IMSTA FESTA brings music technology companies together in an environment where they can interact with music makers face-to-face. Visitors include professional and semi-professional musicians, DJs, songwriters, music producers, audio engineers, music students, and music educators; as well as anyone else interested in the art of music making. IMSTA FESTA also features numerous panels with music industry professionals who discuss the current and future state of the music business, music technology, and more.

IMSTA FESTA has been held in Tokyo since 2008, in New York since 2010, and in Los Angeles since 2013.

Registration for IMSTA FESTA is free. To register and to find more information, go to www.imsta.org.

The 40 Long List albums were unveiled earlier today at the National Music Centre in Calgary in association with the Sled Island Music Festival.

The 40 albums on the 2014 Polaris Music Prize Long List are:

Arcade Fire – Reflektor

AroarA – In The Pines

Austra – Olympia

Philippe B – Ornithologie, la nuit

BADBADNOTGOOD – III

Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow

Chromeo – White Women

Cousins – The Halls Of Wickwire

Cowboy Junkies/Various Artists – The Kennedy Suite

The Darcys -Warring

Dead Obies – Montréal $ud

Mac DeMarco – Salad Days

DIANA – Perpetual Surrender

Drake – Nothing Was The Same

Freedom Writers – NOW

Fresh Snow – I

Frog Eyes – Carey’s Cold Spring

Gorguts – Colored Sands

Tim Hecker – Virgins

Jimmy Hunt – Maladie d’amour

Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back

Kalle Mattson – Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold

Moonface – Julia With Blue Jeans On

Mounties – Thrash Rock Legacy

Odonis Odonis – Hard Boiled Soft Boiled

Owen Pallett – In Conflict

Pink Mountaintops – Get Back

PUP – PUP

The Sadies – Internal Sounds

Shad – Flying Colours

Shooting Guns – Brotherhood of the Ram

Solids – Blame Confusion

Rae Spoon – My Prairie Home

The Strumbellas – We Still Move On Dance Floors

Tanya – Tagaq Animism

Thus Owls – Turning Rocks

Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams

Chad VanGaalen – Shrink Dust

Bry Webb – Free Will

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN – UZU

In total, 189 titles made the first ballots of the 190-member jury. Twenty-three of the 40 long list titles are first-time Polaris Music Prize nominees. Of those, three have been in previously nominated groups.

The 10 album Short List will be announced on July 15 at The Drake Hotel in Toronto. The Polaris Gala will be held on Sept. 22 at The Carlu in Toronto.

For more information, go to www.polarismusicprize.ca.

On page 25, the committee offers these 10 recommendation:

1. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada examine the time that it takes for decisions to be rendered by the Copyright Board of Canada ahead of the upcoming review of the Copyright Act so that any changes could be considered by the Copyright Board of Canada as soon as possible.

2. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada work with provincial authorities and other stakeholders to improve the musical knowledge and skills of Canadians.

3. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada work with stakeholders in order to launch an information campaign on the actual cost of creating music, the negative impacts of illegal downloading and the importance of respecting the intellectual property of music creators, with an outcome of assisting the music industry in terms of improved measures and initiatives related to these issues, including preventing piracy.

4. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada work with stakeholders from the Canadian music industry and the Canadian tourism industry to make music tourism in Canada a focus of marketing campaigns.

5. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada study the economic impact of introducing a tax credit to support the Canadian music industry, taking inspiration, if needed, from those granted to the film and television industries.

6. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada undertake a study of the impact of digital technology on the Canadian music industry and on government funding programs.

7. The Committee recommends that the Department of Canadian Heritage ensure that the various components of the Canada Music Fund reflect the changes in Canada’s music industry, including potential new sources of funding from the private sector, with special attention given to creators, entrepreneurs and independent producers.

8. The Committee recommends that the administration of the Music Entrepreneur Component of the Canada Music Fund be transferred from the Department of Canadian Heritage to a new third-party organization(s) based on the model of FACTOR and Musicaction

9. The Committee recommends that the Department of Canadian Heritage ensure that the general public and recipients are aware that FACTOR and Musicaction funding is made on behalf of the Government of Canada.

10. The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada give the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission the capacity to enforce the requirement for the private broadcasters to pay, in a timely manner, the required annual contribution for Canadian content development.

The Wallflowers performing at Big Music Fest 2013.

Submissions are now being accepted for Breaking Bands, an Ontario-wide band search dedicated to finding and breaking the best emerging talent in the province. The winning band’s prize will culminate in a performance at Big Music Fest 2015 in Kitchener, ON, but there is much more than that in the year prior to the festival.

Mark Higgins, president and owner of Big Music Fest (whose headliners this year include Aerosmith, Bryan Adams, Slash, Moist, Styx, Big Wreck, and more), says he knew that the opportunity to perform with the biggest recording acts in the world could be the vehicle to break a bands career. Higgins wanted something different for the winning band, so along with mentorship, touring opportunities, and other prizes, the winning band will be filmed for a year leading up to their main stage performance at Big Music Fest 2015. The filming will cover rehearsals, studio time, and live performances with a lot of “life in a band” thrown in. The finished documentary will be used as a promotional tool for the band to shop to industry professionals.

The Breaking Bands auditions will take place on the opening night of Big Music Fest 2014 in front of a live audience and admission is free. The deadline to apply is midnight of June 20, 2014.

