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Performers revealed for Canada 150 Weekend in Ottawa

Photo courtesy of Canada Heritage

On Thursday, Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly revealed two major events taking place in Ottawa over Canada Day and Canada 150 weekend.

On July 1, legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot will join Platinum Canadian artists Alessia Cara, Dean Brody, Ruth B, Serena Ryder, Walk Off The Earth and many more for the Canada Day In The Capital annual concert. Appearing across three official sites – Parliament Hill, the Canadian Museum of History, Major’s Hill Park, all the performances will be free for the whole family, concluding with a breathtaking fireworks display across the Ottawa-Gatineau skyline.

On July 2, Parliament Hill will host a massive WE Day rally, with Barenaked Ladies, Hedley, Alanis Morissette, Kardinal Offishall, astronaut Chris Hadfield, former first lady Margaret Trudeau, humanitarian Roméo Dallaire, YouTube comedian Lilly Singh and more scheduled to appear.

The breakdown of artists performing free for Canada Day can be viewed below.

Parliament Hill

July 1

  • Walk Off The Earth
  • Dean Brody
  • Serena Ryder
  • Alessia Cara
  • Kelly Bado
  • Kinnie Starr
  • Marie Mai
  • Louis-Jean Cormier
  • Lisa Leblanc
  • Gordon Lightfoot
  • Mike Tompkins
  • Cirque du Soleil
Major’s Hill Park

June 30

  • Moon Vs Sun featuring Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk

July 1

  • Mother Mother
  • Laurence Nerbonne
  • Jonathan Painchaud
  • Ruth B
Canadian Museum Of History

July 1

  • The Lost Fingers
  • Souljazz Orchestra

 

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The Chainsmokers celebrate first Canadian Diamond certification in Toronto

The Chainsmokers with manager Adam Alpert (left) backstage at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.

The Chainsmokers are now Diamond-certified artists in Canada! Prior to their show at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, the American DJ/producer duo was presented with custom plaques commemorating the Diamond certification of their smash hit “Closer,” as well as seven of their other Canadian-certified hits.

“Closer” joins Drake’s “One Dance” and Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep” as the third track in 2017 to be certified Diamond, which combines on-demand streams and digital download sales. The new certification guidelines were launched in September 2016, with Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” becoming the first track certified under the new criteria.

https://twitter.com/GoldPlatCA/status/870278914664476675

The full list of certifications included in The Chainsmokers’ award plaques is:

  • “Closer” ft. Halsey (Diamond)
  • “Don’t Let Me Down” ft. Daya (8x Platinum)
  • “Roses” ft. ROZES (5x Platinum)
  • “Paris” (3x Platinum)
  • “Something Just Like This” with Coldplay (2x Platinum)
  • “All We Know” ft. Phoebe Ryan (Platinum)
  • “Inside Out” ft Charlee (Gold)
  • “Until You Were Gone” (Gold)

The video for “Closer” can be viewed below.

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City of Toronto expands support for Toronto’s music community with City Hall Live

Hannah Shira Naiman performing at Nathan Phillips Square

Music Canada, in partnership with TD Bank Group, is proud to return as sponsor of City Hall Live, formerly known as Live From City Hall.

The program will expand this year to include new collaborations with local venues, events, presenters and musicians. This past weekend, City Hall Live presented eight artists performing at 159 Manning Ave as part of Doors Open Toronto. Today, City Hall Live is presenting performances by Toronto artists Ammoye and Charmie as part of the pre-Lulaworld 2017 festivities at Lulu Lounge following a 6:30pm panel discussion on diversity and live music in the media. More collaborations will be announced in the coming weeks.

“This series provides performance opportunities, information sessions and discussions that we hope will inform and empower Toronto’s talented music community,” said Mayor John Tory in a City release. “By bringing City Hall Live directly to artists and their communities, the series is now more accessible and can have greater impact.”

Lunchtime concerts under the City Hall Live banner will return to Nathan Phillips Square this summer, happening every Wednesday from 12:30-1:30pm (July 19 – August 30).

City Hall Live will also bring a larger focus this year on panel discussions and other learning opportunities for the music community.

“City Hall Live provides new opportunities for Toronto musicians and is one of many City initiatives aimed at making Toronto a more music and musician friendly city,” said Councillor Josh Colle, Chair of the Toronto Music Advisory Council.

