You Forgot It In People
Constantines – Shine A Light
Feist – Let It Die
Peaches – The Teaches Of Peaches

The programming team at Roy Thomson/Massey Hall will produce a tribute concert to the four winning albums of the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize winners some time in early 2016. Winners will receive a special trophy at the tribute show and commemorative prints of each winning album will also be made available for purchase to the public.

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Tim Hicks Presented With Gold Plaque At CCMA Fanfest

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During his performance last Saturday at the CCMA Awards‘s free Fanfest concert in Halifax, NS, Canadian country singer/songwriter Tim Hicks was presented his fourth Canadian Gold awards plaque for his hit track “Here Comes The Thunder”. Following the eventful weekend, Hicks took to his Twitter page to thank his fans and post a photo of the award presentation, which was also live-streamed via Periscope.

Hicks has previously been awarded Gold plaques for his tracks “Get By”, “Hell Raisin’ Good Time” and “Stronger Beer”. The video for “Here Comes The Thunder” can be viewed below.

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Polaris Prize Announces 2015 Short List

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The Polaris Music Prize, an annual award which honours the year’s best Canadian album, has revealed the short list of nominees for the 2015 award at The Carlu in Toronto. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the prize gala, which will be hosted by beloved children’s entertainer Fred Penner on September 21, 2015 at The Carlu.

In June, Polaris revealed their long list of nominees in Halifax, NS. Both the long and short lists are determined by the Polaris Jury, which consists of 196 members from local and national media who have displayed a passion in their work for discovering and embracing new Canadian music. This year, the winner will be awarded $50,000 with the nine other shortlisted artists receiving a $3,000 prize courtesy of Slaight Music.

The 2015 Polaris short list includes:

Alvvays – Alvvays

BadBadNotGood with Ghostface Killah – Sour Soul

Braids – Deep In The Iris

Caribou – Our Love

Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

Jennifer Castle – Pink City

Tobias Jesso Jr. – Goon

Buffy Sainte-Marie – Power In The Blood

The New Pornographers – Bill Bruisers

Viet Cong – Viet Cong

In 2014, the Polaris Prize was presented to Tanya Tagaq for her album Animism.

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Chart Changes For New Global Release Date

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On Friday July 10, 2015, the new global release date for music went live, where all new albums and tracks will be released on the same Friday globally. This change is referred to as New Music Fridays.

Beginning today, Music Canada’s top albums and tracks charts, which are based on Nielsen SoundScan’s sales reports, will be updated Monday mornings to reflect the new Friday to Thursday sales cycle.

Prior to last week’s switchover, Nielsen’s charts released every Wednesday reported a Monday to Sunday sales cycle, which were reflected in the weekly top 20 albums and tracks charts posted Wednesday mornings on Music Canada’s homepage. On Wednesday July 8, the last charts based solely on the Tuesday release schedule were archived on Music Canada’s website.

For more information on how New Music Fridays will effect Billboard, radio and other retail, visit Nielsen’s post on their website. The images below have been provided by Nielsen to outline the switchover.

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“New Music Fridays” Go Live as Albums and Singles Switch Over to Global Release Day

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From Friday July 10th, new music releases will be made available for fans to enjoy on the same day across the world, as the switchover is made to “New Music Fridays”.

Until now, tracks and albums have been released on different days of the week in different countries – from Mondays in markets such as France and the UK, through Tuesdays in the US and Canada and to Fridays in markets such as Australia and Germany.

The change means that fans can now get new music on the same day worldwide rather than having to wait for their own national release day. It replaces the patchwork of national release days which meant fans were frustrated and unable to access music in their own country when it was legally available elsewhere.

The switchover to “New Music Fridays” is being implemented by labels, retailers and artists internationally and will establish an aligned global release day in more than 45 countries.

Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, said: “The switch to New Music Fridays is about getting new music to fans at the time they most want to enjoy it, whether in physical stores or online. It’s also an opportunity to recreate excitement around the release of music – the message is “Think Friday, Think New Music.”

Fans, industry professionals and anyone else looking for information on the switch to a Friday release day can visit www.newmusicfridays.com which has all the details of the changes taking place.

