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Music Canada welcomes Erica Meekes as Director of PR and Events

Posted September 18, 2019 by Quentin Burgess

New appointment positions Music Canada to amplify its groundbreaking music sector research and advocacy among media, industry stakeholders, and other key audiences domestically and internationally

Toronto, September 16, 2019: Music Canada, who represents the world’s leading music companies, is pleased to welcome Erica Meekes as Director, Public Relations and Events.

Music Canada’s members – Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada, and Warner Music Canada – are at the heart of Canada’s music scene, combining creativity, entrepreneurship and cutting edge digital innovation to support Canadian artists and bring great music to fans across the country and the world. Music Canada helps our members to create conditions for a strong and dynamic music economy in Canada. Collaborating with Canadian artists and our allies across the music industry, we advocate on their behalf with policy makers and elected officials at all levels of government; offering positive, innovative and achievable solutions grounded in our research.

“Music Canada consistently raises the bar with our robust policy solutions backed by world-class research,” said Graham Henderson, President & CEO of Music Canada. “With her extensive experience in public relations and event management, Erica will amplify our advocacy both here and around the world.”

In this newly created role, Meekes will report to Patrick Rogers, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and will work in collaboration with Quentin Burgess, Director of Communications, who will continue his strong work in the development of communications strategies and research.

“I am excited to join the skilled and passionate team at Music Canada and to bring our message to key audiences,” says Erica Meekes. “Music Canada’s members are driven by a passion for music and their dedication to the artists who create it. I look forward to using my passion for storytelling to share Music Canada’s research and advocacy initiatives in ways that resonate with fans, industry stakeholders, and policymakers.”

For more information:
Quentin Burgess, Music Canada
qburgess@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 981-8410

About Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada: Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., Universal Music Canada Inc., and Warner Music Canada Co. 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.

Categories: News Release

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Polaris Music Prize and Music Canada announce the return of the Polaris Community Development Program

Posted September 16, 2019 by Quentin Burgess

September 10, 2019, Toronto: Polaris Music Prize and Music Canada have announced the return of the Polaris Community Development Program. Launched in 2018, the program partners with Canadian not-for-profit music organizations each year to support and develop the music community by eliminating barriers to access for engaged music creators, entrepreneurs and change makers.

The 2019 participants are made up of not-for-profit organizations that help improve equity and representation within the music community through their programming.

Each participating organization will receive tickets to the Polaris Music Prize Gala to distribute to individuals who directly impact or participate in the organization’s music programming, courtesy of Music Canada. The program also includes opportunities for participants to take a behind-the-scenes look at the Gala production and connect with Polaris staff, media, and other community members pre-event.

“Through our partnership with Music Canada, the Community Development Program helps ensure that the community organizations that help develop artists can attend the Gala, and build further connections within the industry,” says Steve Jordan, Founder and Executive Director of the Polaris Music Prize. “Several Polaris nominated artists have taken part in these organizations, so making sure they are represented at the Gala is important to us.”

“Music Canada is proud to support the Polaris Community Development Program, which helps build connections between artist entrepreneurs and other change makers in the creative sphere,” says Sarah Hashem, Music Canada’s Vice President, Strategic Initiatives. “Inviting community not-for-profit organizations to attend and meet industry peers in a welcoming environment is part of our commitment to improving equitable practices within the music sector.”

Participating organizations in the 2019 Community Development Program include:

Honey Jam
The Indigenous Music Alliance
The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance
Lula World
Manifesto
Native Women in the Arts
The Remix Project
SoundCheck Youth
U for Change
Urban Arts

The 2019 Polaris Music Prize Gala takes place on Monday, September 16th at The Carlu in Toronto. Canadian non-profits interested in participating in the 2020 Community Development Program are encouraged to contact Claire Dagenais at claire.dagenais@polarismusicprize.ca.

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For more information:

Quentin Burgess, Music Canada
qburgess@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 981-8410

About Polaris Music Prize
Polaris Music Prize Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction. A select panel of music critics then judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity. For more on the Polaris Music Prize, please visit www.polarismusicprize.ca.

About Music Canada
Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada: 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 on Music Canada, please visit www.musiccanada.com.

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Le Prix de musique Polaris et Music Canada annoncent le retour du Programme de développement de la communauté

10 septembre 2019, Toronto : Le Prix de musique Polaris et Music Canada annoncent le retour du Programme de développement de la communauté Polaris. Lancé en 2018, ce programme s’associe chaque année avec des organismes musicaux canadiens sans but lucratif pour appuyer et favoriser le développement de la communauté musicale en éliminant les obstacles auxquels font face les créateurs de musique engagés, les entrepreneurs et les artisans du changement.