Artists can submit applications to perform at City Hall Live and other events, as well as submit music for the City’s Music 311 playlist at toronto.ca/music.

More information on 2017 performances and panels will be announced soon at toronto.ca/music.

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Miranda Mulholland lays the reality for creators in the digital age bare at the Economic Club of Canada

On May 24,  Miranda Mulholland became the first musician to deliver a keynote address to the Economic Club of Canada. Her speech, titled ‘Redefining Success in a Digital Marketplace,’ drew on her years of experience as a musician, label owner and entrepreneur to shed light on the reality artists face in the digital age. In her speech, she also identified actions that government, the music industry and music fans can take to help bring balance to the world in which creators live.

The room had a large contingent of artists, including Scott Helman, Alx Veliz, Royal Wood, Tona Tencreddi, Bandana Singh, Ammoye, Amanda Martinez, Zeno Calini, Kanwar Anit Singh Saini, QuiQue Escamilla, Eliana Cuevas, Sarah Thawer, Justin Rutledge, Brenley MacEachern, Lisa MacIsaac, Bradley Thachuk, Monica Pearce, Damhnait Doyle, Suzie Ungerleider, Emma Barnett, Andrew Penner, Jennifer Bryan, Sally Shaar and Jordan Circosta.

There were also representatives from the municipal, provincial and federal governments, as well as music industry groups MusiCounts, Re:Sound, The Canadian Federation of Musicians, CIMA, Music Ontario, The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), SOCAN, The Canadian Country Music Association, The Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall, and record labels Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music.

Miranda was introduced by Toronto City Councillor Josh Colle, who chairs the Toronto Music Advisory Council on which Miranda also serves. Colle commented that musicians are often entrepreneurs, and in many cases, small businesses and that nobody is an embodiment of that more than Miranda Mulholland. He commented that artists should be supported by the City in the same way as other small businesses.

“As entrepreneurs and small businesses, I think it’s incumbent on all of us to want to see that they’re successful,” said Colle. “The same way we might put money or resources or time into helping other sectors and other small businesses, we should think of that the same way as our musicians and artists, who live in a city that’s increasingly expensive and difficult to find a place to live.”

The overarching theme of Miranda’s speech was accountability, and she pointed to a number of ways that digital music services eschew accountability to the music creators who make all of the content off which they profit.

“Picture each shiny new streaming platform as a shop window,” said Miranda. “Our content – at fire sale prices – fills their shop window, giving them credibility while creators of this content are asked to do the advertising. They give us – the creators – lists of ‘Best Practices’ to get more of our hard won fans to use their services. If we are not getting on playlists then it is our fault for not engaging with our fans enough.”

She was particularly critical of YouTube’s claims that it is merely a passive service, and as such, should be free from liability for the content that appears on the site.

“YouTube says – ‘it isn’t our fault – we are just the shop window. We didn’t put the items in the window, so we are not accountable for them. We are a passive intermediary. We are not liable for this massive copyright infringement.’ But – once again – wait. A top brass at Google just bragged that ‘80% of all watch time is recommended by YouTube.’ He explained that ‘Everybody thinks that all the music that’s being listened to and watched is by search.’  But it isn’t, and in his words, ‘that’s a really important and powerful thing.’ This means that YouTube actively directs consumers. This doesn’t seem all that passive to me. Zero accountability.”

Miranda went on describe the ways in which we can correct the situation faced by artists, saying “We all have a role to play as artists, as consumers, as industry and as government.”

For artists, Miranda encouraged them to be honest about their lifestyle, protect their intellectual property, support robust copyright laws and to pay back into the music ecosystem by championing young talent.

She encouraged music fans to be tastemakers, to create playlists of their favourite music, and to write reviews and rate albums and songs, actions which help shift algorithms in favour of artists. She also encouraged fans to buy albums on their release days, another action which can help to drive albums to front pages of music services. Buying band merchandise was mentioned as a great way to support artists. She also encouraged music fans to subscribe to a streaming service, as the subscription model delivers a much better return to artists than ad-supported streaming.

As for government, Miranda pointed to the elimination of “safe harbour” laws, which provide tech companies with immunity from copyright infringement liability. In Canada, she pointed to eliminating industry cross-subsidies that shift wealth away from music creators, and used the radio royalty exemption as an example, an exemption in place since 1997 that excuses radio stations from paying more than $100 in royalties to artists and record labels on their first $1.25 million in advertising revenue.