 

The first “New Music Friday” worldwide

There are several albums being released on the first “New Music Friday” including Years & Years’ Communion (Polydor), Owl City’s Mobile Orchestra (Republic), Little Boots’ Working Girl (Repeat Records), R5’s Sometime Last Night (Disney), Veruca Salt’s Ghost Notes (El Camino) and Kidz Bop’s Kidz Bop 29 (Razor & Tie).

Singles releases in key markets include Little Mix’s Black Magic (Syco) and Nick Jonas’ Chains (Island) in the UK and Taio Cruz’s Do What You Like (Island).

 

A worldwide switchover

“New Music Fridays” will be established in more than 45 recorded music markets worldwide.. Of these, 11 countries already release music on Fridays, while the others will switch the day that new albums and singles become available.

The switch to global “New Music Fridays” has been overseen by an international steering group made up of the following organisations:

  • IFPI, representing some 1,300 record labels worldwide;
  • WIN-Impala, representing independent record labels worldwide;
  • FIM, representing musicians’ unions and associations globally;
  • Featured Artists Coalition representing UK performers;
  • Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) (UK);
  • Music Biz (US).

 

Consumer research

Independent research suggests that music fans wanted new music to be available at the start of the weekend. Consumer research by TNS across seven markets[1] shows Friday and Saturday as the preferred days for new music release among consumers who expressed an opinion. More than two-thirds of those with a preference (68%) chose Friday or Saturday.

 

Charts move into line

The move to New Music Fridays will also lead to many countries making changes to their charts as well. Public music charts in most countries reflect a week’s sales, so changing the release day to Friday means changing the chart week as well. For example, in the UK the BBC will launch its first Friday chart show, having moved it from Sundays, and in France the TV station D17 will be moving its weekly featuring the latest charts from Tuesday to Friday.

 

Statements on Global Release Day

Kim Bayley, chief executive, Entertainment Retailers Association:

“Retailers and digital services are the ultimate link in the chain between artists and music fans. Having a single worldwide release day reduces customer confusion about when new music is available and focuses everyone’s attention on new releases. Retailers are working hard to implement the change to Fridays and ensure that the advent of New Music Friday is a success.”

 

James Donio, president, Music Business Association (Music Biz)
“The Music Business Association (Music Biz) is committed to working with our members and industry partners in the United States to make a smooth and successful transition to New Music Fridays.”


Frances Moore, Chief Executive of IFPI
“The switch to New Music Fridays is about getting new music to fans at the time they most want to enjoy it, whether that be in physical stores or online. It’s also an opportunity to recreate excitement around the release of music – the message is “Think Friday, Think New Music. The global release day also helps artists, labels and retailers by limiting the time between releases in different countries and thus narrowing the gap on piracy. The move made today has been a great example of cross-sector cooperation, involving labels, artists, retailers and others across more than 45 markets.”

 

Paul Pacifico, chief executive, Featured Artists Coalition (FAC)
“The FAC welcomes any initiative that brings artists and fans closer together and the Global Release Day does just that, making sure that all fans, wherever they are in the world, can get legal access to new tracks as soon as they are released. Making Global Release Day Friday brings the additional excitement of launching major new releases in the run-up to the weekend.”

 

John Smith, president, International Federation of Musicians (FIM)
“FIM fully supports the move to New Music Fridays.  Our industry, our membership and our audiences are increasingly global, and a move to a global release Friday offers an exciting opportunity to release music at a time when people most want to listen to and buy it.”

[1] January 2015 – TNS survey of 7251 consumers across seven markets: Brazil, France, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, Sweden and USA. 4201 consumers expressed an opinion/ preference for a release day.

 

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Skrillex Partners With Bridges For Music To Donate Equipment To Canadian Youth Centres

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Platinum-certified recording artist Skrillex has announced a partnership with non-profit organization Bridges For Music for for his Full Flex Express cross-Canada train tour, which kicks off July 8 at Ottawa’s Bluesfest. On each stop of the tour, Skrillex will donate two CDJ 2000s and one DJM 900 mixer to a local youth organisation and provide a short a demo for the kids on how to use the gear. The electronic musician will also lead a “behind the scenes” tour during sound check. A portion of all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Bridges for Music’s fund for the construction of the Langa Music School in South Africa. Bridges For Music is also offering exclusive VIP packages and prizes for those who donate through their Urgency Network crowd-funding page.