For more information on prizes, criteria, and how to apply, go to www.bigmusicfest.com/breaking-bands/. Canadian Musician magazine is a proud sponsor of Breaking Bands.

Photo: Robert Saxe, Sing! 2012 Toronto Vocal Arts Festival at Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

SING!, is Canada’s premier a cappella festival, will run May 30 to June 1 in Toronto’s historic Distillery District.

More than 100 performances, workshops, and interactive events will showcase the best of Canadian and international talent. Tickets and wristbands are on sale now at www.singtoronto.com.

According to organizers, there’s something for every musical taste, with world-class concert performances spanning a wide range of genres and cultural influences, including pop and jazz groups; classical, barbershop, and gospel choirs; and world music ensembles.

Industry veterans will lead music and music business workshops for singers of all ages and levels. Concerts will include a reunion from Canadian a cappella pioneers The Nylons as well as performances from UK-based classical crossover artists Cantabile, The London Quartet, and “Dragapella Beautyshop Quartet” The Kinsey Sicks. Iconic Canadian singer/songwriters Alan Frew, Dan Hill, and Lorraine Segato will showcase their national pride in O Canada! Our Nation’s Greatest Hits A Cappella, performing their classics accompanied by celebrated Toronto vocal groups Cadence, Countermeasure, and Retrocity.

For more information, go to www.singtoronto.com.

Participants can choose to ride either a 25 km or 50 km leisurely route around Toronto. The route is “guaranteed to provide participants great fun while empowering Unison to continue its support of Canadian music professionals in times of need,” according to the organization.

Event Details:

Date: Thursday June 12, 2014

Where: Starting and Finishing point – Residence of Jodie Ferneyhough (16 Orchard Park Blvd., Toronto, ON, M4L 3E2)

When: Sign-in begins at 8:30 AM, Ride will begin at 9:00 AM (50 km route takes approximately three hours)

Fee: Minimum fundraising requirement of $50

Requirements: Bicycle in working order, certified bike helmet, and your own water/electrolytes/food for the ride.

To register, go to www.rideforunison.ca.

Canadian Musician magazine is a proud sponsor of the Ride for Unison.

The Unison Benevolent Fund is a non-profit organization that provides counselling, emergency relief, and benefit programs for those in the Canadian music community who face personal or professional challenges due to hardship, illness, unemployment, or economic difficulties.

All the money raised from the tournament will go to Friends of Music Therapy, which supports the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children Music Therapy Program. The registration fee for golfers is $145 and that includes green fees, power carts, lunch, and a barbeque dinner, plus all taxes and gratuities.

Glen Eagle is a 27-hole championship golf course northwest of Toronto, which has been one of the premiere courses in the Greater Toronto Area for more than 40 years.

For more information and/or to register for the Pro AV Golf Tournament, go to www.proavgolf.com.

Oh My Darling performing at the 2013 CFMAs. Photo: Graham Lindsey

Submissions are now open for the 2014 Canadian Folk Music Awards (CFMA). Canadian artists and groups whose albums were released in Canada between June 15, 2013 and June 14, 2014 are eligible.

The awards currently include 20 categories and five nominees are chosen for each category. A three stage jury process by 100 jurors located across Canada representing all official provinces, territories, and languages determine the official winners in each category. Complete eligibility requirements are listed here: www.folkawards.ca/eligibility/

The earlybird submission deadline is June 6, 2014 and the final deadline is July 14, 2014. While most submissions to the CFMA’s involve mailing submission entries, this year, two categories (Pushing the Boundaries and Young Performer) will also accept digital submissions.

The 10^th anniversary edition of the CFMA weekend takes place Nov. 27-29, 2014 in Ottawa and includes concerts from many of the nominees. The gala awards event, featuring live performances from some of the best of Canada’s folk community, happens at the Bronson Centre on Nov. 29, 2014.

For more information, go to www.folkmusic.ca.

The first Lot consists of 170 used brass and woodwind instruments, and will close on Thursday, May 22, 2014.

The second Lot consists of 628 items of equipment, tools and supplies that were used by the MIR program, and will close on Friday, May 23, 2014.

Details of what is offered in each Lot can be found at: www.keyano.ca/Services/Auction.

The actual bidding process will take place on the Internet at www.eBay.ca, but bidding will not open until 10 days prior to the close of the two auctions on eBay.  The links to eBay auction will be published at that time on the above noted website at Keyano College, and elsewhere.

As noted on the website, the successful bidder will be responsible for packing up and shipping the items from the MIR program room at the Keyano College campus located at 8115 Franklin Ave., Fort McMurray, AB, T9H 2H7.

For more information, contact Keyano College: 800-251-1408, www.keyano.ca.

NWC Business Services Representative Brendan McMullin

Jim Norris, President of Norris-Whitney Communications Inc. and Publisher of Canadian Musician, Canadian Music Trade, Professional Sound, and Professional Lighting & Production magazines, has announced the appointment of Brendan McMullin as Business Services Representative.

Brendan is a graduate of the Sales and Marketing Program at Niagara College, an amateur musician, and an avid sports enthusiast.

He will be assisting with the marketing needs of Norris-Whitney clients in the music, pro audio, and lighting fields.

Brendan can be contacted at 905-374-9012, bmcmullin@nor.com.