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Food Network Canada and Walmart Canada Harvest “Cooking For Kids” Campaign

Jun 30, 2015

Food Network Canada and Walmart Canada are teaming up to help busy parents create easy, delicious, and healthy options for their kids with a robust multi-platform campaign. Coinciding with the re-brand of Walmart’s fresh foods section, the partnership includes sponsorship of the resourceful Cooking for Kids Guide onFoodNetwork.ca, which features inspiring meal ideas and tips for Canadian families, Walmart custom content, and product integration.The campaign also encompasses integration into the new original series The Incredible Food Race as well as sponsorship of the show.

Hosted by Rick Campanelli (Entertainment Tonight Canada), each episode of The Incredible Food Race features two families battling it out in a super-charged race full of fun food challenges and a main event: the family versus family cook-off of a kid-approved meal. As the official show sponsor, Walmart is integrated into every episode and provides each winning family free Walmart fresh groceries for a year. Campanelli is joined by Food Network Canada Chef Corbin Tomaszeski (Restaurant Takeover, Dinner Party Wars) as chef mentor and commentator during the main event. Over the summer, Walmart and Chef Corbin will also host eight tailgate events at sites across Canada featuring a barbecue, cooking demonstrations with local Walmart Mom Ambassadors and Chef Corbin, with a ninth tailgate event created for the series.

An additional piece of the partnership includes four broadcast spots featuring Chef Corbin inviting Canadians to Discover Another Side of Walmart and promoting the Cooking for Kids conversation online using #KidApprovedMeals. The spots will run on Food Network Canada as well as various Shaw Media broadcast properties including Global, HGTV Canada, Showcase and Slice. The vignettes include Chef Corbin offering advice on cooking meals for kids, introducing fresh produce and meat from Walmart fresh groceries into kid favourites, and tours of Walmart’s distribution centres. Extended vignettes will live online on the Walmart sponsored Cooking for Kids Guide on FoodNetwork.ca, in addition to Walmart sites and Walmart Mom Ambassador blogs.

“There is an appetite for quick, delicious and healthy meal options for families, and the partnership between Food Network Canada and Walmart Canada provides both the resources and the inspiration to make this easier for parents,” said Barb McKergow, Head of Marketing Ventures, Shaw Media.

”At Walmart, our mission is to help Canadians save money so they can live better,” said Jennifer Holgate, Vice President, Marketing Communications at Walmart Canada. “This is why we are excited to be partnering with Food Network Canada to showcase our enhanced fresh food offering and inspire Canadian families to create delicious, healthy and affordable kid-approved meal solutions.”

Beginning today, and running until December 16, Walmart is sponsoring Walmart Wednesday’s on Food Network Canada during primetime, with co-branded promos to run throughout the schedule.

Glen Hansard’s new album ‘Didn’t He Ramble’ out Sept. 18th

Jun 30, 2015

Didn’t He Ramble, the second solo outing from acclaimed singer songwriter Glen Hansard, will be released September 18 via Anti- Records. The new album is his first in over three years and follows 2012’s solo debut Rhythm & Repose, which Billboard hailed as “Hansard at his most engaging,” while The Wall Street Journal furthered, “Hansard’s distinguishing trait as a songwriter is a heavy-handed earnestness.”

As a special preview, the video for the album’s single “Winning Streak” is premiering now as an NPR Music First Watch here.

Of the video, director Braden King explains, “Glen and I talked a lot about the way in which every life is a fight, a struggle. No matter who you are. No matter what you do. They’re all different and they all never end. For me, the song is about that struggle we all face in our own ways and about who has your back along the way. There is no end to it. We may get momentary rests along the way but they are fleeting. We all have to get up again and get back into the ring. And you know, sometimes, those who are the hardest on us are the ones who get us through. The way this turned out, the song kind of became the spirit of this place, the blood running through all these boxers veins. And I love the way in which Glen haunts and inspires it all.”

Didn’t He Ramble was produced by Thomas Bartlett (The National, Sufjan Stevens), a frequent collaborator of Hansard’s, and Grammy winner and former Frames band-mate David Odlum (Paloma Faith, Tinariwen). The album, which was recorded in New York, Dublin, Chicago and France, is Hansard’s most intimate and elegant record since his work in Once and features guest appearances by John Sheahan (Dubliners), Sam Beam (Iron and Wine) and Sam Amidon.

