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Government of Canada to provide $8.3 million in funding towards Massey Hall revitalization

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Left to right: The Honourable Melanie Joly, Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet (Whitehorse), Jim Cuddy, Deane Cameron, Adam Vaughan

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, was in Toronto Friday to announce The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall as a recipient of the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. The Government of Canada will provide $8,330,000 to assist with the revitalization of the legendary Massey Hall, which will improve its accessibility, technical infrastructure and presentation environment.

“We are thrilled that the Government of Canada is investing in Massey Hall’s future through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund,” said Deane Cameron, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall. “This funding will help set the stage for the completion of the Massey Hall Revitalization Project to ensure that Massey Hall remains a home to showcase and cultivate our future leaders in arts, culture and beyond.”

A rendering of the completed Massey Hall exterior revitalization (photo: Cicada Design for Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects)

The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund launched in 2001 and receives an average of 137 applications each year. As of March 31, 2016, the fund has invested approximately $410 million in 1,381 projects in every province and territory.

“Investing in Canada’s cultural sector helps create jobs for the middle class, strengthens the economy, and ensures that Canada’s unique perspective is shared with the world,” said Minister Joly.

Also in attendance at the announcement was Spadina-Fort York MP Adam Vaughan, and musician Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, who spoke to his experiences playing the infamous stage and the impact the venue has had on the City of Toronto. Joly also spoke to the venue’s presence in Toronto during her address, deeming it a “right of passage” for musicians from all over the world who grace its stage. Toronto-based duo Whitehorse closed out the event with a captivating performance.

Massey Hall opened in 1894, and the last major renovation occurred in occurred in 1948. Phase 2 planning of the revitalization is underway, and construction is set to complete in 2021.

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Drake named IFPI’s Global Recording Artist of the Year as fellow Canadians Justin Bieber and The Weeknd reach the Top 10

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Today, the IFPI announced that Toronto hip hop artist Drake is the recipient of the IFPI 2016 Global Artist of the Year Award, which recognizes an artist’s worldwide success across physical and digital formats, including downloads and steams. Drake is the first Canadian to receive the award, and the fourth recipient since its launch in 2013.

Joining Drake in the Top 10 chart are fellow Ontarians Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, who reached #5 and #10, respectively. All three artists also appeared in the 2015 Global Top 10 chart.

“I’m delighted to be able to honour Drake as the IFPI Global Recording Artist 2016,” says IFPI chief executive Frances Moore in a release. “Drake’s phenomenal success reflects how deeply his unique sound appeals to an enormous global audience. The Global Top 10 list features a number of amazing artists, and the variety and vibrancy of their art speaks volumes about the exciting state of music today.”

Drake’s 2016 Double Platinum album Views became the first album to reach one billion streams on Apple Music, while the album’s single and summer smash “One Dance” became the first song to be played one billion times on Spotify. In 2015, Drake appeared at number nine on the list.

Justin Bieber, whose 2015 album Purpose contained multi-Platinum singles like “Sorry,” “Love Yourself,” and “What Do You Mean?” lands in the fifth position, allowing for two Canadian artists to appear in the top five. This is the second consecutive year the Stratford, Ontario native has appeared on the list, after reaching the number four spot in 2015.

Multi-Platinum R&B sensation and Scarborough, Ontario native The Weeknd, who released his Platinum-certified album Starboy in late 2016, was announced as the number ten artist, matching his 2015 position on the chart. While his album JUNO Award winning album Beauty Behind The Madness was released in 2015, The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, continued to see success through the start of 2016 with the album’s singles “Can’t Feel My Face,” “In The Night,” and “The Hills.”

One Direction were the first group to be named Top Artist by IFPI when the list began in 2013, which also included Canadian Michael Bublé in the ninth spot. Taylor Swift earned the award in 2014, and in 2015, IFPI named Adele as the top global recording artist, who appears at number four in 2016.

Click here more for information on IFPI’s results, and view the full list below.

Top 10 Global Recording Artists of 2016

  1. Drake
  2. David Bowie
  3. Coldplay
  4. Adele
  5. Justin Bieber
  6. Twenty One Pilots
  7. Beyoncé
  8. Rihanna
  9. Prince
  10. The Weeknd
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Alberta will allow all-ages entertainers to perform in bars, lounges

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Young musicians are praising the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, which announced Friday that underage performers will now be allowed to play in bars and lounges throughout the province.

“I’ve been fighting for this since I was nine years old,” said Olivia Rose Leaf, a 17-year-old Alberta musician, adding that the change will mean a lot to the young performers she knows.

