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FYI
RIP David Farrell — Influential Music Journalist, Publisher and Billboard Canada Editor
"David always lived life to the fullest and had a long and successful career. With Patricia Dunn, David founded and operated The Record, the trade magazine for the Canadian music industry. They also established and ran The Record Music Industry Conference, an annual conference that became Canadian Music Week.
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"A special note of acknowledgement and thanks is extended to Gary Slaight for his unwavering support of David’s vision and development of his various projects beginning with the Music Industry Conference, and in the later years, FYI.
"David was well regarded by peers and friends alike across the music industry in Canada and beyond. His commitment, support and candor were always present. He was well loved and will be missed."
David Farrell's achievements over a long career highlighted by long periods at the helm of national music trade paper The Record and industry newsletter FYI Music News earned him induction into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at Canadian Music Week, an event he helped launch, in 2018, and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Radiodays North America Awards Luncheon at CMW in June 2024.
Farrell had a long and influential career in music media. After contributing as a journalist and editor for a variety of publications in Canada and the United States, in the early 1980s he co-founded The Record. It became a crucial trade voice for the music industry in Canada over the next two decades. Shortly after founding The Record, Farrell and his collaborators started The Record Conference, an annual gathering of the music industry that later became Canadian Music Week.
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The Record also established the first authoritative Canadian music charts, which were also published in the Hits of the World section of Billboard. Farrell also served as a Canadian editor for Billboard and maintained a relationship with the magazine, a role that would come full circle decades later. In 2008, David Farrell founded FYI Music News, a trade newsletter supported by Farrell’s longtime friend and benefactor, music industry mogul Gary Slaight.
FYI was acquired by Billboard Canada in 2023, preserving its archives in a new home. Farrell stayed on as an editor, returning to Billboard after nearly 50 years.
David Farrell with Billboard Canada National Editor Richard Trapunski (left) and Billboard Canada President Mo Ghoneim (right)
“Known for his bold voice, keen insight and unrelenting dedication to storytelling, David brought authenticity and heart to every piece he wrote,” says Billboard Canada President Mo Ghoneim. “His work and influence have left an enduring legacy in Canadian media, touching the lives of many and shaping the industry he loved so deeply.
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“David first joined Billboard as Music Editor in 1977, and we were fortunate to welcome him back in 2023 as part of the Billboard Canada family. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who had the privilege to know him.”
Richard Trapunski, Billboard Canada’s National Editor, echoes that sentiment.
“I first met David Farrell in 2023 after Billboard Canada acquired FYI, and we became quick friends,” he says. “It could not have been easy sharing the publication he established, but you would not have known it from talking to David. He was a generous collaborator and a dedicated journalist. He was unwaveringly principled and authentic, he hated empty hyperbole, and he was never afraid to share his opinions on the Canadian music industry or its sacred cow institutions.
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“Over long phone conversations, David would share his wisdom and humour, offering advice along the way. He had an unending wealth of juicy and hilarious music industry stories, but he just as often took an interest in my life. When we finally got to meet in person shortly after last year’s Billboard Canada Power Players this summer, it felt like a reunion of old pals. I’ll miss him a lot, and will work to keep his spirit alive within Billboard Canada.”
David Farrell's Friends and Family Pay Tribute
Farrell's close industry colleagues were quick to pay tribute, with Gary Slaight offering this salute to Billboard Canada: "David was a good man. Not only did we have a friendship for over 50 years, but our love of music and more importantly, championing Canadian artists and our industry is what bound us together. As a matter of fact, precluding Canadian Music Week there was The Record Conference which germinated over a long extended lunch David and I had at the Spotted Dick!
"We had some good laughs and occasionally some feisty conversations along the way, but my respect for him never wavered. I will miss him."
Slaight Music President Derrick Ross recalls that "I first met David in 1982 as a musician promoting our music when he ran The Record. Time passed and I got to know him much more during our FYI Music News years. It was David's self deprecating humour that I loved most about him. The stories he would tell and how he was placed in them always made me laugh !!
"It was an honour to join Gary Slaight and Neill Dixon last year with his induction into The Canadian Music Week Hall of Fame. This recognition was so deserving for all he has done to promote Canadian Music. David was a gentle and kind man who loved what he did and was always true to himself."