While the journey to finishing the record was a long one, the reward of finally arriving at the end line was well worth it. Hansard explains, “I feel I’ve really dug deep for these songs, and I’ve been chasing specific ideas asking myself ‘what is it I’m trying to say with this line or idea?’ One would hope that through all of this that you find your voice. And, amazingly, you might find it in the smallest gesture of a song.”

Glen Hansard is the celebrated principal songwriter and vocalist/guitarist for the influential Irish group The Frames. Whether busking the streets of Dublin, where he got his start, or headlining a gig, Hansard has garnered a reputation as an unparalleled frontman.

Hansard is also one half of the acclaimed duo The Swell Season. In 2007, he and Czech songstress Markéta Irglová took home the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly” off the Once soundtrack. In 2013, the Broadway adaptation, Once, The Musical, won eight Tony Awards including the top musical prize itself.

As a solo artist he has sold-out shows worldwide and performed on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Tavis Smiley,” and has been featured on the Emmy Award-winning program “CBS Sunday Morning.”

TRACKLISTING
1. Grace Beneath the Pines
2. Wedding Ring
3. Winning Streak
4. Her Mercy
5. McCormack’s Wall
6. Lowly Deserter
7. Paying My Way
8. My Little Ruin
9. Just to Be the One
10. Stay the Road

Glastonbury audiences left HOW MANY sleeping bags and tents behind?

Jun 29, 2015

Highlights of Glastonbury, the musical extravaganza included Kanye West, Florence + the Machine and The Who, while Lionel Richie headlined the Pyramid Stage last night to a crowd of over 100,000 revellers.

A litter picking crew of around 800 people have begun to clear the huge site of rubbish, and have already picked up an assortment of stray wellies, abandoned tents and discarded nitrous oxide canisters and balloons which had been used to inhale ‘hippy crack’, also known as laughing gas.

An estimated 11 tonnes of clothes and camping gear are believed to have been abandoned, including 6,500 sleeping bags, 5,500 tents, 3,500 airbeds, 2,200 chairs, 950 rolled mats and 400 gazebos.

It is thought that the festival organisers will spend around £780,000 collecting the rubbish from across the site, while volunteers will sift through around nine tonnes of glass, 54 tonnes of cans and plastic bottles, 41 tonnes of cardboard and 66 tonnes of scrap metal.

Nearly 200 tonnes of composted organic waste was removed from the site throughout the five day festival. The fields of Worthy Farm will then be returned to grazing dairy cows.

Via The Daily Mail

Canadian Arts/Media Job Posts For June 29, 2015

Jun 29, 2015

The Royal Conservatory of Music is looking for a Performance Manager.

The Mint Agency in Toronto has an opening for a Public Relations Account Executive.

We Day is looking for a dynamic, driven and experienced Manager of PR and Publicity who will report to the Associate Director of PR and Publicity. The candidate should have approximately two – three years of experience working in public relations and demonstrate an ability to manage programs, relationships and a team.

The Home Dept has an opening for a Paid Media, Coordinator responsible for the implementation and planning support for all mass print distribution, and national, regional and specialty media campaigns including the digital flyer.

Postmedia Digital, a division of Postmedia Network Inc., is seeking a seasoned Social Media marketing professional to lead and execute the Social Media strategy for the organization. The position reports to the Manager, Audience Acquisition and Optimization.

Humber College in Toronto has an opening for a Professor, Music Production.

Love Sports? The Score is seeking a Social News Editor.

Health Quality Ontario is looking for a dynamic, well-rounded Communications Specialist who enjoys working in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment. The ideal candidate will be an experienced writer, with strategic communications experience and the ability to synthesize complex information into compelling narratives.

Corus Entertainment is currently seeking an experienced lawyer to join its team as Legal Counsel. Reporting to the Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Government Relations and Compliance, the Legal Counsel will work on the increasingly regulatory and rights environment. This is an exciting opportunity to provide your legal and business insights to a dynamic and growing business. This position will be located in Ottawa.

CBC Radio is looking for an experienced and dynamic reporter to work from their bureau in Victoria. Reporting to the Executive Producer, News, you will be responsible for live and taped reporting. You will pitch story ideas, research, write and present news stories on regional and national news programs.

ENTERPRISE MMG in Saskatoon has opening for Reporter – Local News Coverages.

