view

Gil Moore presented with Music Canada’s Artist Advocate Award

Posted October 23, 2019 by Quentin Burgess

Music Canada is honoured to present Gil Moore, founding member of the multi-Platinum-certified band Triumph, and owner of the renowned Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ontario, as the recipient of the 2019 Artist Advocate Award. The award recognizes musicians and songwriters for their outstanding advocacy efforts to improve the livelihoods of music creators. The Mississauga-based musician has been active in the Canadian music industry for more than 40 years, with advocacy being a consistent theme throughout his career.

Moore has long been a champion for policies to help support music creators and to improve the music ecosystem. He was an active voice for copyright reform as a board member of Balanced Copyright for Canada, a coalition of content creators, artists, and rights holders, and people who work in the creative industries, which advocated for copyright legislation that effectively protects artists and creators, later passed within the Copyright Modernization Act.

Moore shared his passion for creators’ rights with his students at Metalworks Institute, and has invited Music Canada in to present town hall sessions on topics such as the Copyright Board. He also opened the warehouse of Metalworks Production Group for tours, allowing Music Canada to showcase the skilled workers and economic impact of the live music sector to policymakers in advocating for the Ontario Music Fund.

“I’m very proud to receive this award today,” says Gil Moore. “But awards are not the reason I became an artist advocate – I am an advocate for music because I have seen firsthand how it can change lives. I’ve seen that in my own career as a performer, I’ve seen it with fans who are so passionate about the artists they love, and I’ve seen it with our students at Metalworks, who get into this business and invest in their careers because they love music and they are driven to succeed in this industry. I’ve also seen the way that music can empower a community, create jobs, and drive economic growth – and that is worth advocating for. Thank you to Graham and Music Canada for this recognition, and your continued efforts to grow the music sector.”

Moore has also been active in advocacy as the Vice President of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music & the Arts (CAAMA). He served previously as an Executive Board member of the Toronto Musician’s Association and also as a Vice President of The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).

Gil was an inaugural inductee of the Mississauga Music Walk of Fame for his personal involvement in and contributions to the community. Over the past few years, along with the other members of Triumph, Gil has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Mississauga’s Legend’s Row, the Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame and the City of Mississauga named a street in the band’s honour, Triumph Lane. His passion for Metalworks and the music industry is boundless; he devotes much of his time to researching trends in music education and technology.

“Gil Moore has put Mississauga’s music scene on the map. We are eternally grateful for his efforts and pride he has brought to our City,” said Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Gil consistently champions the power of music for job creation and growth, and as a member of our Economic Development Advisory Board, he has been instrumental in the creation of the first full-time music industry position at City Hall focused on music sector development. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of local music history, which he urges us all to recognize, preserve and celebrate. Because of his passion for music education and the founding of Metalworks Institute, Mississauga produces some of the world’s top musicians, sound technicians, and event experts. We are proud and lucky to have Gil in Mississauga.”

The award was presented today at Music Canada’s 2019 Symposium, taking place at the Great Hall in Toronto. Moore becomes the third recipient of the Artist Advocate Award; previous recipients include Loreena McKennitt and Miranda Mulholland.

Categories: Industry News, News Release
Tags: Artist Advocate Award, Gil Moore, Symposium 2019

view

Playback 2018: Loreena McKennitt receives the Music Canada Artist Advocate Award

Posted October 25, 2018 by Quentin Burgess

At Playback 2018, Music Canada’s annual industry dialogue and celebration, renowned Canadian musician and record label owner Loreena McKennitt was honoured with the Artist Advocate Award in recognition of her long-time advocacy for musicians’ rights.

The Artist Advocate Award was introduced at Playback 2017. Now in its second year, the award recognizes musicians and songwriters for their outstanding advocacy efforts to improve the livelihoods of music creators.

Music Canada President and CEO Graham Henderson presented McKennitt with the award, remarking:

“Loreena, as everyone in this room knows, is an internationally successful artist entrepreneur. She founded her record label Quinlan Road in 1985, and since then, her music has received critical acclaim worldwide with sales of 14 million records globally.

Throughout her illustrious career, and from the day she chose to retain her master rights, and do it her own way, she has been a passionate, devoted advocate for musicians’ rights.

Her testimonies and submissions to parliamentary hearings have, over the years, demonstrated her deep business and political acumen, and has influenced real change making her a force to be reckoned with.

She is also a dedicated human rights advocate, a generous philanthropist, she established the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund in 1998.

I had the privilege of working for Loreena for almost 10 years and we have remained friends ever since. So in recognition of her unwavering public support for the rights of music creators, we are proud to present Loreena McKennitt with our 2018 Music Canada Artist Advocate Award.”