Miranda’s heartfelt speech had a visible impact on guests, who gave her an extended standing ovation.

Miranda’s speech was followed by a Q&A discussion with Kate Taylor, author, film critic and arts columnist at The Globe and Mail.

You can view the full event video via the live stream archive on our Facebook page.

Below is a selection of tweets from the event:

https://twitter.com/ScottHelman/status/867595308364161025

(Swipe left) Such an eventful meeting this morning with #EconomicclubofCanada redefining success in a digital market place. Pic’d here with Former Member of #parliament #AndrewCash who personality invited us as well as #JenniferHardy #GeneralManagerofOperations at #MusicCanada and #AmyTerrill #ExecutiveVicePresident also at Music Canada and #TracyJenkins of #LulaMusic & #ArtsCentre/LulaWorld who booked me for my #CityHallLive performance on Monday May29th!!! Inside @lulalounge @lulaworldfest!!! And our honoured guest speaker fellow entrepreneur and artist #mirandamulholland!!!! So informative And impactful was this speech and meeting!!! #changeascome #changeisgood #independentartist movement!!!! #toronto #Canada #reggaemusictotheworld #Lightworker #musicismylife #Andsoitis #makingmoves #Artistonamission to create #change!!! #DontCountMeOut Creating our own opportunities!!!!

A post shared by Ammoye💫 (@ammoye) on

 

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Graham Henderson gives keynote address on the Value Gap at CMW’s Global Creators Summit

On April 21, 2017, Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson delivered the opening keynote at Canadian Music Week‘s Global Creators Summit, highlighting the growing issue of the Value Gap for music creators. In “The Broken Promise of a Golden Age,” Graham urges artists and creators to stand up for what’s theirs, and use the power of democracy to generate positive change for the creative community.

Following CMW, the speech was featured on FYI Music News, and the full recording, initially live-streamed on Music Canada’s Facebook page, can be viewed below.

Canadian creators are encouraged to join the Focus On Creators initiative and sign the letter to The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, urging government to put creators at the heart of future policy.

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Photos: Scott Helman and Vincent Vallières shine at Capital Beat

Parliament Hill was alive with the sound of music last week, as the inaugural Capital Beat event brought together parliamentarians, Hill staff, and media for a non-partisan celebration of Canadian music. Presented by Music Canada and Quebecor, Capital Beat featured performances by Scott Helman and Vincent Vallières, as well as remarks by special guest speaker The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Also sponsored by TD Bank Group and Stingray Digital, Capital Beat took place at the National Arts Centre, where invited guests enjoyed the performances in an intimate setting. DJ del Pilar provided music before the event as well as at the afterparty.

“Tonight we are here to acknowledge the importance of music – music unites us – it inspires us – it makes us smarter and allows us to tell our stories,” said Amy Terrill, Executive Vice President of Music Canada in her opening remarks. “It builds our communities and heals our wounds.”

“It is both a pleasure and an honour for Québecor to help foster an exchange between artists, politicians and industry people but, most of all, we are happy to bring these remarkable musical talents to the attention of our nation’s parliamentarians,” said J.Serge Sasseville, Québecor’s Senior Vice President, Corporate and Institutional Affairs, in a release the day of the event.

Prior to the show, both Scott Helman and Vincent Vallières, as well as their label and management teams, were treated to a tour of Parliament by Julie Dabrusin, MP for Toronto-Danforth and member of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

 

A selection of attendee reactions to the show are embedded below. For additional photos, see our album on Facebook.

https://twitter.com/KWSasseville/status/864653603323219970

https://twitter.com/KWSasseville/status/864666866819661824

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Rag’n’Bone Man receives Platinum plaque at first Canadian show

Photo courtesy of Sony Music Canada/Matthew Guido

UK singer Rag’n’Bone Man is having a record breaking year following the release of his debut single and album “Human.” Prior to his first Canadian show at Toronto’s Adelaide Hall Monday, the rising star was presented with a Platinum plaque for his breakthrough hit.

Rag’n’Bone man will return to Canada this summer for the WayHome Music & Arts Festival in Oro-Medonte, ON. The video for “Human” can be viewed below.

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Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame reveals 2017 Inductees

After a five year hiatus, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will return for 2017 at Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall on September 23. This year’s inductees include influential Canadian artists Beau Dommage, Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young, and Stéphane Venne.

