This article originally appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Canadian Musician magazine.   

By Michael Raine

Two related themes have dominated music industry discussions and reporting over the last couple of years. From industry conferences at Canadian Music Week and South by Southwest to reports by the BBC and New York Times, there has been jubilation over revenue growth. Subscription streaming services like Spotify are credited with fueling a 5.9 per cent worldwide growth for the recorded music industry in 2016, which is the largest year-over-year increase since IFPI began tracking the market. In Canada, the growth was even more dramatic at 14.8 per cent thanks to streaming revenues more than doubling. On the flip side, though, is fretting and even outright anger over the paltry royalties the largest online service, YouTube, pays music rights holders.

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This article originally appeared in the May/June 2017 issue of Canadian Musician.

By Michael Raine

It seems like a source of great frustration at SOCAN that many songwriters are not bothering to collect their live performance royalties. While most songwriters know SOCAN collects and distributes their performance royalties for radio, TV/film, and online use, many seem to be ignoring their most likely source of SOCAN royalties: concerts. Maybe they don’t know this revenue stream is available to them, or maybe they don’t think it’s worth the hassle. Either way, money is being left on the table.

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This article originally appeared in the March/April 2017 issue of Canadian Musician.

By Michael Raine

These are interesting and potentially transformative times for women’s rights. January’s Women’s March was the largest protest in American history, with sister marches in cities and towns around the globe – including 60,000 people in Toronto – while things like pay discrepancies, misogynistic corporate cultures, and equal opportunity hiring practices are now part of the mainstream conversation.

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A shortened version of this interview appeared in the January/February 2017 issue of Canadian Musician magazine. The full interview can also be listened to on the Dec. 7, 2016 episode of Canadian Musician Radio.

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Finger Eleven’s Newfound DIY Attitude

They’ve been one of Canadian rock’s most popular bands for over 15 years, but even Finger Eleven had to learn to stretch budgets and take on more tasks themselves

By Michael Raine

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2016 issue of Canadian Musician

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