CBC Radio is looking for dynamic, seasoned web reporters for our Ottawa-Gatineau French station. Reporting to the executive producer of french news and current affairs, you inform online readers of local breaking news by writing copy for the web and social media, or posting audio/video content.

Torres Media is expanding with radio operations in Ottawa, Uxbridge, Vallleyfield and Markham! They’re recruiting part and full-time positions for junior and senior account executives, traffic reporters and news announcers for all locations.

Bloomberg News is seeking an Analyst/Reporter in their Toronto or New York office covering North American energy companies. The person in this role will be responsible for providing on-the-spot, concise written stories on breaking mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, earnings, and other corporate events involving Canadian and U.S. energy companies.

Are you crazy about radio and believe that it’s really all about the listener? Can you connect and converse with your audience with ease? If yes, then keep on reading! This is your chance to join the Jump! 106.9 team in Ottawa! They’re on the hunt for a full time Swing Announcer who can live, breath, and love Ottawa!

Meridian Credit Union in Toronto has an opening for a Social Media & Digital Coordinator.

Virtue Worldwide is VICE’s in-house creative services division. Virtue is looking for a Social Media Strategist to make content for social media, primarily tumblr.

Are you crazy about radio and believe that it’s really all about the listener? Can you connect and converse with your audience with ease? If yes, then keep on reading! This is your chance to join the Jump! 106.9 team in Ottawa! They’re on the hunt for a Casual Swing Announcer who can live, breath, and love Ottawa.

Shopper Drug Mart has an opening for a Social Media Specialist, responsible for planning, managing and delivering all social media activities, interacting and engaging fans and followers, as well as handling inbound comments and feedback from consumers.

Due to expansion, Stage and Screen has unique opportunities for experienced Travel Managers to join their team in Toronto, ON.

An upcoming high-end fashion brand is seeking an enthusiastic writing specialist to join our exclusive team. One must demonstrate perseverance and be very comfortable with social media, as this position also requires contacting various designers & celebrities in order to schedule interviews,photoshoots and publiciseour brand.

Concierge Plus (CP) turns condo communities into neighborhoods by connecting property managers and residents with a dedicated community website, and they’re looking for a Digital Marketing Specialist.

LoyaltyOne in Toronto is seeking a Specialist, Social Media Community Job.

Merrithew, a global health and fitness company is seeking a seasoned Public Relations and Content Specialist who lives and breathes stellar PR and Content Marketing.

Wattpad is a growing consumer technology startup based in Toronto, and they have an opening for a Community Engagement Specialist.

Candid is looking for a talented individual with an influencer-level social following to contribute and collaborate on social media and marketing initiatives. This role will provide first-hand experience with many of the largest fast-fashion brands in the world.

Are you a Social Media wizard? Do you have strong bilingual writing skills? David’s Tea is looking for an energetic Social Media Coordinator to join their digital marketing team.

Corus Television is looking for a Content Coordinator responsible for day-to-day coordination of materials/deliverables for their assigned non-linear broadcast platforms/services.

Corus Radio Kitchener has an exceptional opportunity for a casual Programming Operator for their stations in the Waterloo/Kitchener/Cambridge market.

Corus Radio Vancouver has an exciting opportunity for a part time Traffic Anchor in their Vancouver office. Reporting to the Brand Director, the successful candidate will be responsible for traffic reporting and desking duties.

Corus Radio Ottawa / Cornwall has an exciting opportunity for a Manager, Promotions and New Media with JUMP! 106.9 / boom 99.7 in Ottawa and 104.5 Fresh Radio / boom 101.9 Cornwall. Reporting to the General Manager, the successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating and executing both station and client promotions and assisting all areas of the Promotion Department.

Lego To Invest $1 Billion Looking For Sustainable Materials

Jun 29, 2015

Today, the LEGO Group announces a significant investment of DKK 1 billion dedicated to research, development and implementation of new, sustainable, raw materials to manufacture LEGO elements as well as packaging materials.

Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO and President of the LEGO Group, says “This is a major step for the LEGO Group on our way towards achieving our 2030 ambition on sustainable materials. We have already taken important steps to reduce our carbon footprint and leave a positive impact on the planet by reducing the packaging size, by introducing FSC certified packaging and through our investment in an offshore wind farm. Now we are accelerating our focus on materials.”