“We are thrilled to be back to celebrate the extraordinary careers of Beau Dommage, Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young and Stéphane Venne at this year’s ceremony at Massey Hall,” said Stan Meissner, Chair, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. “These inductees truly highlight the depth and incredible legacy of the songwriting talent we have here in Canada.”

The ceremony will feature tribute performances by Canadian artists including Arkells, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Damien Robitaille, Daniel Lavoie, Don Ross, Élage Diouf, France D’amour, Florence K, Julie Payette, k.d. lang, Randy Bachman, William Prince and Whitehorse.

Tickets for the ceremony will be available to the public beginning on Friday, May 19 at 10am via Massey Hall’s website.

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Music is back on Parliament Hill as Scott Helman, Vincent Vallières take the stage at Capital Beat with special guest speaker The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

OTTAWA, May 16, 2017:  Music Canada and Quebecor, as presenting sponsors, are excited to bring an intimate celebration of some of Canada’s best music and artists back to Parliament Hill on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. Also sponsored by TD Bank Group and Stingray Digital, Capital Beat will bring together parliamentarians, Hill staff and media for a non-partisan evening designed to celebrate Canadian music among Ottawa’s most important decision-makers. Capital Beat’s previous incarnation, Minister’s Music Night, was named by Maclean’s Magazine as one of the five events that matter most to Ottawa’s power brokers.

The event will take place in The Studio at the National Arts Centre (1 Elgin Street) and will include performances by Scott Helman and Vincent Vallières, as well as special guest speaker The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Following the breakout success of his debut Augusta EP in 2014, which includes the Platinum Single “Bungalow,” Scott Helman has just released his first full-length album Hôtel de Ville on Warner Music Canada and is currently on tour supporting his first single “Kinda Complicated.”

Sherbrooke’s own Vincent Vallières is a staple of the Quebec music scene. His 2009 album Le Monde tourne fort earned a Platinum certification, on the strength of his hit single On va s’aimer encore, which became an instant classic. Three years after Fabriquer l’aube, which earned a Gold certification, Vincent Vallières came out with his seventh album in March of this year, Le temps des vivants, whose first single “Bad Luck” is currently sitting atop the radio charts.

The two headliners will perform 45 minute sets followed by an afterparty at the National Arts Centre with music curated by DJ del Pilar.

“I’m so pleased that we are able to bring this intimate celebration of music back to Parliament Hill with a brand-new look,” said Amy Terrill, Executive Vice President of Music Canada. “Music is an essential part of Canada’s national identity and a significant economic contributor. Capital Beat is an incredible way to emphasize the value of music and the importance of Canada’s music creators.”

“It is both a pleasure and an honour for Québecor to help foster an exchange between artists, politicians and industry people but, most of all, we are happy to bring these remarkable musical talents to the attention of our nation’s parliamentarians,” said J.Serge Sasseville, Québecor’s Senior Vice President, Corporate and Institutional Affairs.

Capital Beat is an invitation only event. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.capitalbeat.ca.

̶   Ends  ̶

For more information:

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

Hugo Delaney, Québecor
hugo.delaney@quebecor.com
+1 (514) 463-5880

 

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.

About Quebecor

Quebecor, a Canadian leader in telecommunications, entertainment, news media and culture, is one of the best-performing integrated communications companies in the industry. Driven by their determination to deliver the best possible customer experience, all of Quebecor’s subsidiaries and brands are differentiated by their high-quality, multiplatform, convergent products and services.

Quebecor (TSX: QBR.A, QBR.B) is headquartered in Québec. It holds an 81.07% interest in Quebecor Media, which employs more than 10,000 people in Canada.

A family business founded in 1950, Quebecor is strongly committed to the community. Every year, it actively supports more than 400 organizations working in the vital fields of culture, health, education, the environment and entrepreneurship.

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La musique est de retour sur la colline du Parlement à Ottawa, où on pourra entendre Vincent Vallières et Scott Helman en concert ainsi qu’une allocution spéciale de l’honorable Mélanie Joly, ministre du Patrimoine canadien

OTTAWA, le 16 mai 2017 : Music Canada et Québecor, à titre de commanditaires présentateurs, sont enchantés de pouvoir faire vibrer une fois de plus la colline du Parlement au rythme de la musique et des artistes canadiens dans le cadre d’un concert intime qui sera présenté le mardi 16 mai 2017. Également commandité par le Groupe Banque TD et Stingray Digital, le concert Au rythme de la capitale rassemblera les parlementaires, le personnel politique et les médias lors d’une soirée non partisane conçue comme une célébration de la musique canadienne en présence des décideurs les plus importants de la capitale nationale. Dans sa première mouture, cet événement précédemment connu sous le nom de « Soirée de musique de la ministre », a été reconnu par le magazine Maclean’s comme l’un des cinq événements les plus importants aux yeux des acteurs les plus influents d’Ottawa.

