Billboard Canada FYI Bulletin: Summer Concert Season Hits Wasaga Beach & Toronto's Budweiser Stage

- In the run-up to the Platinum Blonde’s induction into Canada’s Walk of Fame last year, a simmering rift between frontman Mark Holmes and guitarist Serge Galli was quelled. That paved the way for the group returning to the stage this summer as the support act for Billy Idol’s triumphant headlining tour in Canada playing oversized halls such as Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and Montreal’s Bell Centre in July and August. In the band's day, the Blondes sold the better part of a million albums in Canada. Sophomore album Alien Shores sold over 500,000 copies, in large part spurred by a string of hits that included "Situation Critical," "Crying Over You," "Somebody Somewhere" and "Hungry Eyes."

– Wasaga Beach, the popular Georgian Bay teen paradise that bills itself has having the longest freshwater shoreline in the world, has The Strumbellas headlining Canada Day and Tom Cochrane performing on Sept. 1. These events and others are free to attend as part of a summer festival marking the 50^th anniversary of the Ontario township’s popular tourist spot. With a winter population of 27,000, the popular sunspot attracts as many as 1.5 million in the summer season. No budget for the festival seems to be publicly available at this time, but these two acts alone would cost the better part of $200K to book.

– Want to know what the most expensive item of rock memorabilia is? Ultimate Classic Rock offers a rundown of more than 20 items that have been sold at auction and the top item is John Lennon's Gibson J-160E which fetched US$2.4M. Coming in second is Bob Dylan's Newport 1965 electric guitar which went for a modest $965K.

– Budweiser Stage on Toronto’s waterfront has just launched its 30th-anniversary summer lineup that includes Neil Young & Crazy Horse (who opened on Monday, May 20), Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, Imagine Dragons, Tate McRae, Walk Off the Earth, Arkells, Allan Doyle, Blue Rodeo with Matt Mays & Begonia, and The Beaches.

– Congrats to Canadian Live Music Association's CEO Erin Benjamin on earning the Community Impact trophy at this year’s Capital Music Awards, organized by the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition on May 16.

– Country singer Tim Hicks, mostly famously known for “Stronger Beer,” has had enough hit singles in Canada to stock a jukebox and sold a truckload of albums since launching himself in 2012 on Ron Kitchener’s Open Road Recordings. He’s back on the road this summer playing festivals and showcase clubs, and is also scheduled to perform in the U.K. and Germany with the good possibility of Nordic country shows in the offing. Stocking interest in his live dates, the St. Catharines-born hat star has released a video for “One More,” his latest single.

– Lawrence Gowan has enjoyed a successful solo career since 1982 and in 1999 he joined Styx as keyboardist and lead vocalist. In front of headlining shows on Canada’s East Coast and in Quebec, and a co-headlining tour in the U.S. with Foreigner, it has been announced that bassist Ricky Phillips has been replaced by Gowan’s younger brother Terry. In a statement, Lawrence explained that “Terry played on four of my six solo Gowan albums (and he’s recorded with some of) the world’s most renowned musicians” that include Tony Levin, Jerry Marotta, Jon Anderson, and Alex Lifeson, as well as touring with Gowan from 1985 to 1990 and again 2010 to this year of 2024. Below, is a fan video of the brother’s debut concert with Styx in March of this year.

– This Thursday (May 23), Sarah McLachlan opens her Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 30th Anniversary Tour at Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum. It’s an exhausting trek with 35 dates in Canada and the U.S. that runs through to July 28. Below is a clip of her singing the album’s title track five years back.

– The Guild of Music Supervisors, Canada and Canadian Music Week have announced the nominees for the 2024 Canadian Sync Awards on Monday, June 3, 2024, at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. Heather Gardner and Telan Wong of Vapor Music/Long Division lead with seven nominations, followed by Cody Partridge of Pear Tree Music Supervision, and Jody Colero of The Wilders with five nominations each. All in there are 16 categories and a total of 78 in the running.

– While many companies and acts worry about the intrusion of AI and its ability to scrape their data, Sony Music has issued a “public declaration” saying its catalogue and all future music are off-limits to all AI training systems, stating that the music company “expressly prohibits and opts out of any text or data mining, web scraping or similar reproductions” of Sony Music content. That includes compositions, recordings, lyrics, videos, artwork, and data. The line is drawn against any purpose, but specifically “in relation to training, developing or commercializing any AI system.”

– Several U.S. Congress members have taken issue with the Trudeau government’s Online Streaming Act, arguing that it discriminates against American citizens, and have asked their country’s top trade official to intervene. If approved, the draft legislation will force online platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Spotify to promote Canadian content and contribute financially to their production.

– And just because ….When you think of riding the subway, laughter and joy aren’t the first words that spring to mind. It’s full of grumpy people either coming home from a bad day at work or are just generally upset. Many are glued to their cell phones or “wired up” and have no time for anyone else. Yet if you’re lucky enough, sometimes you can find happiness in a subway train. One such moment was captured when a Belgian advertising agency working for Coca-Cola hired an actor to randomly start laughing on the train. Watch, and just try to keep a straight face.

Appointments

Lindsay Doyle has been named YouTube Canada’s Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy. She was previously the Manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Google Canada. A graduate of Trinity College at University of Toronto with a degree in International Relations and Political Science, Doyle also worked as a researcher at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

– Canadian country music artist Gord Bamford has signed with the Sakamoto Agency, for his 25th-anniversary Celebration Tour, titled Just Gettin' Started.