9/26/2008 - THE LEBLANC NEWSLETTER - ISSUE #23
QUICK TAKES
RANDOM CHUCKLE
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
FINAL NOTE
I CAN TELL IT’S A CRISIS; I HAVE 40 EMAILS FROM AL MAIR
FROM THE DESK OF LARRY LEBLANC

In this issue:        TOP
* Listen up, you tax-sucking, sonsabitches in the fancy-schmancy arts community.
* LeBlanc Weighs In On Government Funding.
* Canada: A graveyard of shattered musical hopes and careers?
* The Lost Osmond Brother—Lee Harvey—Found in Toronto.

QUICK TAKES        TOP
• Larry LeBlanc has become a weekly columnist for the on-line entertainment service Encore Celebrity Access in the U.S. He will contribute a weekly Q & A column with entertainment industry figures from around the world.

• Nettwerk One, the publishing arm of Vancouver-based Nettwerk Music Group, has signed Sinead O’ Connor to an exclusive publishing deal. NW1 will handle the publishing rights of O’Connor’s new compositions as well as her catalog which reverts to her over the next year. NW1 recently took on the catalog of 10,000 Maniacs and have signed John Spinks and Fredro.

• The 38th Annual Juno Awards will take place in Vancouver, British Columbia March 29, 2009.

• The Polaris Music gala will be held Sept. 29, 2008 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. The show, hosted by CBC Radio 3’s Grant Lawrence, will feature performances by Kathleen Edwards, Holy Fuck, Black Mountain, Basia Bulat, Plants And Animals, Shad, and Two Hours Traffic. The evening will conclude with the announcement of the winner of this year’s $20,000 prize.

• The lineup for the 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards, taking place Nov. 23, 2008 in St. John's Newfoundland, will include Figgy Duff, Murray McLauchlan, Rita Chiarelli, Asani, Anne Lindsay and Quebecois ensemble Club Carrefour. The ceremony will be co-hosted by CBC Radio's Shelagh Rogers and Quebec musician Benoit Bourque.

• Pop Montréal's Symposium Oct. 1-5, 2008 will feature filmmakers Jem Cohen and Femi Agbayewa; singers Irma Thomas and Lydia Lunch; and veteran U.S. a cappella group the Persuasions.

• The Ontario Council of Folk Festivals has awarded this year’s Estelle Klein Award to True North Records founder Bernie Finkelstein. The award will be presented during the 22nd annual OCFF conference in Ottawa from Oct. 23-26, 2008.

• The Globe and Mail is partnering with MuchMusic for an online ad campaign featuring the "10 Smartest and Savviest Musicians." A site will feature blogs by some of MuchMusic's VJs, links to artists' blogs and info about their education and how they used their book smarts to make it in the music biz. Over to you Avril.

• War Child Canada has two new benefit albums being released by Musicor on Nov. 25th, 2008. The English “Heroes” album features Beck, Duffy, Rufus Wainwright, TV On The Radio, and the Kooks. The French “Heros” album features Tricot Machine, Florence K, Terez Montcalm, Stefie Shock, Marjo, and Renee Martel.

War Child Canada is also launching a “Busking For Change” event in Toronto on Oct. 2, 2008. That day Our Lady Peace, Neverending White Lights, Dave Bidini, Tomi Swick, the Waking Eyes, Brian Melo and James Black and Rick Jackett of Finger Eleven will be busking for change in Toronto streets in support of War Child Canada. Maybe they will run into some past Juno winners.

• The new version of "The Hockey Theme,” recorded by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra debuts on Quebec’s RDS Oct. 10 and nationally on TSN on Oct. 14. The song was written in 1968 by Dolores Claman and had been associated with CBC's “Hockey Night in Canada” for nearly four decades.

Meanwhile, CBC’s contest for its new hockey theme has drawn more than 14,000 entries. Songs from the five finalists will be featured on CBC's "The Hour" the week of Sept. 29. The five composers will then be featured on a one-hour CBC television special on Oct. 4. CBC will then open the polls for voters to cast their ballots by email, phone or text messages. Two finalists will be announced Oct. 9 with the winner named at the start of the "Hockey Night in Canada" broadcast on Oct. 11, 2008.

