The FYI Bulletin: June 16, 2022
Congrats to Jim Norris and Maureen Jack (pictured), the Unison Charity Golf Classic returns, and UMC has signed Canada’s Got Talent grand winner Jeanick Fournier. Other topics here include Play MPE, the Gary Slaight Music Humanitarian Award, The Unison Fund, Bruce Bradley, SX Works, and Martin Melhuish.
By David Farrell
First off, a hearty congratulations to Canadian Musician magazine publisher Jim Norris and Music Books+Plus’s Maureen Jack who are celebrating a 35th wedding anniversary together this week in Nova Scotia. The two have had a strong presence in Canada’s music industry for almost 40 years and have been regular exhibitors at CMW since… well since the exhibition area first opened. Best wishes to the two who remain one of a select few longstanding couples to work alongside each other in this crazy, all-hours biz. Pictured above at their stand at the Intercontinental last week during the Canadian Music Week shindig.
– The Unison Charity Golf Classic is set to return for its eighth year, raising money in support of The Unison fund. The tee-offs kick off in Toronto on Thursday, July 21st at Lionhead Golf Club, with Montreal’s Beaconsfield Golf Club hosting the second tourney on Monday, August 22nd and the third and final date taking place at Vancouver’s Tsawwassen Springs Golf Club on Thursday, September 22nd. Registration and sponsorship opportunities here.
– Vancouver-based music delivery service Play MPE is offering a full-service global music promotion distribution package to the grand winner of this year’s Polaris Music Prize, and music promotion distribution packages to the nine finalists–all to be announced at a gala event in TO on Sept. 19.
– UMC has signed Canada’s Got Talent grand winner Jeanick Fournier, a 50-year-old special needs mother and caregiver from Chicoutimi, QC.
Fournier learned English by watching her favourite singers – Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Lara Fabien, and Barbara Streisand – and emulating their breathing, pronunciation, and way of speaking in interviews. For 15 years, Fournier performed and sang in a duet tribute group for Celine Dion, and sings every day – either to her kids, her patients or with other artists in the studio. She won the first season of Canada’s Got Talent in May 2022. New music from the singer is expected later in the year.
– Mariah Carey, Hozier, Gloria Estefan, Tom Waits, Danilo Perez, Rosanne Cash, Steve Lillywhite, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, and Glenn Ballard are among a long and high-profile list of judges that have signed on to the US-based Int. Songwriting Competition. For information about and to register, link here.
– The CCMA CCMA Board has announced The Unison Fund as the recipient of the Gary Slaight Music Humanitarian Award, and legendary steel guitar player William Oliver Stephen (Ollie) Strong is honoured with the Hank Smith Award of Excellence. The 2022 Awards of Achievement will be presented during a private industry event as part of Country Music Week 2022, running September 8-11 in Calgary. Further details on these awards are here.
– SoundExchange, the digital rights org, has announced it is unifying its existing publisher services under an integrated global services administration and licensing division – called SX Works Global Publisher Services or SX Works. phase one focuses on the U.S. and Canada. The new division is to be led by Paul Shaver, who remains president of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA).
– Bruce Bradley shared some insights into his continued expansion into the US and South America over a beer at CMW. The Slammin Media MD has been quietly building a presence in these markets using Believe Digital as his distro of choice, enhancing his deals with an a la carte menu of label service enhancements to support social media campaigns and boost tour attendances. We’ll hone in on this story at a later date.
– Last week we reported on Music Publishers Canada (formerly the CMPA) AGM, held virtually at the top of CMW, but unreported was a parcel of awards that are to be given out in person at a separate event this summer. We held back on naming names at the request of CEO Margaret McGuffin, but I feel compelled to jump the gun in mentioning that among the recipients is Martin Melhuish whose significant achievements in chronicling Canadian music history have too long gone unheralded. So, in advance of his day of fitting acknowledgement, three cheers for this masterful scribe who forever has put his pen before his ego.