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David Farrell accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award at Canadian Music Week 2024. From left: Neill Dixon, David Farrell, Gary Slaight, Derrick RossBill King
Farrell's sister, Mary Ann Farrell, provided this tribute to Billboard Canada: "I worked at The Record in the early days in the mid-'80s. It was a heady time. There were new record companies and labels emerging with exciting musical talents. We all had one thing in common – a desire to discover and share new and inventive musical influences, and to stimulate musical beginnings over the airwaves, the record stores, music magazines, clubs & stages across the country.
"David's door was always open, and there was always a steady stream of promo reps, artists, agents, PR people, writers – all coming up with creative ways to launch an artist, a song, a performance, a new way to listen, to play, to witness – they were all connected.
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"He had a fun and comical side with quick wit, but it could turn to impatience for decisions, events that needed to happen, that could get bogged down in bureaucracy , or sameness and traditional approaches.
"I've known David all my life, and he's been a big brother, a mentor, a huge pain in the ass sometimes, and one who has a unique and sometimes bizarre sense of humour – certainly not appreciated by all.
"We came over to Toronto on a BOAC flight in September of 1964. It was the British Invasion, and we were part of that, and even though David was born in Ladysmith, and the rest of my family were born in the U.K., he's still the only one to have the British accent.
"His strength was a one-on-one conversation, or a meeting of the minds; he was not one to stand on a stage and spout messages. He led by example, by interest and passion, and a belief in new voices and ideas. He was by no means perfect, but he was committed, and he made a difference."
Dominic Farrell, David's brother and a respected book editor, recalls that "There are so many memories, it's impossible to choose from among them. One among many: an afternoon in the Museum Bar slurping oysters – we ate 48 – and knocking back pints.
"The conversation, as was usual with David, was filled with rude jokes, tales of his adventures and antics, stories about family and friends, people loved, detested, people interesting and strange, chat about books and politics and food and music ... about life.
"That was David - someone who had a passion for life. And I got to share that with him, that afternoon, all of my life. It will stay with me forever."
David Farrell's Influence and Career
Billboard Canada conducted final interviews with David Farrell covering his life, career and legacy which will be published later today at ca.billboard.com. Here is a brief history.
Born in British Columbia, David moved with the Farrell family to the U.K. at an early age, gaining his education at Our Lady of Lourdes Public School and Sir Thomas More Public School, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England.
In 1964, he returned to Canada for further education at Millwood Secondary School and a private Roman Catholic school, both in Toronto. From 1967 to 1969, he attended Centennial College in Toronto, taking journalism and following in the footsteps of his parents, British-born journalists Ann and Ted Farrell.
While a student, Farrell helped defray college fees by writing for a large number of local print publications, including The Toronto Telegram (After Four section), Poppin’ Magazine, Fusion Magazine, Tribal Village, The Eyeopener and Beetle Magazine, among others. His byline later appeared in such publications as Maclean’s, TV Guide, The Toronto Sun, Music Canada Quarterly, Record Month, Sound Magazine, Nite Out and many more.
In 1975, after turning down a job offer with the Barrie Examiner, Farrell was hired by Joey Cee to help set up a Canadian music industry weekly called Record Week for which he became editor-in-chief, reportedly earning $95 a week. In 1976, Farrell became Canadian editor of the American trade magazine Cashbox and then assumed the same role at the Texas-based magazine Performance.
In 1977, he took on the position of Canadian editor of Billboard, the renowned international music trade publication, and he occupied that chair until 1981.
Some highly entertaining stories about Farrell's upbringing in England and his freelance career in the '70s can be found in this profile by Jim JJ Johnston in Billboard Canada FYI.
In 1981, David and his wife Patricia-Dunn Farrell launched a venture that would have a profound impact on the Canadian music industry. Along with Richard Flohil and Larry LeBlanc, the Farrells co-foundedThe Record, a weekly Canadian music industry trade publication.
It began in Horning's Mills, Ontario, and later moved to Toronto. The Canadian Encyclopedianotes that “The first issue, dated 13 July 1981, comprised 10 typed, double-sided pages, stapled in one corner. The first bound issue was dated 22 Jan. 1990. Farrell held the positions of publisher and, until 1991, managing editor. Martin Melhuish assumed the editorship in 1991, with former RPM Weekly writer/editor Steve McLean replacing him as editor in 1993.”
In a first for the Canadian industry, The Record set up a chart system that gave an accurate read on what was happening in the Canadian music market from an independent source that used weekly call-out research to radio and retail to tabulate the charts in various formats. The Record’s sales charts for singles and albums became the benchmark domestically and internationally for what was going on musically in Canada.
