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That Eric Alper

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Big Releases From Sam Smith & Ed Sheeran Help Pop Sales Overtake Rock in the U.K.

Apr 4, 2015

From Billboard:

Big-selling records from homegrown artists such as Sam Smith, Paloma Faith and Ed Sheeran have helped pop overtake rock as the most popular music genre in the United Kingdom.

According to new figures released by labels trade body the BPI, pop accounted for more than a third (34.5%) of album sales in the U.K. in 2014 – its highest level since 1999. Pop also made up almost half (48.8%) of the compilations market, claiming six of the top 10 biggest-sellers of the year.

For a sixth consecutive year, the genre also ruled the singles market, making up more than a third (36%) of all singles sold.

Historically pop has long vied with rock as the most popular music genre in the U.K., with four out of the last seven years seeing rock land the biggest share of the albums market. In 2013, it was once again the leading genre, accounting for 33.8% of all albums sold.

Although 2014 saw pop narrowly overtake rock, new albums by Royal Blood, Foo Fighters and AC/DC helped the genre maintain its popularity among U.K. record buyers and account for 33.2% of the U.K. albums market.

First New Release Friday Date Set For Music Industry

Apr 4, 2015

As announced by IFPI a few weeks ago, Friday will become the release date for all new music releases worldwide. The move will occur on Friday, July 10. All industry stakeholders are beginning preparations for this transition.

Music Biz President James Donio said, “We are committed to doing whatever we can to help all of our members make the transition to Friday successfully.” Donio is a member of the International Steering Committee, and will continue to keep members advised of further updates in the process.

Music teens: 60% are streaming while 21% buy downloads

Apr 4, 2015

From Musically:

Research firm GlobalWebIndex has been tapping its global panel of teenagers to find out what they’re doing online and how they’re getting their digital entertainment.

The results make for interesting reading, with a number of points about this age group’s music consumption. It’s based on a sample size of 4,849 16-19 year-olds – so “late teenagers” would be a more accurate term to describe them – in 32 countries.

Music findings? Music came top of the chart of “top interests” for the respondents, with 70% saying they are strongly interested in music – ahead of films (around 65%), science and technology (60%) and games (55%).

Ghostbusters video without the music. Who ya gonna call? The Cops.

Apr 4, 2015

I’ve posted Mario Wienerroither‘s Musicless music videos here on the site before, but this one for Ray Parker, Jr.‘s “Ghostbusters” is the weirdest, as it’s so stalkerish it’s borders on uncomfortable to watch. Who ya gonna call? The cops…

Here are the 2014-15 Ontario Music Fund Recipients

Apr 3, 2015

An agency of the Government of Ontario, Ontario Media Development Corporation supports the province’s creative economy by providing innovative programs, services and funding for the film & television; book & magazine publishing; interactive digital media & music industries.

2014-15 Ontario Music Fund is pleased to provide funding to the following successful applicants through the Ontario Music
Fund.

Music Company Development – Category A (Domestic Music Companies)
2+2 Management Inc. $ 29,250.00
A Tribe Called Red $ 38,000.00
Arts & Crafts Productions Inc. $ 650,000.00
Black Box Recordings Inc. $ 65,000.00
Bumstead Productions Inc. $ 60,000.00
Chapter 2 Productions Inc. $ 106,000.00
Coalition Music Inc. $ 198,000.00
CP Music Group Inc. $ 100,000.00
Curve Music Inc. $ 60,000.00
Dine Alone Music Inc. $ 600,000.00
Dream Machine Corporation $ 65,000.00
Earl Rosen and Associates Ltd. $ 30,000.00
Eggplant Entertainment Inc. $ 67,000.00
Entertainment One Ltd. $ 180,000.00
Fullcc Music Group $ 65,000.00
Fully and Completely Touring Inc. $ 325,000.00
Good Lovelies $ 90,000.00
HOME Music Inc. $ 100,000.00
JAD Media Inc. $ 37,000.00
LaFab Musique $ 40,000.00
Last Gang Records Inc. $ 198,000.00
Linus Entertainment Inc. $ 159,000.00
MapleCore Ltd. $ 160,000.00
MDM Recordings Inc. $ 35,000.00
Metric Productions Inc. $ 180,000.00
Ole Media Management Inc. $ 463,000.00
Outside Music Inc. $ 230,000.00
Pandyamonium Management Inc. $ 106,000.00
Paper Bag Records Inc. $ 133,000.00
Peter Cardinali Productions Inc. $ 40,000.00
Q&A Music Rights Administration Inc. $ 11,000.00
Red Brick Music Publishing $ 75,000.00
Royal Crown Records Inc. $ 45,000.00
Serenader Source Inc. $ 70,000.00
Silverstein Music Inc. $ 45,000.00
Six Shooter Records Inc. $ 295,000.00
Sonic Unyon $ 100,000.00
The Anthem Entertainment Group Inc. $ 267,000.00
The Management Trust Ltd. $ 60,000.00
Wax Records Inc. $ 45,000.00
Zeds Dead Inc. $ 283,000.00