Les participants de 2019 sont tous des organismes sans but lucratif qui contribuent à l’amélioration de l’équité et de la représentation au sein de la communauté musicale par le biais de la programmation.

Chaque organisation participante recevra des billets offerts par Music Canada pour le Gala du Prix de musique Polaris qu’elle distribuera à des personnes qui ont un impact direct ou participent activement à la programmation musicale de leur organisation. Le programme comporte également la possibilité, pour les participants, de découvrir les coulisses de la production du Gala et de rencontrer le personnel du Prix de musique Polaris ainsi que des représentants des médias et d’autres membres de la communauté avant l’événement.

« Grâce à notre partenariat avec Music Canada, le Programme de développement de la communauté aide à faire en sorte que les organisations communautaires qui participent au développement d’artistes puissent assister au Gala et établir de nouveaux liens à l’intérieur de l’industrie », souligne Steve Jordan, fondateur et directeur exécutif du Prix de musique Polaris. « Plusieurs finalistes du Prix Polaris ont participé aux travaux de ces organisations, donc il est important pour nous de nous assurer qu’ils soient représentés au Gala. »

« Music Canada est fière d’appuyer le Programme de développement de la communauté Polaris, qui aide à établir des liens entre les artistes-entrepreneurs et d’autres artisans du changement dans la sphère créative », ajoute Sarah Hashem, vice-présidente, initiatives stratégiques, à Music Canada. « Le fait d’inviter les organisations sans but lucratif de la communauté à assister au Gala et à rencontrer leurs pairs de l’industrie dans un environnement accueillant s’inscrit dans notre engagement envers l’amélioration des pratiques équitables au sein du secteur de la musique. »

Les organisations qui participeront au Programme de développement de la communauté 2019 sont notamment :

Honey Jam
The Indigenous Music Alliance
The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance
Lula World
Manifesto
Native Women in the Arts
The Remix Project
SoundCheck Youth
U for Change
Urban Arts

Le Gala du Prix de musique Polaris se déroulera le lundi 16 septembre 2019 au Carlu, à Toronto. Les organisations canadiennes sans but lucratif intéressées à participer au Programme de développement de la communauté 2020 sont invitées à communiquer avec Claire Dagenais au claire.dagenais@polarismusicprize.ca.

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Pour de plus amples renseignements :

Quentin Burgess, Music Canada
qburgess@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 981-8410

Au sujet du Prix de musique Polaris
Le Prix de musique Polaris est une organisation à but non lucratif qui honore et récompense annuellement les artistes ayant créé des albums de musique canadiens de renom. Un groupe sélectionné de critiques musicaux jugent et décernent le Prix sans considération pour le genre musical ou la popularité commerciale. Pour plus d’information sur le Prix de Musique Polaris, veuillez vous rendre sur www.prixdemusiquepolaris.ca.

Au sujet de Music Canada

Music Canada est une organisation sans but lucratif qui représente les grandes maisons de disques au Canada : Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada et Warner Music Canada. Music Canada collabore également à la promotion et au développement de la musique canadienne indépendante en collaboration avec certains des principaux acteurs de l’industrie de la musique au Canada : étiquettes, distributeurs, studios d’enregistrement, lieux de spectacles, promoteurs de concerts, gérants et artistes. Pour plus d’information sur Music Canada, veuillez vous rendre sur www.musiccanada.com.

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Mabel receives first Canadian plaque ahead of Toronto show

Posted August 22, 2019 by Bram Gonshor

Prior to her sold out show at Toronto’s Velvet Underground last Saturday, UK pop sensation Mabel was surprised with a Double Platinum plaque for the summer hit “Don’t Call Me Up” by Universal Music Canada. Mabel shared the exciting new with her fans in through her Twitter account, and promised “more to come” following the track’s North American success.

Toronto that was lit and I just found out that “Don’t Call Me Up” is double platinum!!! Thank you to everyone who bought / streamed / listened to this song! More to come I promise pic.twitter.com/Puqpv71ig8

— Mabel (@Mabel) August 18, 2019

Watch the music video for “Don’t Call Me Up” from Mabel’s debut album High Expectations below.