•Virgin Music Canada will celebrate its 25th Anniversary with a charity concert on Oct. 14, 2008 at Lee's Palace in Toronto. Among the label's past and present acts on the bill will be: the Northern Pikes, Colin James, Choclair and Pluto (No Mary Margaret O’Hara?). Proceeds will be donated to MusiCan. A limited edition vinyl collection entitled, “Rare & Brilliant - Virgin Music Canada 25th Anniversary” will be available Oct. 14.

• Prime Minister Harper announced on Sept. 18, 2008 that if the Conservatives are re-elected, the party will make changes at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to insure that the department “reflects and respects Canada’s linguistic reality.” This will include requiring that the CRTC chair alternate between anglophones and francophones; the vice-chair positions would be held by one Anglophone and one francophone; a minimum of 25% of the commissioners would be francophone; and for hearings related to French-language or Quebec broadcasters, a majority of the panel will be francophone.

How could you even think that this might be election posturing?

• Los Angeles-based music video director Norwood Cheek was recently in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the Atlantic Film Festival and launched a project where 10 local directors made videos for ten local bands. The program, called “10 x 10,” ran as part of the festival. The directors and bands were randomly matched up and had four days to think up, shoot and edit the videos, Matches included: Christina Martin filmed by John Hillis; Drumlin with Joel MacKenzie; In Flight Safety with Andrew Stretch; Ruth Minnikin with Sue Johnson Skosuun Tiez with David Middleton; Nathan Wiley with Michael Ray Fox; Jimmy Swift with Shara Desiree King; Mardeen with Joanna Kerrigan; Sproll with Noah Pink; and Mercy, The Sexton with Joey Adrian

• Canada’s Bryan Adams headlined a concert in Tbilisi, Georgia on Sept. 19, 2008. Billed as “Peace, Freedom and Democracy for Georgia,” the concert took place in Rikhe Square in Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia. Betcha “Summer of ‘69” means something different there than here.

• After a six year hiatus Rawlins Cross has returned to recording and performing together. A reunion performance took place Sept. 19, 2008 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Last month, the 6-member band recorded three new songs and an instrumental set at Great Big Studios in St. John's, Newfoundland for an anthology slated for release in Nov. 2008 on Ground Swell Records, distributed by Warner Music Canada.

• Toronto electro-punk duo Crystal Castles ,and Tokyo-based British artist Trevor Brown have settled a lawsuit launched in 2006 by Brown over the group's unaccredited use of his 1999-published "Bruised Madonna" image on T-shirts, flyers and recordings by the band.

• Fork Radio's on-line punk radio station, PunkRadioCast.com has added new programming including: “Complete Control Radio,” hosted by Joe Sib; “Sex Talk with Fat Mike of NOFX and Josey Vogels; “We.Are.Canadian” with Ronen Kauffman; and “Define the Meaning” with owners of Define the Meaning magazine. PunkRadioCast.com, based in Toronto. attracts two million impressions per month.

• In the tradition of great Canadian band names comes Lee Harvey Osmond. Its’ line-up consists of: Tom Wilson (Blackie & the Rodeo Kings), Ray Farrugia (Junkhouse), Michael Timmons (Cowboy Junkies), and Josh Finlayson (Skydiggers), and Brent Titcomb. The band has recorded an album “The Quiet Evil” and will begin touring in Canada in early '09. Check out their snappy video for “Queen Bee” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIXkfl-ZjVw"

• Country artists are increasingly hanging their hats at DigitalRodeo.com, an international country music online networking site. Artists and fans alike can create profiles, listen and buy music. Top reporting countries are: Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Sweden.

• A newly-released DVD ‘Long John Baldy, ‘It Ain’t Easy’” presents a 1987 performance at Iowa State University featuring the late legendary Vancouver-based UK blues figure with his band featuring co-singer Kathi McDonald.

