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Tag archive: 2016 (3)

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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

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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2016 Gold/Platinum Year-End Review

2016 was an exciting year for Music Canada’s Gold/Platinum Certification Program. On September 12, we unveiled the new Single Award, which accepts on-demand subscription service streams for the first time in the program’s history. The award replaces the Digital Download and CD Single awards, combining the digital and physical track sales with on-demand streams at a rate of 150:1. Brett Kissel was presented with the first Single Award at the 2016 CCMA Awards in London, ON, when he was surprised on stage with a plaque for “Airwaves.”

Click here for a full list of the 2016 album and track certifications.

We also unveiled new logos and branding for the program, which can be found on our award plaques and in our certification announcements on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The new branding has allowed us to further interact with artists and their fans, who often share our announcement banners to to their followers. A new online certification portal was also introduced for our member labels, and we expect to reveal non-member certifications and award plaque orders through this portal in early 2017.

As a result of the new guidelines, we experienced a drastic increase in the total number of track certifications from 2015. Combining 2016’s Digital Download and Single awards, there were 495 track certifications in 2016 – a 75% increase from the 283 track certifications in 2015. 119 track certifications were from Canadian artists, a 72% increase from the 69 Canadian track certifications in 2015.

As well, we witnessed a new generation of artists receive their first Canadian certifications, including A Thousand Horses, Alan Walker, Alx Veliz, Andy Grammer, Chris Lane, D.R.A.M., Dan + Shay, Flume, Frenship, Gnash, Jon Pardi, Jonas Blue, Kelsea Ballerini, Kiiara, Klingande, Maren Morris, Miike Snow, Mike Perry, Niall Horan, Snakehips, Sonreal, Tinashe, Tory Lanez, Zara Larsson, Zay Hilfigerrr & Zayion Mccall, and Zeds Dead.

Mark Ronson had the highest certified track of 2016 with the Diamond certification of his Bruno Mars collaboration “Uptown Funk.” Adele‘s track “Someone Like You,” along with Pharell Williams‘ “Happy” and Hozier‘s “Take Me To Church” received the second highest certifications at 8X Platinum. The highest Canadian track certifications belonged to Justin Bieber with his tracks “Love Yourself” and “Sorry” reaching 7X Platinum.

The highest certification for a track released in 2016 belongs to Sia for “Cheap Thrills.” The Chainsmokers landed two Six Times Platinum certifications for their 2016 tracks “Closer” and “Don’t Let Me Down”. Country singer Blake Shelton earned seven Gold certifications, the most of any artist in 2016.

 

There were 75 album certifications in 2016, down from 133 in 2015. 26 of these album certifications were from Canadian artists, down from 51 in 2015.

Adele had the highest certified album with the Diamond certification of 25, while Justin Bieber‘s Purpose was the highest certified Canadian album at Quadruple Platinum. Celine Dion‘s Double Platinum certification for Encore un soir was the highest certification for an album, both international and Canadian, released in 2016. Drake‘s Views, 2 Freres’ Nouse autres, and Michael Buble’Nobody But Me were the second highest Canadian album certifications, each earning Platinum status.

Canadian artist Danny Fernandes received the final Physical Single certification for his “Dear Life” CD single. 5000 physical CD singles were sold across National Basketball League of Canada arenas benefiting World Vision Canada/Artist Collective. Francophone artist Yoan‘s live concert DVD Live Au Centre Videotron was the only video released in 2016 to be certified, and it earned a Platinum certification.

Some of 2016’s Canadian Gold/Platinum certified artists were presented with awards plaques and a collection of photos of these artists can be viewed below:

 

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IFPI Releases Investing in Music Report

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), representing the recording industry worldwide, released a new report today, Investing in Music: The Value of Labels. The report highlights the important role that labels play in the global music industry. They are the primary investors in music; record labels discover and nurture artists, produce and promote music, and connect artists with their fans.

ifpi2016report-smallAccording to the report, labels remain the largest investor in music, maintaining tens of thousands of artists on global rosters, and investing 27 percent of their revenues—US$4.5 billion—in artists around the globe. “That’s an incredible figure that reflects their commitment to artists and the future of music,” says the report. “No other segment of the music sector invests in artists on anything like this scale.”

Jointly introducing the report, Frances Moore, Chief Executive of IFPI and Alison Wenham, CEO of WIN, said: “Investing in Music highlights not just record companies’ financial investment in artists, but also the enduring value they bring to artists’ careers.  In the digital world, the nature of their work has evolved, but their core mission remains the same: discovering and breaking new artists, building their careers and bringing the best new music to fans. These are the defining qualities of record companies’ investment in music.”

Here are the key highlights of the Investing in Music report:

Music does not just happen … it requires hard work and substantial investment. Record companies are responsibly for discovering and nurturing artists, producing and promoting their music and other forms of creative output, and connecting artists with fans in new and innovative ways. According to the report, it costs somewhere between US$500,000 and US$2 million to break a new act in a major market.

Record labels are the primary investors in music. Music companies invest US$4.5 billion annually in discovering, nurturing, and promoting artists. No other segment of the music sector invests in artists on anything like this scale, and this investment has been sustained even as the music industry weathered two decades of revenue decline.

Breaking down labels’ US$4.5 billion annual investment. This significant investment is broken down into two primary areas: A&R (or artists & repertoire), which is the discovery and development of artists, and marketing campaigns which promote artists and their music.

Developing the digital market. Record companies have invested heavily in the fast-developing infrastructure of the digital market. There is a complex system of digital licensing services which requires a substantial investment from music companies to track and distribute recordings.

Unlocking new revenue streams. Record companies invest in new revenue streams, such as licensing tracks for movies and TV, giving artists that have broken through to an audience new sources of income. A record company may have as many as 200 long-term brand partnerships active on behalf of their artists at any point in time.

The full report is easily accessed on this interactive website.

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