The previous policy, which prohibited underage performers from playing in bars and lounges had been in place since March 2007, when it was instituted out of a concern for public safety. But a consultation with musicians, venue owners, and promoters, led by MLA David Shepherd and Thom Bennett of the Edmonton Live Music Initiative, prompted the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (ALGC) to reconsider.

According to Bill Robinson, president of the AGLC, the change is the result of changing attitudes in the industry. He also suggested that the training of staff has improved the overall safety in bars, making the policy shift possible.

The change is not a complete reversal. Bars and lounges will be required to request approval from the AGLC to permit minors to enter their premises as entertainers, and the approval process is expected to take up to a few days.

Still, the response from the music community and government has been positive—the prevailing view is that underage artists should be allowed to perform at the same venues as everyone else. Musicians, especially young and emerging artists, will benefit from the opportunity to begin building their live audience earlier in their careers.

“This is a great step forward for our music scene, for young performers, and for our province as a whole,” said Shepherd, who is a musician himself. “It makes areas like Edmonton’s downtown a much more attractive place to visit and to live.”

 

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Nominees and performers revealed for 2017 JUNO Awards

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Allan Reid, President & CEO of CARAS, announcing the 2017 JUNO nominees in Toronto.

Earlier today, the nominees and first round of performers were revealed for the 46th annual JUNO Awards. The announcement was made at a press conference at Toronto nightclub REBEL, and was streamed live on the JUNOs website.

Multi-Platinum stars Drake, The Weeknd, and Shawn Mendes each received a leading five nominations, while Alessia Cara and the late Leonard Cohen gathered four nominations. Several nominees were on hand for the event including The Strumbellas, Coleman Hell, Wintersleep, Billy Talent, Sultans Of String, Weaves, and more.

Celine Dion’s Encore un soir, Drake’s Views, The Weeknd’s Starboy, Shawn Mendes’ Illuminate, and Leonard Cohen’s final studio album You Want It Darker were nominated for Album of the Year, for which Music Canada is proud to return as a sponsor in 2017.

Alessia Cara, along with Ruth B and A Tribe Called Red, were announced as the first performers for the awards show, which coincides with the Ottawa’s Canada 150 celebrations.

“There is a lot of excitement in the air for the JUNOs and for Ottawa 2017,” said Allan Reid, President and CEO of CARAS, who spoke at the Mayor’s breakfast in Ottawa last week. “We are thrilled to be going back.”

2017 will mark the third time Ottawa has hosted the JUNO Awards. From 2007 to 2015 the JUNO Awards have created a total economic impact of almost $99 million, including $11 million for Ottawa in 2012, $14 million for the 2011 JUNO Awards in Toronto, and $10 million for the 2015 JUNO Awards in Hamilton.

Randy Lennox, President of Broadcasting and Content at Bell Media, also spoke at the event, commending Reid for his work with the JUNOs, and many of the event’s long-standing partners. Lennox, former President & CEO of Universal Music Canada, will be honoured with the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2017 JUNOs, along with Buffy Sainte-Marie for the 2017 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, and Sarah McLachlan for her induction into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame.

The 2017 JUNO Awards will be handed out Sunday, April 2, 2017, at the Canadian Tire Centre. Limited tickets are still available through Ticketmaster.

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Music Canada Proud to Support 46th Annual JUNO Awards

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Music Canada is proud to return as sponsor of the Album of the Year Award at the 46th Annual JUNO Awards.

“As the Canadian music industry comes together in Ottawa in 2017, coinciding with Canada’s 150th anniversary, we are reminded of the impact that music has had in building our country’s identity. From past Album of the Year winners like Anne Murray, Bryan Adams, and the Tragically Hip, to this year’s nominees, music has always been a defining part of our cultural identity,” says Graham Henderson, President and CEO of Music Canada. “In addition to its intrinsic values, the music sector supports thousands of jobs across the country, which is why we are proud to advocate for policies and programs that benefit the music ecosystem and support a creative middle class.”

The Album of the Year Award will be presented at the 2017 JUNO Awards Broadcast at the Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 in Kanata, ON.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers presented with Gold plaques for ‘The Getaway’ in Toronto

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Photo: Warner Music Canada

Prior to their highly anticipated sold-out show at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, legendary rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers were presented with Gold award plaques for their latest album The Getaway by Warner Music Canada.