• Property developer Nakheel and investment company Istithmar World Capital, part of the Dubai World holding company owned by the government of Dubai, have purchased a 20 percent stake in Cirque du Soleil. Control of the Montreal-based entertainment company remains with founder Guy Laliberte.

• Twelve years following the release of the brilliant mockumentary “Hard Core Logo” about a Canadian punk band’s blow-up reunion, Toronto director Bruce McDonald will shoot its sequel beginning in Jan. 2009. There are plans for two further sequels. While the original film went greatly unnoticed on release, it became a cult hit due to DVD rentals.

RANDOM CHUCKLE        TOP
• Hey kids, want to fast track your broadcasting career? Work first as a music artist.

Last month, Newfoundland belle Kim Stockwood joined the EZ Morning Show in Toronto; mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah, rap poet Rich Terfry (aka Buck 65), and jazz diva Molly Johnson became new hosts at CBC Two. Meanwhile, Jian Ghomeshi, Danny Michel, Em Gryner and Randy Bachman continue to hold down hosting spots at CBC Radio, while veteran Kim Mitchell rocks at Q107 in Toronto.

So far no personal artist manager in Canada has ventured in the footsteps of Vancouver’s Bruce Allen who handles Bryan Adams, Michael Buble and Martina McBride. He hosts the weekly “Reality Check” on CKNW in Vancouver.

Just a matter of time.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS        TOP
• Denise Donlon has become executive dir. of radio at CBC Radio, effective Sept. 29, 2008. Donlon joined MuchMusic in the mid-'80s as a VJ and producer, becoming co-host of "The New Music." She later served as GM of CHUM Television's MuchMusic and MuchMoreMusic. In 2000, she moved to Sony Music Canada as president for four years.

• John H. Bell, has been appointed chief financial officer, Cinram International Income Fund. He will report to Cinram's CEO Dave Rubenstein. Prior to joining Cinram, Mr. Bell was chief financial officer of Patheon Inc.

• Kim Cooke has joined the Independent Digital Licensing Agency as GM. He will continue to operate his recently launched label, Pheromone Recordings.

•Cam Cowie has been appointed GM of Harvard Broadcasting Inc. He had been VP & GM of Citytv in Winnipeg. In his new position, Cowie will manage the day-to-day operations of Harvard and oversee sales and marketing policies.

• Sherry O’Neil has joined Astral Media Radio as VP/GM of Toronto market stations and Chief Planning Officer of Astral Media Radio. She was previously Managing Director of OMD Canada.

• Pat Holliday has been named VP of Strategic Development for Astral Media Radio. He will be responsible for the launch of the new Ottawa license, as well as the deployment of the Virgin Radio Brand across some Canadian markets. He was VP/GM for the Toronto

• Nat Merenda has joined Montreal-based KPone Music Inc. as label manager. KPone Music roster consists of Kmaro, Shy’m, Imposse, Vai and Ale Dee. The label is distributed in Canada. by Warner Music Canada.

• The Canadian Country Music Assn. has confirmed the election and appointment of its Board of Directors and Executive Committee for 2008-2009 as:

Chair Jackie Rae Greening, NEWCAP
1st Vice Chair Jim Cressman, CSA
2nd Vice Chair Nick Meinema, The Agency Group,
Secretary/Treasurer Brian Depoe, Astral Media

Directors:

Deane Cameron EMI Music Canada
Warren Copnick, Sony BMG Music Canada
Ted Ellis, CORUS
Wendell Ferguson, Musician
Lynne Foster, Consultant
Louis O'Reilly, 306 Records
Dale Peters, Dale Speaking
Jill Snell, Angeline Entertainment
Clarence Spalding, Spalding Entertainment
Jeff Walker, AristoMedia/Marco Promotions
Dawn Woroniuk, Saskatoon Media Group


• The new executive board of directors of the Urban Music Assn. of Canada consists of: Will Strickland (pres.); Katrina Lopes (VP); Gail Phillip ( dir., artist relations; Miro Oballa (dir., business affairs); Gregory Baptiste (dir., communications); Floyd Wilson (treasurer); Dahab Hagos (secretary); Dalton Higgins (dir., special events; TBD (dir., marketing); and Dwayne Dixon (dir., membership.)

