THE LEBLANC NEWSLETTER - ISSUE #11 (DEC. 12, 2007)

In this issue:

* First Recipients of The John Martin Award
* Eagle Rock Entertainment to Uni
* Copyright Reform: Mugged in Ottawa
* Barry Harvey Passes Away
* Spam Queens & Limousines
* Warner & EMI Regroup

The LeBlanc Newsletter is now exclusively carried and archived by Canadian Music Week in Canada at: http://www.cmw.net/cmw2008.

It is now available in the U.S. at Encore Celebrity Access: http://encore.celebrityaccess.com.

THE JOHN MARTIN AWARD

It is criminal that The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) is feting Moses Znaimer with honours next year at the Juno Awards while it has long overlooked the late John Martin.Manchester-born Martin was the visionary behind the birth of the MuchMusic music channel, and the creator of such innovative music-based TV series as “The New Music” and “Intimate & Interactive,” among others.“The New Music,” a news-magazine style show launched on Toronto’s CITY-TV in 1979, was a creative breakthrough in both television and music because no one in North America had taken pop music so seriously before.With its success, Martin began to plan a station devoted to music with Znaimer’s support. The result was MuchMusic that launched in 1984. "We were a bunch of loonies," Martin once recalled. "My gig was to sort of mould the anarchy.”Martin left MuchMusic in 1993. He remains a pivotal figure in Canadian music; an imaginative pioneer who set the guidelines for popularizing Canadian artists home and abroad.

In his memory, The LeBlanc Newsletter launches the annual John Martin Award honouring those figures working in music-affiliated industries who have also richly contributed to the musical life of Canada.

The first recipients are:

+ Newfoundland singer/songwriter Ron Hynes: The widely-proclaimed “man of a thousand songs.” With a career of over 30 years, Hynes has crafted songs covered by Emmylou Harris, Christy Moore, Mary Black, Murray McLauchlan, John McDermott, Shaye, and classical soprano Hayley Westenra. He is a six-time East Coast Music Award winner, and a Genie Award winner.

+ Toronto publicist/promoter Richard Flohil. The man of a thousand clients. Renowned for his fervent support of roots, blues and jazz. His current client roster includes Downchild Blues Band (37 years), Stony Plain Records (27), Loreena McKennitt (20), and singers Serena Ryder (four), Justin Rutledge (three), Paul Reddick (four), and Roxanne Potvin (three). He also oversaw media breakthroughs by k.d. lang, Colin James, and so many others.

QUICK TAKES

++ Eagle Rock Entertainment has shifted its Canadian distribution from EMI Music Canada to Universal Music Canada, effective Feb. 1, 2008. As part of the deal, Vivendi Visual Entertainment Canada, the video arm of UMC, will now distribute Eagle Rock's non-music visual content. Universal Music Canada has also extended its distribution pact with Chicago-based Victory Records.

++ The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has parted ways with Calgary’s Zerr Communications after only a few months. Toronto’s Holmes Creative Communications returns as CARAS’ public relations voice for a two-year term.

++ Canadian singer/songwriter Leslie Feist was driving through a Canadian blizzard Dec. 6 when text messages came pouring into her mobile phone about her four Grammy nominations. She received new artist, and female pop vocal performance nods as well as nominations for best short form music video (for "1234") and best pop vocal album for "The Reminder.” "I was driving along in shock, trying not to run off the road,” Feist says.

++ Acadian singer/songwriter Ronald Bourgeois will be paying close attention to the Grammy run-off. “The La Louisianne Sessions” by Louisiana’s Roddie Romero and The Hub City All-Stars is nominated in the best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album category. It includes Bourgeois’ song “Viens Avec Moi.” Canadian performers Lennie Gallant, Teresa Ennis, Mary Jane Lamond, Blou, Jean-Francois Breau, Mathieu D’Astous and others are slated to record a tribute album to the legendary Bourgeois in 2008.

++ Kellylee Evans and Michael Kaeshammer will co-host the 7th Annual National Jazz Awards in Toronto Apr. 8. Featured performers will be the Mike Ruby Quartet, the Brandi Disterheft Quintet, the Elizabeth Shepherd Trio, the Laila Biali Trio, the October Trio, Alex Bellegarde, and Nikki Yanofsky.