The 2016 album also features the Gold-certified single “Dark Necessities.” The Getaway is the band’s ninth album to be certified Gold in Canada, while “Dark Necessities” is the first track in the band’s career to be certified in Canada. In 2001, the band received their highest Canadian certification for Californication at Six Times Platinum.

The video for “Dark Necessities” can be seen below.

 

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Mayor John Tory and Councillor Josh Colle issue statement on Toronto music venue closures

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Below is a statement jointly issued this afternoon by Toronto Mayor John Tory and Councillor Josh Colle on the City’s commitment to live music venues following recent venue closure announcements.

 

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MEGAPHONO 2017 kicks off in Ottawa

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Ottawa’s MEGAPHONO Music Showcase Festival & Conference is officially underway, welcoming music industry professionals from the US, Canada and abroad for a celebration of Ottawa-Gatineau and Eastern Ontario’s burgeoning music scene. 60 local and regional artists will be performing in over 20 venues across Ottawa-Gatineau, with a daytime conference on music industry-related topics scheduled at CITIZEN (207 Gilmour Street).

On Wednesday morning, the festival kicked off with a Mayor’s Breakfast at Ottawa City Hall. CARAS and JUNO Awards president Allan Reid spoke at the event about the economic impact the upcoming JUNO Awards will have during the Canada 150 celebrations, and cited the importance of our Music Cities research in efforts to grow Ottawa’s music economy. Prior to Reid’s address, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson gave a nod to MEGAPHONO for their help in solidifying Ottawa’s music scene.

The MEGAPHONO Conference will feature panel discussions on music funding, recording, collaborations, promotion, and managing. Along with a packed schedule of evening shows, there will also be free daytime showcases at Bar Robo, Pressed Cafe, Elmdale Tavern, and The Record Centre. Passes can be picked up throughout the duration of the festival at CITZEN.

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East Coast Music Awards reveals 2017 nominees and performers

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Nominees were revealed yesterday for the 2017 East Coast Music Awards, which returns to Saint John, NB for the first time in 15 years on April 27, 2017.

Multi-Platinum hip hop artist Classified leads the nominees this year with nine nominations, followed by Platinum singer/songwriter Ria Mae with seven nominations. Both artists will perform at the awards show, along with David Myles, Paper Lions, Reeny Smith, Lisa LeBlanc, Jason Benoit, Les Hôtesses d’Hilaire, Caroline Savoie, REPARTEE, Tomato/Tomato, Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys, Còig, the Motorleague, and Adam Baldwin.

From April 26-30, the ECMAs will showcase hundreds of East Coast artists across multiple stages, including ECMA Big Ticket headliner Matt Anderson on April 29. Artists will also have the chance to connect with industry professionals from across the world at the 16th ECMA Industry Conference and Export Buyers Program.

2017 will also see the return of the SOCAN Song House, a two-day interactive songwriting workshop led by Ralph Murphy (renowned songwriter, producer, and author of Murphy’s Law of Songwriting). Applications for the workshop are now open, closing on Monday, March 6, 2017 at 5:00PM AST.

With over 13,000 people expected to take in the events, the ECMAs are expecting to have an approximate $3.1 million economic impact on the Saint John region.

Regular and VIP passes are available now. including wristbands for 2017 ECMA stages at bars and clubs, and evening stages at Saint John Trade & Convention Centre. Voting is also now open to the public for the Fans’ Choice Entertainer and Video Of The Year awards, sponsored by The Telegraph Journal. Fans can vote once a day for each award before the deadline on March 15, 2017 at 5PM AST.

 

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Cole Swindell surprised with plaque in Hamilton for Gold singles

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American country music artist Cole Swindell was in Hamilton last Wednesday to kick off his opening slot on Dierks Bentley’s 2017 North American tour. Prior to his set at the FirstOntario Centre, Swindell was surprised with a Gold plaque by Warner Music Canada commemorating the certifications of his tracks “Middle Of A Memory,” and “You Should Be Here.”

Swindell thanked his fans in a video posted to Warner Music Canada’s Twitter account. In the clip, Swindell praises his Canadian team behind him, and says he hopes to return to Canada soon as a headliner.

Swindell has received a total of five Gold Canadian certifications to date, and a Platinum certification for “Chilin’ It.” These certifications are his first under the new Single Award guidelines, which combine on-demand streams and digital sales.

Beginning February 1 in Winnipeg, Dierks Bentley, Cole Swindell, and Jon Pardi will commence the Canadian leg of their tour, wrapping up February 9 in Vancouver.

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