FINAL NOTE        TOP
•Dianne Collins passed away in Toronto on Sept. 1 of cancer. She was 49. While at the University of Guelph in the early ‘80s, Collins managed the campus radio station CFRU. Later, she became a music journalist, and was editor of Music Express magazine. She then joined CBC, working there for over 20 years as a producer, music resources coordinator and operations manager for Galaxie

• Patty Bachynski passed away Aug. 26, 2008 at the Riverview Health Centre, Manitoba of lung to cancer. She was 49. She worked at CBS/Sony for many years, as Winnipeg rep, and later in head office in Toronto. She returned to Winnipeg in 2002 after leaving Sony.

I CAN TELL IT’S A CRISIS; I HAVE 40 EMAILS FROM AL MAIR        TOP
For Canadian Music Week, the Canadian Independent Record Production Assn., the East Coast Music Assn. (ECMA), the Western Canadian Musical Alliance, the check is not in the mail If the Conservatives continue in power.

Nor should members of the Holy Fucks hold their breath waiting for federal government tour funding.

Hundreds of Canadian cultural groups and artists recently learned they would not be receiving federal support in 2010 due to the Conservatives stripping $45.5-million from nearly a dozen arts programs.

Arts funding has emerged as a hot button election issue, particularly after Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended his government’s cuts with American-style, anti-intellectualism rhetoric, arguing that “ordinary people” object to tax dollars being used to fund glitzy galas at arts and cultural events…...Ordinary people understand we have to live within a budget.”

Yet, a July, 2008 report “Valuing Culture: Measuring and Understanding Canada’s Creative Economy” by the Conference Board of Canada indicated that the economic footprint of Canada’s culture sector was $84.6 billion in 2007, or 7.4 per cent of Canada’s total real GDP, including direct, indirect, and induced contributions. Culture sector employment exceeded 1.1 million jobs in 2007.

Amidst charges that defunding of these programs will be devastating to Canadian musicians, actors, and dancers and to organizations who present the work of artists of all kinds, Harper has also called his party's decisions good governance and said the government must walk “a fine line” between providing financial stability and “funding things that people actually don't want.”

Harper has, however, been very careful not to repeat in French his criticisms of artists, for outrage at his party's culture platform is most outspoken in Quebec where francophones are trying to maintain a distinct linguistic and cultural community.

If the Conservatives continue in power—particularly if they are handed their first majority government since 1988—the recent announced cuts may well lead to further significant cuts.

Canada’s musical community has much to fear.

A future body count would almost certainly include the Music Entrepreneurial Component (MEC) program launched by Canadian Heritage in 2005. MEC funds 19 Canadian-owned record labels.

Almost certain to be placed under review would be the overall cultural program, Tomorrow Starts Today which includes programs administered by the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent On Recordings (FACTOR).

With the music industry worldwide in the throes of a slump and with lay-offs commonplace throughout the industry as music sales have fallen, and with more and more Canadian musicians and labels depending on export revenues through sales and live performances to survive, the timing for the cuts is disastrous to Canada’s independent music sector.

The cuts began last month with the news that funding would be terminated for two industrial policy programs, PromArt, a program to encourage international promotional tours by Canadian artists overseen by the Department of Foreign Affairs; and Trade Routes, a Canadian Heritage Department program enabling cultural producers to export their work.

Then just prior to the election call, the Conservatives axed the Canada New Media Fund (CNMF), a $14.5-million-a-year program administered by Telefilm but funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage designed to create and distribute Canadian interactive new media both domestically and internationally,

As well, the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has since decided not to be the lead organizer of the Canada Day London events going forward. For the last two years the CTC and its partners had delivered events on Trafalgar Square, engaging some 30-40,000 people each year.