++ Pianist/composer/arranger Hilario Durán is one of three recipients of the 2007 Latin Jazz USA “Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award.” It will be presented Dec. 22 in Miami. Born in Havana, Durán lives in Toronto, and records for Alma Records.++ Newfoundland guitarist Duane Andrews won first prize in the jazz category of the 2007 USA Songwriting Competition with his song “Isaac’s Blues” from his 2006 album “Crocus.”

++ New Music West is accepting artist submissions until Feb. 1, 2008. Applicants must submit a photo, bio, two songs, and an application form. The festival/conference takes place in Vancouver May 14-18. For further information check: www.newmusicwest.com.

++Rolling Stone magazine has partnered with Toronto-based Somerset Entertainment for a series of compilations being sold exclusively at Best Buy outlets.

++ Canadian producer/singer/songwriter Daniel Lanois will release his album “Here Is What Is” at redfloorrecords.com in a CD-quality WAV format, starting Dec. 15. The CD will not be made available at retail outlets until March 18, 2008. The DVD of the film “Here Is What Is ” becomes available the same day.

++ Harris Corporation, a communications and information technology company in Melbourne, Florida, has donated a high power FM radio transmitter and digital exciter to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary. SAIT offers the only broadcast technology program in Canada. The donation was arranged by David “Geets” Haydu, dir. of engineering at CHUM Radio.

++ “The Ballad of Greenwich Village,” a 70-minute documentary by Karen Kramer, is now available on DVD in a limited edition. Narrated by Lili Taylor, it portrays social, cultural and political movements that began in Greenwich Village. It features interviews with such literary and musical figures as Edward Albee, Woody Allen, Maya Angelou, Judy Collins, Allen Ginsberg, Ritchie Havens, Norman Mailer and Peter, Paul and Mary, as well as local Village painters, drag queens, activists, and club owners. To order, send a cheque or money order for $35 U.S. to: Karen Kramer, 22 Leroy St., New York, N.Y. 10014

++ Industry Minister Jim Prentice announced Nov. 28 that the Canadian government will hold an Advanced Wireless Services Spectrum Auction in May, 2008 to encourage greater competition within the Canadian wireless market. It seems that Prentice noticed that wireless pricing in Canada is too high, particularly for data. Maybe, he figured it out by studying the wireless bills of his daughters, Christina, Cassia, and Kate.

++ Norris-Whitney Communications has released the 704-page directory “Music Directory Canada, Ninth Edition.” It features over 60 categories as well as artist contacts, award winners, and Canadian chart toppers.

RANDOM CHUCKLES:

++ Rock geezer Pat Boone, 73, has released a 21-track seasonal album “The True Spirit of Christmas” with songs written by 85-year-old Paul Alter, a veteran TV producer ("Family Feud" and "The Price is Right"). "A musical genius," attests Boone. "He's even inked a song about fruitcake."

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

++ At the Canadian Assn. Of Broadcasters (CAB) in Ottawa, Susan Tolusso has been appointed dir., communications; Glenda Cardinal, dir., finance & administration; and Devon Jacobs, senior dir., government relations.

++ Candice J. Molnar has been appointed as a full-time member and representative of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan region of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). She worked for SaskTel for over 20 years.

++ Toronto-based talent booker Darcy Gregoire has left LiveTourArtists for The Agency Group. Among his clients are Harry Manx, John McDermott, Amy Sky, Michelle Wright, Lori Cullen and the Arrogant Worms.

++ Bassist Kevin Call is amicably leaving Canadian hardcore band Comeback Kid. Three farewell shows are slated: Winnipeg (Dec 14), Alexandria, Minnesota (15) and Minneapolis, Minnesota (16). Comeback Kid with return with a new bassist in early 2008.

++ Veteran producer/musician Eric Peltoniemi has been named president of Red House Records in St. Paul, Minnesota. The folk/roots label’s roster includes Canadians the Wailin’ Jennys, Ray Bonneville, and Lynn Miles.

FINAL NOTE

++ Folk singer/songwriter/poet /actor/columnist Norm Hacking died Nov. 25 at his home in Toronto of a heart attack. For three decades, Hacking was a beloved fixture on Canada’s folk festival circuit, releasing 9 albums. He was honoured in 2001 by Canadian songwriters Jason Fowler, Jory Nash, Marianne Girard, and Chris Whiteley recording the album, “One Voice: A Tribute to Norm Hacking, Volume 1.”