A list of the local youth organisations supported with this campaign can be viewed below.

July 8th Ottawa Dover Court Community Center
July 9th Quebec Ampli de Quebec
July 10th Montreal Head and Hands 
July 11th Toronto The Remix Project 
July 14th Winnipeg Manitoba Conservatory
July 15th Saskatoon Saskatoon Downtown Youth Centre
July 17th Calgary TBD
July 19th Pemberton Pemberton Arts & Cultural Council

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PHOTOS: Jesse Cook Performs In The Courtyard

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Canadian nuevo flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook performed a rare unplugged set during a visit to the Music Canada office Tuesday. Cook’s new album One World displays the JUNO-award winning and Platinum-certified artist further connecting styles and themes of music from across the globe centered around his unique style of guitar playing. One World also finds Cook experimenting with new electronic and metallic sounds, which he credits his two young children as influences for the new direction. Fans of all ages and genres should catch Cook’s brilliant guitar playing when he tours across Canada this fall!
jessecook1 jessecook2 jessecook3 jessecook4

 

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It’s Official! Copyright in Canada Extended to 70 Years for Sound Recordings

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Music Canada is pleased to announce that the Budget, the Economic Action Plan 2015, has received royal assent and is now law. We applaud the Government of Canada for the inclusion of copyright term extension. With the passing of this bill, the term of copyright for sound recordings has been extended from 50 to 70 years. This brings Canada’s copyright term for sound recordings in line with the international standard, protecting works of vital importance to many Canadian artists.

A copyright term of 70 years will mean that artists and other rights holders retain control of their sound recordings and can profit from them into their elder years. Without term extension for sound recordings, the early works of Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, and Anne Murray would have been in public domain over the next five years.

“I’m still releasing albums but my fans love my older songs. Thanks to the federal government for the recent legislation. Its passage will make sure the sun doesn’t go down on my early songs,” says Gordon Lightfoot.

For younger artists, additional profits derived by rights holders from older recordings will be reinvested in developing artists. The music industry is second to none in terms of reinvestment in new talent, with over 28% of revenue reinvested in 2014.

“In extending the term of copyright in recorded music, Prime Minister Harper and the Government of Canada have demonstrated a real understanding of music’s importance to the Canadian economy. Thank you. We are thrilled to see Canada brought in line with the international standard of 70 years.” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

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“New Music Fridays” Are Coming: Global Release Day Launches July 10th

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For music fans across the world, Fridays are set to become the day for newly-released music.

July 10th, 2015, will see the introduction of “New Music Fridays”, an aligned global release day for new music. The move, implemented by labels, retailers and artists internationally, means that fans in many countries will no longer have to wait for days to get access to newly-released tracks and albums.

Up until now, music has been released on different days of the week in various countries – from Mondays in markets such as France and the UK, through Tuesdays in the US and Canada and to Fridays in markets such as Australia and Germany. That will change on July 10th when new music will be released on Fridays at 00:01 local time around the world.

The move will mean fans can now get new music on the same day worldwide rather than having to wait for their own national release day. It puts an end to fans being unable to access music in their own country when it is legally available elsewhere, and the frustration that can cause.

Think new music…Think Friday

“New Music Fridays” are an opportunity for artists and labels to maximize awareness of newly-released music. Whatever country they are in, fans will now know – Friday is not just the start of the weekend – it’s the day for new music. This can help create more excitement and a sense of occasion around the release of new albums and singles.

With just one month to go before “New Music Fridays” takes effect, today sees the unveiling of the ‘New Music Fridays’ brand that will accompany the move. It will be available in more than 10 leading languages worldwide.

Consumers looking for information on the switch to a Friday release day can visit www.newmusicfridays.com which has all the details of the changes taking place.

Switchover plan

The preparations for the switchover to “New Music Fridays” have involved record companies, distributors and retailers working together to reconfigure their supply chains and marketing practices. At the same time, music charts in individual countries are changing so that they align with the new international release day.

The move to “New Music Fridays” will take place in more than 45 recorded music markets worldwide.. Of these, only 11 countries currently release music on Fridays, while the others will switch the day that new albums and singles become available.