McKennitt graciously accepted the award, remarking on her career path and the impact that music has had on people across the globe. In her acceptance speech, she stated:

“Well, thank you very much Graham for this, as well as Music Canada. It is unexpected but also, I feel there are others who are equally, if not more, deserving.

It is true that my career path began in earnest around 1990 and it was at that time that I found Graham and he helped mastermind what became to some, a famous Warner deal. And he was an educator for me and an advocate as well as someone who really showed me a lot of the path forward.

I grew up in Southern Manitoba in a German Mennonite community and music was central to our lives. Not so much in a professional sense, but in terms of a living, breathing medium that means so much to us as a species. The fact that I set out to be a veterinarian and ended up in the music industry certainly speaks to the fact that you can set out on a journey and not know where you will end up.

But it is my sincere hope that through gatherings, such as today, and the minds of people who are really leaning against the wheel, that we can change for the better. All those who enjoy music are enriched by it, healed by it, entertained by it. And to protect that realm of music in their lives, we have as an industry, it’s not all about us, it’s all about other people and people we sometimes call the consumer. But when I meet them I hear people who have been genuinely changed through the medium of music.

So, I thank you all once again for being here this afternoon and thank you very much for this recognition. I will continue to be whatever support I can until I hang up my shoes. Thank you.”

Video of the award presentation and McKennitt’s acceptance speech is embedded below.

Categories: News Release
Tags: Artist Advocate Award, Graham Henderson, Loreena McKennitt, Playback, Playback 2018

view

Miranda Mulholland and 100 fellow creators call for real and meaningful reform to the Copyright Board of Canada

Posted November 9, 2017 by Corey Poole

In August of 2017, Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister, Navdeep Bains, in conjunction with Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, announced the launch of consultations on reforming the Copyright Board of Canada. According to the government’s release, the goal of Copyright Board reform is to “enable creators to get paid properly and on time.”

Miranda Mulholland is a violinist, singer, label owner, and the recipient of Music Canada’s inaugural Artist Advocate Award for her outstanding achievements in advocating for the rights and livelihoods of music creators. One of those achievements is becoming the first creator to deliver a keynote address to the Economic Club of Canada. Another is rallying her fellow musicians on the importance of reforming the Copyright Board and her submission of two letters to the Canadian government.

The first letter was submitted on behalf of “Canadian musicians, independent label owners and creative entrepreneurs – at all stages of their careers” 100 of whom added their names. The letter states “While only part of our income comes from royalties collected by collective societies, the rates set by the Board directly impact the value of our music, and our ability to earn a living from it.” The letter specifically supports three options outlined in the consultation’s Discussion Paper and points out that while the role of the Board has evolved, “at the end of the day, the Board is valuing our work, and setting rates that affect our livelihoods.”

The second letter was submitted to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and in addition to the list of supporting names, is signed directly by Mulholland, Jim Cuddy, Alan Doyle and Joel Plaskett. It stresses the need for real and meaningful change at the Board, calling for tariffs to be set faster and more in line with market values, and also thanks the government for embarking on the long overdue reform process.

You can read Miranda’s letters below, which are also available on the advocacy section of her website.

Categories: Advocacy, Industry News
Tags: Artist Advocacy, Artist Advocate Award, Copyright, Copyright Act, Copyright Board, Copyright Board reform, Justin Trudeau, Mélanie Joly, Miranda Mulholland, Navdeep Bains

view

Playback 2017: Inaugural Music Canada Artist Advocate Award presented to Miranda Mulholland

Posted October 23, 2017 by Corey Poole

Miranda Mulholland does it all. From running a record label and a music festival, to singing and playing fiddle in multiple acts, and even performing as a member of Toronto’s Soul Pepper Theatre Company, Miranda is the epitome of a multi-talented artist. On top of her artistic achievements, Miranda has emerged as a trailblazer in the global artists’ rights movement.

In 2017, Miranda became the first creator to deliver a keynote address at the Economic Club of Canada, where she shared an honest first-hand look at the reality for music creators in the digital marketplace and laid out concrete steps the industry, music fans, and governments can take to help artists succeed. She also spearheaded a letter signed by fellow artists on recommendations for a reformed Copyright Board of Canada, which is often tasked with determining the value of music in this country.

In recognition of her outstanding advocacy efforts to improve the livelihoods of music creators, Miranda Mulholland was presented with the inaugural Music Canada Artist Advocate Award at Playback 2017.

Watch Music Canada’s President and CEO, Graham Henderson, present Miranda Mulholland with the inaugural Music Canada Artist Advocate Award below.