BARRY & LIGHTFOOT R.I.P.

Barry Harvey died in Pickering, Ontario on Dec. 3. He was 56. For 26 years, as business manager of Early Morning Productions, he was the behind-the-scenes whirlwind supporting Canada's foremost musical chronicler, Gordon Lightfoot. A service commemorating Harvey’s life took place in Toronto Dec. 9 with Lightfoot performing a moving musical tribute to his fallen partner. Harvey oversaw Lightfoot’s vast recording and songwriting legacy; tightly controlled access to the iconic musical figure who last year returned to performing from the brink of death with an abdominal hemorrhage in 2000; and deftly handled the demands and needs of the mercurial craftsman who believes in perfection.Harvey was fiercely protective of Lightfoot. If someone cheated Gordon, Harvey would come after them with the steely determination of a seasoned bounty hunter. Not only did he have business savvy, Harvey had road sense (dating from the ‘70s when he was road manager with Chilliwack and Toronto), telling musicians under him, “if I can’t get it for you, you don’t need it.” “Barry was a wonderful personal manager,” recalls Lightfoot. “He did a great job.”

COPYRIGHT REFORM: MUGGED IN OTTAWA

New copyright reform legislation in Canada, which had been expected to arrive in the House of Commons on Dec. 11, has been delayed.Last week, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives filed a notice indicating the bill would be introduced this week. That doesn’t appear to be happening."A bill will not be tabled in the House until such time as myself and the minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages are satisfied," Industry Minister Jim Prentice said in the House of Commons on Dec. 10.A spokesperson for the Minister's office has since said there had been no date set for tabling the new copyright bill which the Conservatives had indicated in their Throne Speech in October would be introduced this session.Parliament will take a break until January after its Dec. 14th session.A storm of intense negative Internet-based activity, including blogs and a Facebook campaign overseen by Michael Geist, a professor of law at the University of Ottawa, may have sidelined the bill after putting Prentice and the minority Conservatives in the hot seat. Geist first posted a YouTube video that lists 30 ways in which people could protest the legislation, and he also set up a Facebook group on Dec. 1 which now has more than 14,000 members opposing the legislation.

A small but vocal crowd of 50 confronted Prentice about the bill in his Calgary constituency office on Dec. 8.All of this, along with thousands of emails and letters protesting the bill, apparently led Prentice to order revisions of several sections of the legislation.Critics are fearful that the new legislation will mirror the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and contain controversial anti-circumvention legislation (dealing with the use of technology that blocks users from gaining access to information without paying for it, and imposing stiff penalties on those breaking through the barriers).

Critics also contend that there will likely be no flexible fair dealing in the copying of digital materials, making illegal such acts as television time shifting, file-sharing of music and video files, and copying files to DVDs or MP3 players.

At his Calgary constituency office, Prentice defended the Conservative’s bill saying it would bring Canada up to date with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) agreements the Canadian government signed in 1997, and will bring Canada in line with its international obligations. Canada signed the WIPO agreements but has not yet implemented or ratified them, which has provoked criticism from its trading partners, he said.

Phase II revisions to Canada's Copyright Act in 1996, known as Bill C-32, which augmented 1988 revisions, did not address Canada's obligations under WIPO's agreements.