Categories: Gold/Platinum
Tags: Double Platinum, Gold/Platinum, Mabel, Single Award, Universal Music Canada

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The Sheepdogs receive Platinum plaques at Blue Jays’ Summer Sound Festival

Posted August 19, 2019 by Bram Gonshor

On Friday, August 9, Saskatchewan-bred rockers The Sheepdogs were in Toronto to throw out the first pitch at Rogers Centre ahead of the Blue Jays game against the New York Yankees. The band also performed a free outdoor show ahead of the game as part of the Jays’ Summer Sound Festival, which also featured James Barker Band the following day.

During the game, Warner Music Canada surprised the band with their second Canadian Platinum certification plaque for their 2012 self-titled album, joining JUNO Rock Album of the Year winner Learn & Burn. The album’s lead single “Feeling Good” also received a Platinum Single Award certification in 2019.

View this post on Instagram

It’s official: The Sheepdogs are now multi-platinum. And It’s all thanks to everyone who’s supported us and picked up our records. This is gonna look real good on the wall.

A post shared by The Sheepdogs (@thesheepdogs) on Aug 13, 2019 at 8:54am PDT

Watch the music video for “Feeling Good” below (oh, and the Jays did win that game 8-2).

Categories: Gold/Platinum
Tags: Album Award, Gold/Platinum, Platinum, The Sheepdogs, Warner Music Canada

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Felix Cartal surprised with first Platinum plaque

Posted July 25, 2019 by Bram Gonshor

Canadian electronic artist was surprised last week by Cadence Music Group with his first ever Platinum plaque for the hit single “Get What You Give.” It is his second award plaque presentation of 2019, following a Gold award surprise at Bud Light Dreams Festival for his Lights collaboration “Love Me.”

i arrived in toronto and found out Get What You Give went platinum! holy shit… my first platinum record!! never really thought something like this would happen… life is crazy rn. thank you everyone who shared this one with their friends pic.twitter.com/laxfFgCnC7

— felix cartal (@felixcartal) July 13, 2019

“Get What You Give” was nominated for the 2018 JUNO Dance Recording of the Year, and samples the 1998 New Radicals hit “You Get What You Give.” Watch the music video below.

Categories: Gold/Platinum
Tags: Felix Cartal, Gold/Platinum, Platinum, Single Award

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The political power of music headlines the 2019 Global Forum at Canadian Music Week

Posted July 25, 2019 by Corey Poole

Across genres, continents, and generations, artists have harnessed the unique power of music to rally imaginations and propel ideas into action. This year’s Global Forum explored that theme and examined the role that music plays in political movements. The Soundtrack to Democracy: Music’s Political and Social Power brought the Canadian Music Week attendees both historical and contemporary examples of the power of music.

The event was kicked off by Miranda Mulholland explaining her own advocacy journey that has included her becoming one the world’s strongest advocates for creator’s rights. Mulholland, a musician, label owner and festival founder, discussed the moment she realized that she needed to add speaking up to her long list of duties. “Creators of music, literature, and visual arts have always been at the forefront of every revolution in which people fought to make our lives better. Music has provided the soundtrack for human rights movements around the world…When speaking to governments and policy makers, I tell them: We, musicians, have been there for you. Now we need your help.”

Watch Mulholland’s full remarks below:

Mulholland then introduced The Soundtrack to Democracy’s keynote speaker: musician, author and political activist Dave Randall. His book Sound System: the political power of music looks at examples from Beethoven to Beyoncé to the UK grime scene, and charts his journey to understand what makes music so powerful. Randall’s book can be purchased from Pluto Press.

Armed with a guitar and an extensive knowledge of the historical significance of music, Randall’s keynote was a musical journey through time.

Watch Randall’s full keynote below:

Following Randall’s keynote he joined two leading musicians from Canada who have used art to drive change – Lorraine Segato of The Parachute Club and ShoShona Kish of Digging Roots – for a panel discussion. Titled Rise Up: Using creativity to make change (a reference to The Parachute Club’s anthem for equality and shared power), the panel explored effective strategies artists have used to create and inspire change on issues close to their hearts.

Watch the full panel discussion moderated by Miranda Mulholland below:

Guests were then treated to a performance by members of the fast-rising rap group The Sorority, who in between songs encouraged those in town for Canadian Music Week to get out to see live music, support local musicians, and attend at least one show that put them out of their comfort zone. The Sorority are a powerful representation of solidarity and nonconformity, and their performance was the perfect punctuation to the event’s theme.