The investment will result in the establishment of the LEGO Sustainable Materials Centre. The centre will be based at the LEGO Group’s headquarters in Billund, Denmark, and include all current functions and employees working to find alternative materials. In addition, the LEGO Group expects to recruit more than 100 specialists within the materials field during the coming years to work on this challenging ambition.

The LEGO Sustainable Materials Centre organisation will be established during 2015 and 2016, and it is expected that it will include satellite functions located in relevant locations around the globe. In addition, the centre will collaborate and develop partnerships with relevant external stakeholders and experts.

LEGO Group owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen comments on the announcement, “Our mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. We believe that our main contribution to this is through the creative play experiences we provide to children. The investment announced is a testament to our continued ambition to leave a positive impact on the planet, which future generations will inherit. It is certainly in line with the mission of the LEGO Group and in line with the motto of my grandfather and founder of the LEGO Group, Ole Kirk Kristiansen: Only the best is good enough”.

The decision to significantly boost the search for sustainable materials was taken at the recent General Assembly of the LEGO Group in May 2015.

In 2012, the LEGO Group first shared its ambition to find and implement sustainable alternatives to the current raw materials used to manufacture LEGO products by 2030. The ambition is part of the LEGO Group’s work to reduce its environmental footprint and leave a positive impact on the planet our children will inherit. As an example, in 2014 more than 60 billion LEGO elements were made – and finding alternatives to the materials used to make these bricks would significantly reduce the LEGO Group’s impact on the planet.

“The testing and research we have already done has given us greater visibility of the challenges we face to succeed on this agenda and we respond by adding significant resources in order to be ready to move into the next phase of finding and implementing the sustainable materials. I am truly excited by the full commitment of the Board of Directors and our owner family to significantly boost the work to ensure a lasting positive impact,” says Jørgen Vig Knudstorp.

When the LEGO Group is ready to introduce new materials it is vital that it does not compromise the quality or safety standards set by the LEGO Group and expected by parents. Consequently, the LEGO Group will continue to seek extensive research and robust data to ensure that all aspects of safety and quality are considered.

“This is paramount to us as it enables us to provide children with a unique play experience that inspires and develops them and enables them to build a better tomorrow. This is ultimately the reason for our continued efforts to always do better,” says Jørgen Vig Knudstorp.

The LEGO Group will not be able to solve the task of finding and implementing new materials alone. In recent years, the Group has collaborated with companies and experts on the task and these relationships will continue with existing as well as new partners with expertise in the field.

An example is the Climate Savers partnership between the LEGO Group and WWF signed in 2013, which has targets on developing a sustainable materials strategy. A new collaboration with WWF was agreed in spring 2015 and focuses on better assessing the overall sustainability and environmental impact of new bio-based materials for LEGO elements and packaging.

“There is no common definition of a sustainable material. Several factors influence the environmental sustainability of a material – the composition of the material, how it is sourced and what happens when the product reaches the end of its life. When we search for new materials all of these factors must be considered,” says Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, adding:

“What we announce today is a long-term investment and a dedication to ensuring the continued research and development of new materials that will enable us to continue to deliver great, high quality creative play experiences in the future, while caring for the environment and future generations. It is a daunting and exciting challenge.”

What Happens When You Leave Your Phone On During The Ant-Man Press Conference

Jun 29, 2015

A reporter left their phone on the conference desk to record audio during the Ant-Man press conference, but didn’t put their phone in airplane mode. An untimely call had a hilarious result!

Video: This microtonal guitar could change music forever

Jun 29, 2015

The Adjustable Microtonal Guitar was designed by Tolgahan Çoğulu in 2008. It was accepted and funded as a scientific research project at Istanbul Technical University Dr. Erol Uçer Center for Advanced Studies in Music under the supervision of Prof. Şehvar Beşiroğlu. The first prototype was made by Ekrem Özkarpat. The new versions have been made by Briken Aliu since 2014.

In designing Adjustable Microtonal Guitar, Tolgahan Çoğulu was inspired by René Lacote’s and Walter Vogt’s guitars. In the Adjustable Microtonal Guitar, all the frets on the fretboard are movable in the channels under each string. Besides, any number of frets can be inserted into or removed from the fretboard.