In 1997, Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps and Minister of Industry John Manley announced that the Liberal government was committed to signing and ratifying the two WIPO treaties.The two treaties-the Performances and Phonogram Treaty and the Copyright Treaty-deal with copyright protection in the digital age and with intellectual property protection for performers and phonogram producers.The Liberal government under Paul Martin tried to pass its own copyright reform bill, C-60, in 2005 but it was derailed when the party was brought down in 2005 in a non-confidence vote.The same fate could now befall the Conservative’s copyright reform bill if an early election is called or forced.A STARRY-EYED BELIEF IN FAIRY TALESLeave it to the naively enthusiastic Canadian Music Creators Coalition (CMCC) to issue a statement praising the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) for “its innovative, forward-thinking proposal to provide Canadians with legal and affordable access to file-sharing services.”On its website, SAC proposes the creation of “The Right to Equitable Remuneration for Music File Sharing” with a license fee of $5.00 per Internet subscription per month.SAC argues this would legalize peer-to-peer file sharing while generating significant new revenue for creators and the music industry. "This is the first progressive proposal we've seen in Canada to address file-sharing," says Andrew Cash, spokesperson of CMCC, a Canadian artist-based coalition that includes Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Broken Social Scene, Matthew Good, Metric, and Sam Roberts. Significantly, no other Canadian-based industry collective or association has endorsed SAC’s proposal. The basic problem is that it is based on compulsion, not negotiation. Well, that’s a non-starter in today’s teeming multi-partnered digital world.SAC also underestimates the ferocity of the telecommunication and cable companies that would oppose this program, and underestimates their lobbying clout.Finally, would Canadians cough up a further $5 to travel the Internet highway, particularly those not P2P file-sharing? Only in a fairy tale.SPAM QUEENS & LIMOUSINESEach week music journalists and columnists across the country wade through hundreds of emailed press releases to filter out news and possible story leads. Most releases are tossed or unread.With many journalists discouraging direct telephone contact, and with ease of mass emailing, publicists are relying more and more on spammed mail.And outpourings often bow to the fatuous. Consider these recent releases:#1: “Canadian Idol winner Brian Melo admits to eTalk that he and fellow finalist Tara Oram are indeed a couple, confirming rumours spreading since the end of the Idol season…..Tonight, the Season 5 champ tells eTalk exclusively about the romance: "I'll set it straight. We are together, we are a couple. I feel like we have something very special.”#2: “Through his music The Cliks’ lead singer, Lucas Silveira ‘wears his heart on his tattoo sleeve.’ In addition to the winged guns, pouncing dragons and carefully etched word ‘Survivor,’ the electrifying front man will add a new tattoo to his collection when he tapes ‘LA Ink’ in December (new episodes to air on TLC channel beginning January 8th, 2008). As the first transgender artist signed to a major label (Warner Music Canada), Silveira says his tattoos’ ‘commemorate what I went through.’” WARNER & EMI REGROUPWarner Music Group Corp. said Dec. 6 that its 4th quarter profit slipped 58 percent due to soft international market and a decline in music sales."We‘re not going to continue signing artists for recorded music revenue only," declared Warner CEO Edgar Bronfman during a conference call with financial analysts.This year, Warner became a minority owner investor in two artist management companies, Taisuke in Japan and Irving Azoff's Front Line Management, part of its strategy to pursue all-encompassing deals with artists. Warner recently announced it had formed a joint venture with the family of the late Frank Sinatra to handle management and licensing of a wide-range of products, from music to film.Meanwhile, Terra Firma, the venture capital group owner of EMI, is nearing completion of a £250 million equity fund raising, after telling potential investors it can lift profits in recorded music from £61 million in 2007 to £528 million in 2012. Terra Firma is selling a stake of about 15 per cent of EMI,Terra Firma forecasts it can increase EMI’s profits by cutting costs by £135 million annually and outgrowing the sluggish international music market. Meanwhile, with EMI slipping below Warner to be ranked 4th in the world with a 13% market share, bodies continue to tumble. It was announced Dec. 11 that Ian Hanson has stepped down as EMI Group COO. He was promoted in Jan. 2007 to COO from EMI Music senior VP, chairman's office, reporting to EMI Group CEO Eric Nicoli. Nicoli was ousted weeks after Terra Firma acquired EMI in August.

The beat goes on.

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Journalist/broadcaster/researcher Larry LeBlanc has been a leading figure in Canadian music for four decades. He has been a regular music commentator on CTV’s “Canada A.M” for 35 years, and has been featured on numerous CBC-TV, CTV, YTV, Bravo! MuchMusic, MusiMax, and Newsworld programs in Canada; VH-1, and EEntertainment in the U.S.; and BBC in the U.K.Larry was a co-founder of the late Canadian music trade, The Record; and, most recently, the Canadian bureau chief of Billboard for 16 years.

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To be added to his email list write: LJLE@aol.com

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The LeBlanc Newsletter is exclusively carried and archived by Canadian Music Week in Canada at: http://www.cmw.net/cmw2008.

It is now available in the U.S. at Encore Celebrity Access: http://encore.celebrityaccess.com.

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