The FYI News Bulletin
REMEMBER THIS NAME: Quebec duo Kingdom Street has been signed to Columbia France and
By David Farrell
REMEMBER THIS NAME: Quebec duo Kingdom Street has been signed to Columbia France and Quebecor imprint Ste-4. This follows the release of an earlier EP and the more recent hit single Walked Away that has had success in both of Canada’s official languages (English and French lest you didn’t know or forgot). Now, down to the wire, they've made a mad dash to record and release With You for Christmas that has its video debut here today.
Pamela Lajoie and Patrick Donovan – singer-songwriters, DJs, producers and directors – are the names behind Kingdom Street and the Colombia France deal is actually with 14 Productions, the label helmed by Patrick Bruel, in agreement with Columbia. Bruel is a blue-chip brand in France who has acted in more than forty productions, sold 15M albums and earned himself a separate fortune as a professional poker player.
“I heard their song (Walked Away) when I was in Quebec last November, I immediately fell in love with them,” Bruel tells Quebec mag Lien Multimedia. “I wanted to know more about the group. They have potential even beyond their borders. So, I offered to sign them on my label in agreement with Sony France!"
Anne Vivien, EVP of Music and Development for Quebecor had this to say: “Patrick Bruel is not only an amazing artist, but he has also discovered incredible talent throughout the years. We are thrilled to work with such a legend on a project that we feel is truly global.”
What is Kingdom Street? Vivien says “Kingdom Street is where the street intercepts with something majestic. The group’s music realm is born from the street but offers something that is also truly sublime. I can’t wait for people to experience their electro-pop music”
Below is the new video for the Christmas song.
A WASHBOARD CHORUS: CanCountry’s hottest new singer Tenille Townes gets a shot of glory joining The Washboard Union on the band’s Christmas Day special– a Corus Radio gift that also will be streamed online. The station list here. Can anything be more fun?
FACTOR UPDATES: The Foundation has updated a number of its programs, some modified to acknowledge the continued impact of the virus on the music biz. The application window for the Envelope Funding for Music Companies program is open with applications due on Jan. 28, and the Live Performance & Video Program is expanding eligibility and increasing funding limits for live streaming activities. A full list of 2020-2021 deadlines can be found on the org website here.
COPY THAT: Rights org CMRRA wants you to get involved in redressing an injustice, namely updating private copying terminology in the Copyright Act. As it stands, a small tariff is collected on the sales of blank copying formats such as cassettes and CDs. Yup, that’s right. Try and find a cassette in Future Shop or The Source. Royalties for unlicensed private copies have plummeted from $38M in 2008 to $1.1M in 2019 because the wording hasn’t kept pace with the times. If you are a rights owner, it’s one more kick in the head with touring and CD sales falling through the floor.
The fix is simple – the Government needs to amend the Copyright Act to ensure that the private copying regime is made technologically neutral. Now is the time to raise your voice to make it happen. Link here to support the initiative for change and let your government know it needs to act now.