The switch to global “New Music Fridays” has been overseen by an international steering group made up of the following organizations:

  • IFPI, representing some 1,300 record labels worldwide;
  • WIN-Impala, representing independent record labels worldwide
  • FIM, representing musicians’ unions and associations globally
  • Featured Artists Coalition representing UK performers;
  • Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) (UK),
  • Music Biz (US)

For further information on “New Music Fridays”, see our overview page or go to www.newmusicfridays.com.

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‘Music Cities’ Report Sets Out Roadmap To Economic Growth

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Cannes, France, June 5, 2015: Recording industry groups IFPI and Music Canada have today released a new report that sets out how cities worldwide can take simple steps to help develop their music economies.

The Mastering of a Music City was launched at Midem, the world’s largest music industry conference.

The report provides a simple checklist to help local authorities, businesses, community groups and the creative sector capitalise on the potential of music to build, grow and strengthen their cities.

It cites examples from 22 cities from all continents to explain what a music city is, why it is beneficial, and – critically – the most effective strategies and policies that can be implemented to nurture active music hubs.

Graham Henderson, President and CEO, Music Canada, says: “A vibrant music sector delivers an extensive array of social, cultural and economic benefits to its community; from job creation and retention to city identity and music tourism, to social cohesion, music can play an essential role.”  

“Communities of any size, anywhere in the world, can assess the extent to which they have the essential ingredients for a Music City, and deploy the strategies successfully used in the likes of Nashville, Melbourne, Toronto, Berlin and other renowned Music Cities, in order to enhance or grow theirs. These strategies don’t necessarily require heavy investment – addressing red tape and establishing dialogue between leaders in the music community and city officials are inexpensive ways to grow music’s contributions.”

The Mastering of a Music City has identified recommendations in seven strategic areas that are an effective means to grow and strengthen a city’s music economy:

  1. Music and musician-friendly policies, from licensing and liquor laws to parking and planning regulations to affordable housing and artist entrepreneur training.
  1. The creation of Music Offices to help musicians and music businesses navigate the broad range of government policies and regulations that impact music.
  1. The formulation of Music Advisory Boards to engage the broader music community in a collaborative way and to facilitate dialogue with city governments.
  1. Engaging the broader music community to ensure the people most affected by music policies are involved and informed.
  1. Access to spaces and places for artists to practice, record, and perform at every stage of their career.
  1. A focus on audience development, ensuring that there is an engaged and passionate audience for local musicians as well as international touring artists, now and into the future.
  1. Music tourism or the development of a Music City brand to leverage a thriving live music scene, rich music history, or large music festivals in order to reap the significant benefits associated with music.

In addition, multi-level government support for music, a broader city infrastructure conducive to the sector, music education programmes and efforts to highlight music history and identity are important.

Frances Moore, Chief Executive, IFPI, comments: “We’re delighted to be a partner in the Music Cities project, and we will work with our affiliates in 57 countries to spread the good work that Music Canada has been doing elsewhere in the world. They will be taking this report into City Halls worldwide, recognising that each place has different needs and priorities, but urging leaders to seize the common advantages offered by a growing music economy.

“We realise this will benefit the recording industry too, and that is the other reason we are co-sponsoring the report. Our job at IFPI is to improve the environment in which our member companies operate and this is one way that we can do that. Just imagine a world where you can go from country to country and find music cities in every one. That would be good for artists, good for record companies, good for city leaders and good for the wider public that just wants to enjoy great music.”

The Mastering of a Music City was produced after more than 40 interviews with music leaders, city and tourism officials, international focus groups and secondary research. It cites best practices and case studies from 22 cities. IFPI’s affiliated national groups will share the report globally to assist municipal leaders and other stakeholders to develop local music strategies.

Download Report

About IFPI:
IFPI is the organisation that promotes the interests of the international recording industry worldwide. Its membership comprises some 1,300 major and independent companies in 62 countries. It also has affiliated industry groups in 57 countries. IFPI’s mission is to promote the value of recorded music, campaign for record producer rights and expand the commercial uses of recorded music in all markets where its members operate.

About Music Canada:
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.

For more information, contact:

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