The singles and albums charts were featured as the Canadian lists in the Hits of the World section in Billboard. Among the other media organizations using the charts were Radio and Records U.S., MuchMusic, MusiquePlus, CBC TV’s Newsworld, CTV, Global, Broadcast News, the Canadian World Almanac and Book of Facts, The Toronto Star and various other radio, TV and print entities across Canada. The charts were also published in newspapers via The Canadian Press and used in chart shows like Countdown Canada, Canadian Countdown, and the Hot 30 Countdown. The magazine also published the rotational playlist from MuchMusic, and the chart from the CBC television show Video Hits.
The Record featured the following charts:
Retail Singles (1983–1996)
The Hits (1996–1997) - an all-format radio airplay chart
Contemporary Hit Radio
Pop Adult (also Adult Contemporary)
Country
Contemporary Album Radio (also Album-Oriented Rock)
Hot AC - beginning in the late-1990s
Top Albums
Regular components of The Record’s content included charts, industry news, regional and genre-focused columns and extensive record reviews. Notable Canadian music journalists recruited by Farrell as regular contributors included Richard Flohil, Larry LeBlanc, Ritchie Yorke, Daniel Caudeiron, Larry Delaney, Tom Harrison, Nick Krewen and charts editor Paul Tuch.
In 1982, The Record expanded its imprint with the launch of the first Record Conference, which became Canadian Music Week. The annual CMW would eventually be acquired by Neill Dixon, and it grew to become an essential entry on the international music industry calendar. It has recently been acquired by Loft Entertainment and Oak View Group and renamed Departure.
Farrell and his team at The Record further boosted the domestic industry by launching The Record Awards for industry figures in 1985 and publishing its first Contact: The Essential Canadian Music Business Directory in 1991. That publication quickly established itself as a bible for the Canadian music industry.
The Record's successful run continued through the mid-1990s until an economic downturn in the music industry took its toll on advertising revenues. The steep decline in the advertising market meant the publication was unable to continue underwriting the losses. To reduce costs, The Record discontinued its printed version in Aug. 1999, evolving into a daily online magazine (therecord.ca). In March 2000, The Record was bought by Canadian-based MusicMusicMusic, the first online music streaming service in the world, but just a year later, in March 2001, publication of The Record ceased altogether, after 20 years.
Farrell relocated to Nova Scotia, taking an extended hiatus from the industry he had served so well. He returned to Toronto and the fray in 2008, launching his trade newsletter FYI Music News. He secured seed funding from Cliff Hunt at Yangaroo (the “Y” in FYI) and then found longstanding funding from music industry mogul Gary Slaight, a believer in the need for another trade about Canada’s music industry.
When David Farrell received the Lifetime Achievement
Award at the Radiodays North America Awards Luncheon as part of Canadian Music Week in Toronto
on June 4, 2024, he singled out Slaight for special mention in his acceptance speech.
It reads, in part: “Gary Slaight has been a guiding light in my
career since we first met in our early 20s. Gary is known for his generosity,
business acumen and unwavering support of Canada’s music scene and its
practitioners. He is also an incredibly honest and loyal ally, and he’s as keen
a judge of character as I’ve ever known.
“Gary, you have been a godsend to me, and your patronage over the past 15 or so years is beyond anything I could have imagined or hoped to have.”
A long and important run with FYI Music News followed. With Slaight’s ongoing support, FYI quickly established itself as an informative and entertaining online trade publication covering both the music and broadcast industries in Canada and delivered on a regular basis via a newsletter to subscribers.
Regular contributors to FYI over that period included such prominent music and broadcasting journalists as Nick Krewen, Kerry Doole, Bill King, Dave Charles, Karen Bliss, Jason Schneider, Doug Thompson and Cameron Carpenter. The mix of hard news and Farrell’s ‘shoot from the lip’ commentaries made it a must-read for industry types, as well as artists and keen observers of the Canadian music and broadcasting scene.
Preserving FYI's Legacy with Billboard Canada
In October of 2023, with Slaight’s blessing, Billboard Canada acquired the editorial content and name FYI with Farrell remaining in place. The newsletter publishes every Thursday morning under the name Billboard Canada FYI.
With that, a vitally important part of David Farrell's legacy will be preserved. It is impossible to accurately quantify the impact he has had upon the Canadian music and broadcasting industries, but it is immense. Some measure can be taken from the tributes to Farrell we are posting here.
Over the past couple of months, he preferred to share news of his medical condition with just a small group of family, close friends and veteran colleagues, rather than have it become a topic on social media. The tributes to Farrell that follow here were all provided to Billboard Canada FYI by members of that group. We will be posting a feature comprising other salutes to this pioneer in the near future.
