Business

The Drake Effect

Story by Nick Krewen | July 24, 2014 For SOCAN Words and Music.   “Started from the bottom, now the whole team here.” So says Drake in “Started From the Bottom,” and that’s exactly how his big-bang explosion on the worldwide hip-hop scene has affected the fortunes of his whole team – more than 60 Canadian, Toronto-based songwriters, beat-makers, producers and other collaborators. Drake has almost single-handedly created an entire…


Music promoter Richard Flohil reflects on a six-decade career

Music promoter Richard Flohil reflects on a six-decade career He’s helped launch the careers of Loreena McKennitt and k.d. lang. At 80, he’s finally agreed to slow down his famously tireless pace. Nick Krewen Music, Published on Fri Jun 27 2014 Now that he’s turned 80, Richard Flohil swears he’s going to slow the pace a bit. What that actually means is anybody’s guess, because those who know the publicist…


Nashville Expands

Story by Nick Krewen | March 21, 2014 For SOCAN Words And Music.   Name any gigantic country hit of the last two decades or so and there’s a better-than-average chance that it was generated from Nashville, Tennessee. Sure, Texas factors into the mix, and maybe there’s a touch of Bakersfield in there, too. But for the most part it’s a 30-block-or-so chunk Southwest of downtown Nashville, nicknamed Music Row,…


Indie Radio Royalties Reward Songwriters

Story by Nick Krewen | February 6, 2014 For SOCAN Words and Music   The day “Rick ‘n’ roll” gave way to rock ‘n’ roll will go down in history as another notch in the belt of independent Canadian songwriters. After torturing its future listeners – maybe “torturing” is too strong a word, so let’s go with “teasing” – with seven days of 24-hours-a-day airings of British singer Rick Astley’s…


Drake, Jay Z and Kiss Are In The Game

Artists are assisting athletes and helping sports franchises build their brands and succeed beyond the scoreboard NICK KREWEN MAY 15, 2017 – 2:36 AM GRAMMY.com After the Boston Red Sox clinched the World Series at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918 this past October, all eyes in Major League Baseball seemingly switched to the issue of free agency, and particularly, Robinson Cano. Cano, the New York Yankees’ starting…