Music Industry (Trade)

With a new sound and a new venture, an Airbnb network for concerts: Dan Mangan is keeping busy

Dan Mangan performs two shows in the GTA this week: a sold out solo affair at the Great Hall’s Longboat Hall on Jan.19 and a free performance with his band in Stouffville at the Wintersong Music Festival on Jan. 20. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star When you hear Being Somewhere, Dan Mangan’s sixth and latest album, you may notice something a little different about his voice. You’re not…


Serena Ryder on touring, living hard and the mistakes that aren’t mistakes

By Nick Krewen Special To The Star        Serena Ryder knows all too well about the art of falling apart.        As a recording artist who used to tour relentlessly, the six-time Juno Award winner found the incessant grind of the road personally damaging, as she relied on a steady diet of drink, drugs and cigarettes to cope and carry on. “Being a touring musician can be one of the most draining…


Nagamo Publishing looks to give a voice to performers, composers, artists of the Indigenous hubs of Canada

Nick Krewen Special to the Star After two years of building its production library, Toronto-based Nagamo Publishing is ready to take on the world. As the first exclusively Indigenous-created music production library and composer agency on the planet to serve media needs, Nigel Irwin, Nagamo Co-Creative Director and Composer says the shingle offers a lot of variety.  “Our bread and butter is contemporary music fused with traditional sounds, as well…


What is the future of live concerts in Canada?

Nick Krewen Special to the Star There seems to be a light at the end of the pandemic-stricken concert tunnel. As reported by several publications, Michael Rapino, President and CEO of Live Nation Entertainment, during a first quarter earnings call with shareholders on May 7, indicates that his company is gearing up for concert ticket sales “in the third and fourth quarters for 2021 at full scale.” While it seems…


Music’s Guardian Angel: The Unison Benevolent Fund

Unison Benevolent Fund has helped more than 800 music professionals in Canada. The charity itself now needs help. By Nick Krewen Special to the Star October 23, 2019 Two-and-a-half years ago, Bill Bell, long-time guitarist for Tom Cochrane, was lying on the floor of his Toronto home in the midst of a nervous breakdown when he received the call that changed his life. Bell’s friend, music executive Allan Reid, had…