Here is a parting message from David Farrell, forwarded by his family: "I lied. There is no free buffet at the Zanzibar. So, no free stuff, but my friends, it’s been one helluva ride! Thank you all for the memories. One final request, pay it forward, and do something nice for someone you don’t know!
Your best friend. DF
-30-"
On a personal note, I first knew David as an amiable peer I would belly up to the bar with at the music industry parties we both frequented on the Toronto music scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I greatly admired his work in publishing The Record, a vital component of our industry back then. As well as reading it regularly, I was pleased to occasionally contribute to it as a freelance music journalist for hire back then.
I was not a close friend of David’s then, but our paths intersected much more closely about 12 years ago. I was recruited by Slaight Music to write for and edit the Canadian music website NewCanadianMusic, a sister publication for FYI Music News, David’s invaluable newsletter for the Canadian industry.
When NCM ended, he hired me to join him at FYI, and the result was a decade-long ride that has been a highlight of my journalistic career. The phrase ‘never a dull moment’ springs to mind. I did often curse David and FYI for wreaking havoc on my body clock, for the timing of getting a fresh edition of a newsletter to our subscribers for their wake up coffee each morning five times a week (thankfully that frequency was later lessened) necessitated my getting up before the birds (typically 5:30 am) to proofread all the copy that David and I would assemble and send out.
I learned that his preferred times for writing his copy seemed to be between 1 and 5 am, so I'd go over it over my pre-dawn coffee before we published. Thankfully, that writing would inevitably be informative, funny and entertaining. When we then compared notes over the phone, he’d inevitably regale me with an off-colour joke, a snippet of industry news, or a recommendation of something I needed to read or listen to. Also thankfully, our tastes were often similar.
Along this sometimes turbulent journey, I believe David made me a better writer and editor. His values and approach came from old-school newspaper journalism, sadly rather a dying form these days. Cliches were to be avoided, the obvious adjective should be replaced by something more compelling – that kind of thing. Perhaps above everything else, David was a lover of the English language, a rather cunning linguist, as it were. The fact that he is the grandson of Robert Henry Underwood Bloor, the co-author of the British Empire Illustrated Dictionary of English Language, speaks volumes. He hated liberties being taken with language, like artists who think it’s cool to have their names be all lower or upper-case, or publicists who call their B-list clients "iconic."
He was never afraid to take on the industry establishment, voice unpopular opinions, or champion the underdog, but his passion for an industry he wanted to succeed never waned.
On a personal note, our time in the trenches together formed a bond, a close friendship, and his loyalty, support and generosity will not be forgotten. Editorial meetings over pints at the legendary Pilot Tavern in Toronto were as much fun as work, and I did miss those when David decamped to the East Coast, a region he loved.
The last time I saw him was at CMW this past summer, where it was simply a joy to see his immense contributions to our music industry properly acknowledged. Back in 2018, I felt privileged to be at David’s table when he was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. The respect shown by his peers and their deep appreciation for all he has contributed to the industry was indeed a pleasure to observe.
Over the past six weeks, as he shared his dire medical situation, he imparted further life lessons. He faced the end with courage and a sometimes dark humour. One vivid example: David told me he arranged to donate his signature collection of spiffy sports jackets (including a beauty from Harrod’s of London) to the less fortunate in Shediac, New Brunswick. “For once, they’ll be better-dressed than the middle class here,” he joked.
Farewell, squire. You will indeed be missed.
Tributes from David Farrell's Longtime Friends and Colleagues
To Billboard Canada, impresario, raconteur and writer Richard Flohil reflected that “David Farrell was my friend, my editor, and a touchstone in my life. Much more importantly he was a friend and touchstone to the entire music industry in Canada.
"As a human, he was sometimes silly, even crass, and he wasn’t above occasional verbal indiscretions. As a journalist, however, he was invariably accurate, thoughtful, and kind. He dealt in facts, and never indulged in gossip. His work was trusted by everyone in the industry. He was unerringly professional. And while RPM helped found the Junos and Canadian Country Music Awards, David created Canadian Music Week, later selling it to Neill Dixon.
“When he co-founded The Record in 1981, he enrolled two grizzled old veterans — Larry LeBlanc and this one-time writer, publicist and concert promoter — to help. I appointed myself record reviews editor, and I'm proud and grateful that I wrote for every single issue of the magazine, before it collapsed with the erosion of print, and [he eventually founded] the online publication FYI.