The Conservatives announced the majority of these cuts in Aug. 2008 via phone calls by departmental officials to key stakeholder groups. Press releases were pointedly not issued by either the ministers of Canadian Heritage or Foreign Affairs.

Conservatives argue that the cuts are the result of a "strategic review" of arts funding-- part of an ongoing government-wide review to trim spending--that found the programs had either fulfilled their original goals or wasted money with excessive administrative expenses.

What is particularly puzzling is that the Conservatives killed the Canadian Memory Fund, the Canada.ca portal, and the A-V Presentation Trust--all programs relating to the digitization of Canadian content. These cuts are particularly devastating since Canada continues to lag behind much of the world in content for digital networks.

As Duncan McKie, pres./CEO of the Canadian Independent Record Production Assn. has pointed out, “The government of Canada recently introduced new legislation to amend the copyright act to give our cultural industries the tools necessary to meet the challenge of an increasingly globalized cultural economy. A few weeks later, they cut the very programs that abet access to these same markets. In this case, politics trumps policy.”

Canadian Heritage Minister Josée Verner has indicated that the Conservatives hope to craft streamlined replacements for PromArt and Trade Routes, and have them in place by March 31, 2009. Verner insists that PromArt and Trade Routes need to be more "efficient" and "adept" at adapting to a globalizing marketplace.

What is alarming, however, is that the Conservatives do not hide the fact that they killed the programs largely due to ideological reasons, indicating that that they do not want to support artists they considered "marginal" or "offensive."

Harper’s press secretary Kory Teneycke, in fact, noted that, “In the case of PromArt, we think the [funding] choices made were inappropriate ... inappropriate because they were ideological in some cases, with highly ideological individuals exposing their agendas or [money going to] wealthy celebrities or fringe arts groups that in many cases would be at best, unrepresentative, and at worst, offensive."

The Canadian music acts singled out by the Conservatives include:

• Toronto-based Holy Fuck who received $3,000 for a 21-date European tour.

• Tal Bachman who received $16,500 to perform at music festivals in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Federal government money has helped Canadian Music Week, East Coast Music Assn., and the Western Canadian Musical Alliance to recruit talent buyers from the United States and Europe, including booking agents, film and television distributors, and technology specialists to their annual events.

Also, federal funding has helped Canadian acts perform at such conferences as the CMJ Music Marathon in New York, and SXSW Music Trade Show in Austin, Texas (I’m not sure we needed 109 Canadian acts appearing at this year's SXSW, however).

Little wonder that a slew of provincial government heads as well as provincial music organizations have condemned the Conservatives’ cuts, arguing that the elimination of PromArt and Trade Routes will devastate individual organizations as well as will damage the cultural industries in their provinces.

Premier Danny Williams has already promised to "cover the financial gap" that would affect artists from Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Liberals and the New Democrats have both indicated that they will reinstate the $45.5 million the Conservative government slashed.

A Liberal government would increase spending to arts and culture by $530 million over four years, says party leader Stéphane Dion.

NDP leader Jack Layton says that his party would spend $125 million to preserve Canadian arts and culture. The party has also rolled out a glitzy arts platform that would also bring in an income-averaging tax scheme for artists, that would create a tax exemption for the first $20,000 of income earned on copyright material.

FROM THE DESK OF LARRY LEBLANC        TOP

Many of us have mixed views of government-based funding to the arts and there are those who are deeply concerned about the Conservatives’ commitment to Canadian culture.

Indeed, there are artists and companies that need funding, particularly considering the economic climate of today.

There is also a pivotal role for the federal government to play encouraging performing art, because the Canadian market can be inundated by foreign influences.

However, despite the contribution of the arts to society, and the economy; despite the large numbers of people employed in the arts sector; and despite the often low income status of artists, the Conservatives seem intent on hacking away at the arts in their new budgets.