To conclude the event, Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson introduced the audience to a painting from 1830, “Liberty Leading the People,” by Eugène Delacroix to illustrate the effect to which art can be political speech. Henderson noted that in its time the painting “was considered so seditious and so dangerous that for about 50 years after it had been painted it was suppressed by the political superstructure and only appeared much later.” He connected the painting to the work of Ursula K Le Guin, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and journalist Paul Foot, tracing the ways that poets, artists and more recently musicians, can change the world.

Watch Henderson’s closing remarks below:

Recognizing the power of art to convey thoughts and emotions, Music Canada commissioned illustrator and graphic artist Rodrigo Bravo to chronicle the 2019 Global Forum in a series of images. The images, available for viewing below, capture some of the points made by each speaker in both text and design, and together form a recap of one of the most successful Global Forums to date.

Categories: Industry News
Tags: Canadian Music Week, Dave Randall, Global Forum, Lorraine Segato, Miranda Mulholland, Rodrigo Bravo, ShoShona Kish, The Sorority

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Graham Henderson releases Music Canada’s Closing the Value Gap report at the Economic Club of Canada

Posted July 17, 2019 by Corey Poole

On June 26, in front of a sold out audience at the Economic Club of Canada, Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson delivered a keynote address to launch our latest report Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours & Save the Creative Middle Class.

Henderson’s message was clear – the creative middle class is being eliminated by outdated copyright laws. His speech can be viewed on the Economic Club’s Facebook page, and is embedded below.

In his speech, Henderson shared some of the startling new economic evidence in the report which details the scope of harm done, and confirms that the Value Gap in Canada continues to grow.

In a series of studies, Dr. George Barker, Visiting Fellow, London School of Economics, and Honorary Associate Professor, Australian National University, has documented that the Value Gap in Canada is significantly larger than previously understood, and that it continues to widen.

Dr. Barker distilled his findings to three key measures:

$19.3 billion – the cumulative Canadian recorded music Value Gap over 20 years since 1997
$1.6 billion – the music industry Value Gap in Canada in 2017 alone
$82 million – the average annual increase in the music industry Value Gap in Canada between 1997 and 2017

After his speech, Henderson was joined on stage by the MP for Toronto-Danforth and Chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage Julie Dabrusin. As Chair of the Committee, Dabrusin recently released a report, Shifting Paradigms, that recommended to the government a series of actions that would help artists and the creative industries. Henderson called the report, “a guide to fix the Internet.”

Dabrusin credited artists testimony at the Heritage Committee for the report’s recommendations, and cited Miranda Mulholland’s personal account of how Value Gap has affected her career as a catalyst for her careful consideration of these issues.

“I think we should give a bit of a shout out to Miranda Mulholland,” said Dabrusin. “… She spoke very, very forcefully about the value gap and where it was most forceful was that it brought up her personal journey, the stories of other artists who she knew. So it wasn’t just a dry, matter of fact on a piece of paper anymore. It was hearing the actual impact that was happening in our communities and young people’s lives. And that was the first time that perhaps I’d even twigged a bit more carefully to those issues.”

Dabrusin also encouraged everyone in the music industry to continue to work together when dealing with the Federal government noting that for the Copyright Act Review, almost all music stakeholders came forward with the music priorities to address the Value Gap.

Following the event, Henderson has spoken about the urgent need to close the Value Gap in a number of media appearances, including BNN Bloomberg, CP24, the Toronto Sun, and the Wire Report.

Categories: Industry News
Tags: Closing The Value Gap, Economic Club of Canada, Graham Henderson, Julie Dabrusin

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Felix Cartal & Lights surprised with Canadian Gold plaques at Dreams Festival in Toronto

Posted July 11, 2019 by Bram Gonshor

Back in February of 2019, Canadian artists Lights and Felix Cartal teamed up to release their single “Love Me.” The summer-ready collaboration is now officially certified Gold in Canada, and the pair were surprised with custom plaques by Cadence Music Group in Toronto ahead of Felix Cartal’s highly anticipated set at Bud Light Dreams Festival.

And then fucking THIS HAPPENED
Love Me is gold!@felixcartal so proud of you son!
(: @alexgayoso_) pic.twitter.com/xkfbcarfuU

— Lights (@lights) June 29, 2019

Congrats to ⁦@felixcartal⁩ & ⁦@lights⁩ on the gold discs for Love Me! A chance meeting ⁦@TheJUNOAwards⁩ at the 2018 JUNOS in Vancouver lead to this awesome collab. pic.twitter.com/sh9KUdEEYQ

— Allan Reid (@Allan__Reid) July 1, 2019

During the set, Lights joined Felix Cartal for their first performance of “Love Me,” which Lights shared to her fans on social media.

https://twitter.com/lights/status/1145111049898745857

Watch the music video for “Love Me” below.