"When I made a routine call to David in New Brunswick a couple of weeks ago he told me, almost cheerfully, that he was gravely ill and probably wouldn’t see Christmas. “Just don’t tell anyone, and don’t put it on social media,” he told me, and I didn’t.
"We spoke late last week and I said my heartfelt, tear-stained farewell. He said he would leave at noon this Thursday, and all one can say — as my old friend Michael Wrycraft would exclaim -- is this: “Safe home, old friend. We’ve had a good run and we’ve done the best that we could.”
"I’m profoundly grateful that David was my friend. He met his end fearlessly, with some humour, and a grace that we should all emulate.”
David Farrell's final byline was on this career-spanning profile of veteran record industry executive Jeff Burns, which he worked hard to finish alongside Nick Krewen after his diagnosis. Burns offers this tribute: “David was always the kind of person that would make time to hear what you had to say, whether he used it or not. When he was editor of FYI, I often wondered how he did it every week when he was receiving so many emails, phone calls or texts from others in the music business trying to get their stories published.
“Over the years David and I became very good friends, and whether we went to lunches, dinners or even to Mexico together to get dental implants…as we could save a lot of money.
“We had our fair share of arguments. It didn’t make any difference who started it, we never let it come between our friendship. We had to balance our talks, especially me, when I would talk to him about a story about a Canadian artist. As an A&R guy, I would to that a lot. I never wanted to abuse our friendship but still wanted to bend David’s ear.
"As the years went by we managed to keep our friendship alive, something that’s not easy to do. He was always there for me when I was facing some of my own health issues. That’s just the kind of guy David was. There are so many great stories that I had and shared with David, some of which I will treasure forever. Some of them very funny as David could have a very unique sense of humour. That’s something that will keep David’s memory alive with me….rest in peace my dear friend.”
Toronto music journalist Nick Krewen offered this tribute: "This is not only a profound loss for the music industry, but for me personally.
"As much as David championed Canadian talent and the music industry –The Record served as a visionary binding of all things Canadian music trade, as well as staging the first few Record Conferences that eventually became Canadian Music Week – he was also one of my greatest advocates, believing in my talent and abilities as a writer and supporting and supplying me with numerous opportunities, including many to pen for FYI Music News, now Billboard Canada FYI.
"He's been there through the good times and the bad – this year has been a particularly rough one, professionally–- and became a very loyal friend. It wasn't always that way. I first encountered David through Larry LeBlanc, at The Record's office at 67 Mowat Avenue in 1983, in what is known today as Liberty Village in Toronto. We had the briefest of conversations and he handed me a cassette compilation of CBS hits, Santa's Hit List, if I remember the title correctly.
"Most of this is a blur, but I began working at The Record a few days a week, back at the time when everything was done manually. It wasn't a smooth ride, and in mid-1986 I was let go...just a few weeks before I had secured a full-time position with the Hamilton Spectator.
"I never wrote for The Record again, but watched it evolve throughout its numerous incarnations. I believe – and I have no proof to back this up – that one of the reasons The Record ended was because one of David's visions occurred way too early: he attempted to bring the entire magazine online at a time before advertisers were comfortable sinking their dollars into the internet world.
"The Record folded and David went away for a while, settling out East. When I caught up with him during an industry Christmas party one year, it was the first time I had seen him in eons. One of my faults is that I'm fairly dysfunctional at the best of times and I rarely reach out to people. So, I was surprised when David reached out to me and invited me to lunch, where we aired out all our laundry. Since that time, we found a new appreciation of each other and formed a strong friendship.
"What I will remember most about him is his infectious British charm. If he hadn’t seen someone in a while, he’d greet them with the words 'Happy New Year,' no matter the month. He was generally positive and happy and continually checking up on his friends. Thanks to the support of Gary Slaight, he was able to continue his trade dreams with FYI Music News.
"When I received the news of his illness, it shattered me. Never have I felt so helpless in wishing that I had the power to heal someone as much as I did with David. He didn't deserve this fate. No one does. But illness is indiscriminate. The message here, if there is one, is to live life to the fullest and tell your loved ones and associates how you feel about them, because no one is promised tomorrow.
"So, I sign off on this tribute in gratitude for David Farrell being part of my life; thankful for knowing him and for his generosity – and hoping that over the years I have done him justice and lived up to the faith he had in me. I love the man and I am in mourning: I can't imagine a world where I won't be hearing his voice or seeing him again."
The Farrell family states that "A Celebration of Life event will take place in Toronto in the Spring of 2025." Details will be forthcoming.
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