Significantly, masked by government explanations of thrift and program rationalization, the funding cuts so far have been framed in explicitly ideological language.

Critics says the Conservatives are intent in appointing themselves as guardians of public morality while appealing to those Canadians who are opposed to public funding for cultural industries.

While I respect the right of the federal government to modify programs, the whole affair reeks of bungling. If the Conservatives believe there are better ways to spend taxpayer dollars than supporting these programs, it should have canceled the programs and immediately put forward alternatives.

It is not so much that we under fund our musicians -- which we do in many cases but the outcry from the cuts is more due to expectations from the music community in Canada.

Every musician who has ever traveled the Canadian tour circuit in a rented van knows where they have been.

In the middle of winter, it’s bears in the middle of the road in the Rockies; snowdrifts in northern Ontario; and it’s driving through Saskatchewan at 25 km. an hour because the roads are so icy you aren’t supposed to travel.

Summer time, it’s driving at frightening speeds across deserted prairie roads so hot the asphalt and tar is melting. It’s blowouts in the middle of nowhere. It’s floods in the Maritimes. It’s fights in the parking lots, fights inside and the band fighting to be heard.

For decades, Canada’s proximity to America was viewed as diluting the cultural blood of the country. Canadian artists would gaze south, obsessive in both their fascination with, and fears of the massive American marketplace with its seductive popular culture, fearful of American influence and with smug contempt for American values, real or imagined.

When Canadian artists ventured outside Canada to win recognition in before the ‘90s, Canadian generally seethed with resentment. Every success story led to agonizing articles in the Canadian media about the country being unable to hold onto its heroes or its identity. Even those who intermittently looked elsewhere for support were often damned by Canadians.

We can debate the issue but such initiatives as broadcasting content quotas, and two decades of federal and regional funding programs for the Canadian-owned sector of the music industry, have played pivotal roles in establishing Canadian musical talent at home and abroad.

Canadian labels and artist--with both federal and provincial government support—are now viewed as punching above their weight on the world stage

But it comes with a high cost.

The independent sector in Canada today is absolutely reliant on government grants.

Government funding has allowed the multinationals to practically opt out of the A&R process--to only cherry-pick acts via distribution.

An abundance of artists, managers, labels, publishers and other gadflies have continually lined up at the funding trough over the years. Many of them are so crippled by fear of losing money that they refuse to take any form of career risks, in order to insure that their bets are hedged by funding—not always forthcoming, however-- from federal and provincial sources.

The sad fact is that many artists with high profiles and strong reputations with catalog of albums, still often lack expert management, or the experience to look after their careers—bare minimums to sustain a long-term career.

With its large number of cult artists, Canada is also a graveyard of shattered hopes and careers where many of the acts are like over-the-hill prizefighters who don’t have the good sense to retire when their diminished gifts have made them look damn foolish.

What's most unsettling about the Conservatives' decision is that their cutbacks are not only on a monetary basis but are intended on politicalizing funding--holding back funds for those they deem offensive or subversive.

Harper told the Globe and Mail that government must avoid "funding things that people actually don't want."

Government arts budgets are relatively small compared to other federal programs. But I have never understood why some much of the arts feels it has a fundamental right to be subsidized.

What does a starving musician have over a starving graduate of any other difficult profession? No doubt there are starving graduates of programs who could use a boost from Ottawa, just as much as the members of rock bands or hip hop posse.

It's a matter of figuring out who deserves what and how much and insuring overall funding acts as a catalyst for economic development.

I fully agree with Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy who lauds FACTOR’s support of musical diversity, and the grassroots sector, “You want the representatives of your culture to be more than just the pop hit,” he says. “Although they are a great story, they don’t tell the whole story of what’s going on in Canada. FACTOR has been an enormous boost in telling Canada’s musical story.”

The Conservatives argue that some programs will be replaced because they have not been efficient.

What are the new programs? When will they be announced? Or if the Conservatives are suggesting that only offensive culture not be promoted, who decides what that is?

Right now, I prefer Holy Fuck over the Conservatives.