Music Company Development – Category B (Multinational Record Labels)
Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc. $ 475,000.00
Universal Music Canada Inc. $ 1,200,000.00
Warner Music Canada Co. $ 750,000.00
Music Futures
Brookside Music Association $ 17,500.00
Burke Music Inc. $ 15,000.00
Cameron House Records Inc. $ 35,000.00
CCS Rights Management Corp. $ 28,000.00
CLK Creative Works $ 37,500.00
Countermeasure $ 22,500.00
Divine Brown Entertainment Inc. $ 32,500.00
Do Right Music Inc. $ 42,500.00
Effortless Entertainment Inc. $ 20,000.00
Glenn Lewis Entertainment $ 22,500.00
Go Kartz Management Inc. $ 17,500.00
Greg Kavanagh Music Inc. $ 32,500.00
Gunner Records $ 25,000.00
hard.Music Design $ 42,500.00
Hot Steam Records and Entertainment Group $ 32,500.00
Idée Fixe Records Inc. $ 31,500.00
Kelp Records Corporation $ 37,500.00
Marked Music Inc. $ 40,000.00
Minor Empire $ 30,000.00
Nathan Ferraro $ 40,000.00
Neruda Arts $ 26,000.00
New Country Rehab $ 37,500.00
Northstarr Entertainment Inc. $ 32,500.00
OVO Sound $ 45,000.00
Peter Katz $ 42,500.00
Pirates Blend Records Inc. $ 20,000.00
Royal Mountain Records $ 40,000.00
SING! The Toronto Vocal Arts Festival $ 40,000.00
Sleepless Records Inc. $ 40,000.00
The Gallery Players of Niagara $ 12,500.00
Wavelength Music Arts Projects $ 26,000.00
Live Music – Category A (Live Music Performances and Programming)
Ashkenaz Foundation $ 15,000.00
Beaches Jazz Festival Society $ 130,000.00
Calabogie Blues and Ribfest Inc. $ 90,000.00
Canadian Music Week $ 150,000.00
Embrace Entertainment Inc. $ 125,000.00
Georgian Bay Folk Society $ 40,000.00
Jones & Jones Productions Ltd. $ 50,000.00
Live Nation Ontario Concerts, GP $ 175,000.00
Ontario Festival of Small Halls $ 75,000.00
Ottawa Bluesfest $ 200,000.00
Ottawa Folk Fest $ 75,000.00
Ottawa Jazz Festival Inc. $ 150,000.00
Small World Music Society $ 20,000.00
Supercrawl Productions $ 150,000.00
The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall $ 200,000.00
The Guelph Jazz Festival $ 25,000.00
Toronto Urban Roots Fest Inc. $ 70,000.00

Live Music – Category B (Business Development for Ontario Live Music Companies)
Embrace Entertainment Inc. $ 50,000.00
Georgian Bay Folk Society $ 17,500.00
Ottawa Bluesfest $ 120,000.00
Ottawa Chamber Music Society $ 30,000.00
Ottawa Folk Festival $ 25,000.00
Small World Music Society $ 30,000.00
The Agency Group Ltd. $ 95,000.00
The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall $ 175,000.00
The Feldman Agency Inc. $ 100,000.00
The Paquin Entertainment Group Inc. $ 80,000.00
Toronto Urban Roots Fest Inc. $ 30,000.00
Music Industry Development
Alliance nationale de l’industrie musicale (ANIM) $ 20,000.00
Association des professionnels de la chanson et la musique $ 30,000.00
Association for Music and Innovative Arts $ 10,000.00
Blue Ant Music Inc. $ 125,000.00
Canadian Folk Awards Project $ 45,000.00
Canadian Independent Music Association* $ 475,000.00
Canadian Independent Music Association / Music Ontario $ 140,000.00
Canadian Independent Recording Artists’ Association $ 30,000.00
Canadian Music Centre; Centre de Musique Canadienne $ 57,000.00
Canadian Music Publishers Association $ 95,000.00
Canadian Music Week $ 200,000.00
Country Music Association of Ontario $ 80,000.00
Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION) $ 42,000.00
Folk Music Ontario $ 20,000.00
Harbourfront Corporation $ 30,000.00
Indie Week Inc. $ 55,000.00
Kelp Records Corporation $ 45,000.00
Manifesto Community Projects Inc. $ 25,000.00
Metalworks Institute Inc. $ 175,000.00
Music Canada* $ 170,000.00
Music Canada $ 50,000.00
Music Canada Live $ 75,000.00
Music Managers Forum Canada $ 95,000.00
North by Northest Conferences, Inc. $ 100,000.00
PhemPhat Entertainment Group $ 12,000.00
Re:Sound Music Licensing Company $ 35,000.00
Réseau Ontario des arts de la scène Inc. $ 75,000.00
Réseau Ontario des arts de la scène Inc. $ 70,000.00
Songwriters Association of Canada $ 22,000.00
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences $ 8,850.00
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences $ 85,000.00
Toronto Blues Society $ 40,000.00
Women in Music Professional Association of Canada $ 20,000.00