In the equal temperament system used in Western classical music, the octave is divided into 12 half tones. On conventional guitar fretboards, the frets are half tone apart. Similarly, piano keys are also a half step apart. In Western classical music theory, the term microtone is used for an interval less than a half tone. Microtonal Music refers to pieces that use microtones in contemporary Western classical music repertoire. For example, Mexican composer Julian Carrillo divided the octave into 96 tones orAlois Haba into 24 pieces.

In addition to this, the term Microtonal Music also encompasses music that use intervals other than the equally-tempered 12 notes of an octave. For example, pieces written in Pythagorean, just intonation ormeantone temperament are also categorized under microtonal music.

In Ottoman/Turkish music theory, which is based on maqams, microtones are referred to as koma. In this system, a whole-tone is divided into 9 equal parts, and each part is called a koma according to Arel-Ezgi theory. For an alternative theory, you can read Ozan Yarman’s PhD.

Mind-Blowing Video: DJ Jazzy Jeff Mixes Run DMC’s “Peter Piper”

Jun 29, 2015

DJ Jazzy Jeff made his way to Serato’s home town Auckland, New Zealand recently where he showed off a special Run DMC – Peter Piper Routine that he put together with Serato DJ, the Rane Sixty-Two mixer, the new Pioneer PLX-1000 turntables, and DDJ-SP1 controller.

Watch as he goes to work on the track, cutting with razor sharp precision – trademark DJ Jazzy Jeff, stuff filmed in front of the iconic Rangitoto Island.

Chart: The average age of headline acts at Music Festival has gradually risen

Jun 29, 2015

As the demand for festivals becomes ever greater, a potential supply-side problem has started to become apparent. It hints at how the music industry has changed rapidly over the past ten years, and how it may need to adapt.

Over the past decade sales of recorded music fell sharply. According to the BPI, an industry body, income from recorded music fell from £1.2 billion in 2004 to just under £700m in 2014. The fall has slowed in recent years, partly because of the increase in online streaming, which accounted for £115m in 2014. But other revenue streams have become far more important—particularly the live music industry. In 2011 it was worth £1.6 billion, according to PRS for Music, which collects royalties on behalf of writers and publishers.

Artists bag only 10% of the net profit from recorded music, but can command up to 90% of gross ticket receipts. And promoters can make money from large, captive audiences by charging eye-watering prices for food, merchandise and parking.

However, the popularity of festivals poses a problem. As they have grown in Britain so too have they blossomed in America, Asia and Europe. But the pool of artists who appeal to large, diverse crowds and have enough music to play for an hour or more has not increased at the same rate. This means that there are not enough big headliners to go around. Analysis by Will Page, the director of economics at Spotify, a streaming service, shows that the average age of headline acts at nine festivals in Britain has gradually risen (see chart). In the 1990s, bands in their mid-twenties, such as Radiohead, headlined at Glastonbury, points out Mr Page. Although exceptions exist—this year, the 28-year-old Florence Welch was drafted in at the last minute to headline the Friday slot—it appears to be getting rarer, he says.

Part of the reason for this may be that punters themselves are ageing: according to Festival Insights, an industry publication, in 2014 the average age of a festival-goer was 33. Promoters may be reacting to this by putting on older acts. But it also reflects a supply-side constraint in the market, says Chris Carey, a music consultant. Fewer small clubs and pubs exist for new young bands to start out, he says, and older bands are still keen to perform live in order to boost their coffers. This means that fledgling artists find it both harder to start a career and to muscle in to a headline slot once they have gained momentum.

Via The Economist

Infographic: Apple Aims to Shake Up the Crowded Streaming Market

Jun 29, 2015

Tomorrow at 11 AM ET, Apple will begin its quest to shake up the music industry with the launch of its highly-anticipated streaming service Apple Music. The service will complement features similar to those of competing services such as Spotify and Tidal with elements of human curation and a 24/7 global radio station named Beats 1.
Apple enters a market that is already highly competitive and where there is little room for differentiation. However, it is also a market in which no player has managed to build a subscriber base that is too large for Apple to challenge. If Apple manages to convince only a fraction of the hundreds of millions of Apple device users to give its new service a try, Apple Music will be in contention for the market lead.

Today’s chart shows which music streaming services people in the United States currently use. It is based on a survey conducted by Edison Research earlier in 2015 (before the launch of Tidal).

This chart illustrates the adoption of music streaming services in the United States.

You will find more statistics at Statista