Categories: Gold/Platinum
Tags: Felix Cartal, Gold, Gold/Platinum, LIGHTS, Single Award

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Music Canada calls on Government of Canada to Fix Safe Harbours to Close the Value Gap and Save the Creative Middle Class

Posted June 26, 2019 by Quentin Burgess

June 26, 2019, Toronto: In a new report, Music Canada is calling for the Government of Canada to rebalance the music marketplace and restore fairness to the creators of music. The report, titled Closing the Value Gap: How to Fix Safe Harbours and Save the Creative Middle Class, was released by Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson today at a sold-out address before the Economic Club of Canada.

The report builds on Music Canada’s previous findings from the 2017 report, The Value Gap: Its Origins, Impacts and a Made-in-Canada Approach, which first identified the existence of a gap in value of creative content and the revenues returned to the artists who create it. A broken copyright framework, ill-adapted to the challenges of the digital age, is now generally recognized as the cause of the Value Gap.

“The origins of the Value Gap can be found more than 20 years ago. It was the dawning of the digital marketplace, and countries around the world struggled to reinterpret copyright laws that were designed for an analog age,” says Graham Henderson, President and CEO of Music Canada. “They wanted to protect creators, but they also wanted to give a boost to young technological start-ups. Inevitably, perhaps understandably, mistakes were made.”

New economic evidence confirms that the Value Gap in Canada continues to grow, with staggering figures that show the discrepancy between what artists make and what they create:

$19.3 billion: the cumulative Canadian recorded music industry Value Gap over 20 years since 1997.
$1.6 billion: the music industry Value Gap in Canada in 2017 alone.
$82 million: the average annual increase in the music industry Value Gap in Canada between 1997 and 2017.

Supported by the data and the experiences of hardships that musicians currently face, Music Canada joins Parliament’s Heritage Committee in proposing solutions to improve Canada’s copyright framework to better ensure that creators are paid when their work is commercialized by others. From clarifying safe harbours, to addressing the responsibilities of user-upload services, to eliminating the commercial radio royalty exemption and clarifying the definition of “sound recordings”, to creating a temporary fund for private copying, these recommendations would ensure fair compensation for artists and reduce the Value Gap.

“Canadian artists deserve a sustainable and working marketplace for their work,” says artist and record label owner Miranda Mulholland, who also serves as Chair of Music Canada’s Advisory Council. “Artists have been speaking up about the need to close the Value Gap, and our industry speaks in a unified voice on this issue. We need to end broad safe harbours and stop subsidizing billionaires who are commercializing the work of others without fair compensation. This report lays out the steps to fix our broken copyright framework and restore fairness to the creators of music.”

“Closing the Value Gap definitively sets out the economic evidence surrounding the size and growth of the Value Gap and provides clear, achievable recommendations to fix it,” Henderson adds. “The report draws focus to the main cause of the Value Gap in Canada: broad safe harbour laws in the Copyright Act. Two Parliamentary Committees in Canada have recommended reviewing Canada’s safe harbour laws. Now is the time to rebalance the ledger and restore fairness to the marketplace for creators.”

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Corey Poole, Music Canada
cpoole@musiccanada.com
+1 (647) 808-7359

About Music Canada

Music Canada is a non-profit trade organization that represents the major record companies in Canada: 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.

Categories: News Release
Tags: Closing The Value Gap

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Death Cab for Cutie presented with Platinum plaques for 2005 album ‘Plans’ in Toronto

Posted June 26, 2019 by Bram Gonshor

Photo Credit: Warner Music Canada

Veteran indie rock outfit Death Cab for Cutie returned to Toronto last week for a show at Echo Beach in support of their 2018 album Thank You for Today. Prior to their set, Warner Music Canada surprised Ben Gibbard, Nick Harmer, and Jason McGerr with Platinum plaques for their fifth studio album Plans, which was the band’s first album to receive Canadian Gold status in 2006. Plans was certified Platinum earlier in 2019 along with the singles “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” and “Soul Meets Body,” which was certified Gold.

Watch the video for “Soul Meets Body” below.

Categories: Gold/Platinum
Tags: Album Award, Death Cab For Cutie, Gold/Platinum, Platinum, Warner Music Canada

Music Canada

Gold & Platinum

Music Canada

Gold & Platinum

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