Le spectacle, qui aura lieu au Studio du Centre national des Arts (1, rue Elgin), mettra en vedette les artistes Vincent Vallières et Scott Helman et comprendra une prise de parole de l’invitée d’honneur de la soirée, la ministre du Patrimoine canadien, l’honorable Mélanie Joly.

Originaire de Sherbrooke, Vincent Vallières est un incontournable de la scène musicale québécoise. Sortie en 2009, Le Monde tourne fort, a été certifié platine et le succès On va s’aimer encore est devenu un grand classique. Trois ans après la parution de Fabriquer l’aube, album certifié or, Vincent Vallières présentait en mars dernier son septième disque, Le temps des vivants, dont le premier extrait « Bad Luck » trône présentement au sommet des palmarès radio.

Dans le sillage du succès remarquable de son premier EP, Augusta (2014), qui renferme l’immense succès « Bungalow », certifié platine, Scott Helman vient de lancer son premier album complet, Hôtel de Ville, chez Warner Music Canada, et fait actuellement la promotion du premier extrait, « Kinda Complicated », en tournée.

Chaque vedette présentera une prestation de 45 minutes et le tout sera suivi d’une réception au Centre national des Arts sur des rythmes sélectionnés par DJ del Pilar.

« Je suis tellement heureuse que nous puissions ramener cette célébration musicale intime sur la colline du Parlement dans une présentation complètement nouvelle », a déclaré Amy Terrill, vice-présidente principale de Music Canada. « La musique est un aspect essentiel de l’identité nationale du Canada, et elle joue un rôle important dans l’économie. Le concert Au rythme de la capitale est une façon fantastique de souligner la valeur de la musique et l’importance des créateurs et créatrices de musique du Canada. »

« C’est un honneur et un plaisir pour Québecor de contribuer à créer un moment d’échange privilégié entre les artistes, les politiciens et les gens de l’industrie, et surtout, de mieux faire connaître nos remarquables talents musicaux aux parlementaires et aux autres décideurs de la capitale », souligne J.Serge Sasseville, vice-président principal, Affaires corporatives et institutionnelles de Québecor.

Au rythme de la capitale est un événement sur invitation seulement. Pour plus d’informations ou pour confirmer votre présence, rendez-vous sur www.aurythmedelacapitale.ca.

 

̶   Fin  ̶

 

Pour plus d’informations :

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

Hugo Delaney, Québecor
hugo.delaney@quebecor.com
+1 (514) 463-5880

 

Au sujet de Music Canada

Music Canada est une association professionnelle à but non lucratif qui représente les grandes maisons de disques au Canada, notamment Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada et Warner Music Canada. Music Canada collabore également à la promotion et au développement du secteur musical en collaboration avec de nombreux chefs de file de l’industrie musicale indépendante – étiquettes et distributeurs de disques, studios d’enregistrement, salles de spectacles, diffuseurs de concerts, gérants et artistes – à la promotion et au développement du secteur musical.

Au sujet de Québecor

Chef de file canadien des télécommunications, du divertissement, des médias d’information et de la culture, Québecor est l’une des entreprises de communication intégrée les plus performantes de l’industrie. Portées par la volonté de faire vivre la meilleure expérience qui soit à ses clients, toutes les filiales et marques de Québecor se distinguent par une offre de produits et services de qualité, multiplateformes et convergents.

Québecor (TSX : QBR.A, QBR.B), dont le siège social est solidement implanté au Québec, détient une participation de 81,07 % dans Québecor Média, laquelle emploie plus de 10 000 personnes au Canada.

Entreprise familiale fondée en 1950, Québecor a à cœur de s’impliquer activement dans sa communauté. Chaque année, elle s’investit auprès des gens qui œuvrent au sein de plus de 400 organismes dans des domaines aussi essentiels que sont la culture, la santé, l’éducation, l’environnement et l’entrepreneuriat.

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