The FYI Bulletin: Jan. 05, 2023

By David Farrell

After spending the last 30 years with Donald K Donald and the past 20 as president & CEO, Andre Hudon joined Michael Cohl's S2BN Entertainment as Senior Vice-President.

– Former Attic Records’ co-conspirator Tom Williams has been returned to Barrie’s Royal Victoria after a lengthy stay at Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto and appears to have turned the corner after a vicious knife attack late Oct. After multiple surgeries and belated good fortune, it appears he is going to make it. A full account of the ordeal can be found on Tom’s Facebook page.

– Edmonton-based CKUA Radio Network has long championed the cause of great musicianship, homegrown talent and show hosts that bring personality, fire and knowledge to their broadcasts. On Dec. 30, the FM published its Top 100 of 2022 which smartly identifies those that are Albertans specifically and Canadians generally.  

– Drake and his ilk seem to be forever in the news for having set some dizzying new record for something. The Weeknd has, apparently, topped Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You Spotify streaming record with Blinding Lights edging ginger out by a whisker and a prayer.  

– Quebec artists, once fan darlings in la belle province, are facing an uncertain future with CD sales hitting nowheresville and now new data showing that francophone artists are garnering a pitiful single share point on streaming platforms. CBC’s Jacob Serebrin digs into the data.

– US vinyl sales hit a two-decade high in the week ending Dec. 22 with 2.232M copies sold in the period. It’s the second time in the timeframe that weekly PVC sales have topped the 2M mark. The same zest for the long form is true in Canada with Luminate data showing a 57.2 percent gain in the year, with 40,731 over-the-counter sales tracked in the same week in Dec. The increasing romance for the LP may be in for a tumble, however. Hefty vinyl price increases from suppliers are set for Feb. 1.

– The Globe and Mail’s Brad Wheeler and others in the Arts section of the broadsheet continue to tap out unique and fascinating stories about Canada’s own creators and mentors. Over the holiday season, they teamed up for a compendium feature on Canada’s cultural icons in 2022. Wheeler’s contributions included acknowledgements of Gary Slaight, The Weeknd and Neil Young. The full feature can be found here.

– And a final note, this about the irrepressible Richard Flohil who gave a legion of his FB followers a bit of a start earlier in the week with a note from tapped out from Mnt. Sinai's emergency ward where he was being checked after ‘a minor heart “event’” – his words. A few days on and the hardy socializing dynamo reported… “Still waiting for the heart clinic to call...meanwhile Corin Raymond is at the Cameron today (Thursday) from 6 til 8 with Brian, Treasa and Mike T; Mondo Combo (with Charlotte McAfee-Brunner) is at Grossman's on Friday, and The Orange Devils are at The Monarch on Monday, Jan. 9. Anyone feel like joining me at any of these gigs? You can buy me a beer 'cause I'm still here!” They just don’t make ‘em like this longstanding friend (to many).