Bill Hicks movie screening coming to theaters for one night only April 27

Apr 3, 2015

Fathom Events and Comedy Dynamics present a not-to-be-missed cinema event featuring one of the biggest names in comedy with, “Comedy Dynamics Presents: Bill Hicks,” in select U.S. cinemas on Monday, April 27, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. local time. The event will include approximately 90 minutes of stand-up and special content from Hicks’ Relentless special, recorded at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre in 1992, and feature a montage of unseen clips from previous stand-up routines narrated by his brother, Steve Hicks, as well as home videos from the Hicks family estate.

Tickets for “Comedy Dynamics Presents: Bill Hicks” can be purchased online by visiting www.FathomEvents.com, or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in nearly 350 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Hicks was extremely influential, hilarious and before-his-time. Recorded at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal in 1992, Bill Hicks’ Relentless finds the legendary comedian at the top of his game. With classic jokes railing against non-smokers, musicians who don’t use drugs, and the (then current) Gulf War effort, Relentless is essential Hicks both for the newcomer and super fan.

“Working with the Hicks legacy is an honor for all of us at Comedy Dynamics and we are thrilled to partner with Fathom Events to bring his work to the big screen,” said Brian Volk-Weiss, President of Production at Comedy Dynamics.

Fathom Events VP of Programming, Kymberli Frueh-Owens said, “This late, great comedian truly set the bar for modern stand-up and was an influential creative force behind many of today’s most popular comedians. Even decades after his passing, this comedic genius is still lauded.”

Hear Andy Kim on NPR’s World Cafe

Apr 3, 2015

During a 2013 Sense Of Place visit to Toronto, World Cafe talked to Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew, who said he was working with Andy Kim on a new project. It was hard to know what to think: Kim, a fellow Canadian raised in Montreal, was known for pop hits in the ’60s and ’70s; he wrote “Sugar, Sugar” for The Archies and had his own No. 1 single, “Rock Me Gently,” in 1974. Drew was heavily involved in Broken Social Scene, among other projects, and it turns out that the two have become close; in fact, Kim describes Drew as his best friend.

Now comes It’s Decided, Kim’s new solo album; it was produced by Drew with songwriting assists from people like Ron Sexsmith. Kim has experienced a remarkable life of musical ups and downs, from Brill Building pop to his current reinvention. Now 62, he joins World Cafe to sing songs from his new record and perform a hit or two from his past. Click here to listen.

Jimmy Fallon and Pharrell Williams perform as Afro & Deziak

Apr 3, 2015

Jimmy Fallon and Pharrell Williams look back at some old clips of the ’80s R&B duo “Afro & Deziak.”

That Time Sun Ra Played On The Batman & Robin Novelty Record

Apr 3, 2015

In 1966, a novelty record of the best kind (well, in my life it was the greatest album I had as a kid for a few weeks) was a children’s album called Batman and Robin, essentially to ride the popularity wave of the Adam West Batman TV series. The album was mostly instrumental, which excited me to no end for some reason, but I just realized who played on it: While it was credited to “The Sensational Guitars of DAN & DALE,” the actual studio band was made up of members of Al Kooper’s Blues Project and Sun Ra’s Arkestra

Bruce Eder’s deeply-researched Allmusic overview:

No, Batman and Robin doesn’t match the importance of the Blues Project’s own official recordings, or anything that Sun Ra was doing officially, but what a chance to hear these guys kicking back for a half-hour’s anonymous blues jamming. Everything here, apart from the Neal Hefti “Batman Theme” is public domain blues built on some familiar material (including Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Bach), one cut, appropriately entitled “The Riddler’s Retreat,” quotes riffs and phrases from a half-dozen Beatles songs, and another, “The Bat Cave,” that’s this group’s answer to “Green Onions” (and a good answer, too). Along with Sun Ra, who dominates every passage he plays on, Steve Katz and Danny Kalb are the stars here, romping and stomping over everything as they weave around each other, while Gilmore, Allen, and Owens occasionally stepping to the fore, Blumenfeld makes his percussion sound downright tuneful in a few spots, and some anonymous female singers throw out a lyric or two on a pair of cuts, just as a distraction.

This year marks the 101st anniversary of Sun Ra’s birth. I’m going to play this album in his honour all day.

H/T to Dangerous Minds

Take away the music from The Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right (To Party) video and you’ll have this

Apr 3, 2015

Mario Wienerroither is back with another Musicless Musicvideos, where he removes all the music from the popular videos, and adds his own sound affects.