Story by Nick Krewen | September 1, 2016 For SOCAN Words and Music. Billy Talent was ready. The album had been written, the songs had been rehearsed and the veteran hard rock Toronto quartet – 23 years and four original studio albums deep into their career – was preparing to hit the studio to record what was to become long player No. 5, Afraid of Heights. Then tragedy stuck….
Story by Nick Krewen | July 5, 2016 FOR SOCAN Words And Music. Canadian artists and SOCAN members like Dear Rouge and Coeur de Pirate have an unexpected and relatively new champion when it comes to promoting their wares, both at home and internationally: Spotify Canada. The global streaming service, which opened shop in this country in November 2014 after years of anticipation, has been doing its utmost to…
Story by Nick Krewen | March 30, 2016 For SOCAN Words and Music. After 15 years and a business that in 2012 enjoyed $20 million in revenues, multi-faceted MapleMusic has entered a new phase of evolution. At a lavish bash held at Toronto’s Velvet Underground on March 1, 2016, MapleMusic was re-christened the Cadence Music Group and a promising future was set in motion. “It’s a re-focus,” says Iain…
Story by Nick Krewen | November 5, 2015 For SOCAN Words and Music. To quote Unison Benevolent Fund co-founder Jodie Ferneyhough, “It was something that had to happen.” Although the idea has been operational for seven years, it’s only since May 2015 that the Unison Benevolent Fund – a non-profit, registered charity that provides counseling and emergency relief services to the Canadian music community – has been able to incorporate…
Artists across multiple genres have carved out a new niche for their careers on the other side of the radio dial GRAMMY.com Nick Krewen “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant With My Two-Headed Love Child,” he musically boasted in 1989. But even during the most infamous stages of his recording career, Mojo Nixon knew his days as an outrageously outspoken cult roots rocker were numbered. “I knew, and I knew early on…
