Billboard magazine reports on a new paper by Dr. George R. Barker of the Australian National University, which reexamines data from a 2006 survey conducted by Decima Research and commissioned by Industry Canada. Dr. Barker's paper finds clear evidence that P2P has negatively impacted music purchases in Canada. The study was conduced in order to support Industry Canada's policy decisions regarding copyright.

Dr. Barker says that "based on this data, I therefore conclude that P2P downloads have strong negative effects on legitimate music purchases and, contrary to the original analysis of the data, P2P downloading acts as a substitute for legitimate music purchases. One can infer from this analysis that stronger copyright laws would substantially increase music purchases and music industry sales revenues and, by implication, increase artist income and industry employment and contribute to both economic growth and higher government tax revenues in Canada."

Astral Radio has announced the launch of its all-new digital music service across the NRJ and Virgin Radio Networks. Astral Radio is the first radio broadcaster in Canada to offer this kind of on-demand music and music video streaming service. The service offers listeners new and innovative platforms to discover and share new music, but at the same time it provides its local and national advertisers with new business opportunities on new platforms.

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has issued a release welcoming SOCAN and AVLA as partners in CIMA’s music exporting services, aimed at creating exposure, excitement and business opportunities for Canadian independent music businesses and their artists around the world.

“Having the generous support of SOCAN and AVLA enables CIMA to provide business opportunities to the independent music sector around the world,” says CIMA President, Stuart Johnston. “In essence, our collective focus is to deliver great Canadian music to fans and consumers across the globe, while at the same time strengthening the independent music sector domestically.”

Mediacaster reports on two new deals reached by the Audio-Video Licensing Agency, which are set to offer Canadians more opportunities to listen to their favourite music.
The AVLA recently brokered with the CBC that will trigger the launch of a new digital music service from the CBC.
Toronto-based digital music company Mediazoic also has a new deal with AVLA, allowing Mediazoic's Internet radio network to carry the music catalogues that the association represents.
Mediacaster says both AVLA deals are seen as clever and imaginative business propositions, and among the first such negotiated collective licenses in Canada for on-line streaming and podcasting of radio and online digital music programming.

Toronto-based digital music company Mediazoic today announced a deal with the AVLA (Audio-Video Licensing Agency), which will allow Mediazoic's internet radio network to carry the music catalogues of more than 1000 record companies representing the majority of all sound recordings and music videos produced and/or distributed in Canada.

CBC and the Audio-Video Licensing Agency (AVLA) are pleased to announce that a groundbreaking music licensing deal has been reached. This historic deal will allow CBC to offer Canadians more of its radio programs on-line, on demand, as well as launch a new Canadian digital music service this winter.

The Canadian Press reports on the historic licensing deal reached by the Audio-Video Licensing Agency and the CBC, allowing CBC to stream more of its radio programming online unedited and on demand.

In a release, Chris Boyce, executive director of radio and audio of CBC English Services, said the deal "allows us to make more of our radio programming available when and how Canadians want it. It leverages CBC's strength around Canadian music, it takes advantage of our ability to create original content, to provide context, to build community."

Today, the IFPI released the Digital Music Report 2012 - 'Expanding Choice. Going Global.' The report provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of the global digital music business at the start of 2012. The report highlights unprecedented global expansion in 2011, as well as key steps forward taken in several markets to help tackle digital piracy.

The Canadian Radio Music Awards have announced the nominees for their 15th annual awards, to be announced on March 23rd during a gala luncheon during Slacker Canadian Music Week.
Leading the nominations this year are Alyssa Reid and Martin Solveig & Dragonette, who both have 5 nominations a piece, including SOCAN Song of the Year.

The Globe and Mail reports on HMV Canada's plans to launch a new subscription streaming music service, which HMV Canada president Nick Williams said is to launch in March 2012. Mr. Williams says the service will charge the industry-standard $5 per month for unlimited access through a desktop computer and an additional $5 per  month for access from a mobile device.

The Globe and Mail reports on the launch of iTunes Match in Canada, a service which allows users to upload their music collection to the cloud and stream it to a variety of devices for the cost of $27.99 per year.

The Vancouver Sun reports that the first round of performers at the 2012 JUNO Awards in Ottawa have been announced: Blue Rodeo, City and Colour, Deadmau5, and Feist will perform live at Scotiabank Place on April 1, and the show will be broadcast live across Canada on CTV.

The Financial Post reports on Rara.com, a new subscription service set to launch in Canada by the end of this week. The service is targeting new adopters to digital subscription services with an initial subscription price of 99cents for the first three months.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences has announced that Blue Rodeo will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2012 JUNO Awards on April 1, 2012 in Ottawa, ON.

Canadian music fans are set to get another digital service in the new year: the Canadian Press reports that music streaming service Deezer is set to launch in Canada in January 2012.

The CBC reports on the Canadian Folk Music Awards, who announced their winners on Sunday, presenting Bruce Cockburn with the Contemporary Album of the Year and Solo Artist of the Year awards. Dave Gunning also received two awards, winning New/Emerging Artist of the Year and Traditional Singer of the Year. Genticorum also won two awards, taking home Traditional Album of the Year and Ensemble of the Year. Please visit the link for the full list of winners.

The Grammy Award nominees were announced on Wednesday night, with Kanye West, Bruno Mars, and Adele leading the nominations.
Several Canadian artists also picked up nominations, including Toronto's Drake, who received nods for Best Rap Performance (with Nicki Minaj), and two entries in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category.
Niagara Falls' Deadmau5 was nominated for Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronica Album, and Best Remixed Recording.
Whitby's Sum 41 were nominated for for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, and Toronto's Melanie Fiona was nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance
 

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports that Gary Slaight will be honoured with the 2012 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award at the 2012 Juno Awards in Ottawa.
In a statement, CARAS president and CEO Melanie Berry said "Gary Slaight's remarkable intuition in business as well as the Canadian music industry is rare. He's not only distinguished himself as a music innovator, he has made it his mandate to proactively support our nation's talented artists through the Slaight Family Foundation and Slaight Music."

The CBC reports on last night's SOCAN Awards gala, where some of Canada's most talented songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers were honoured for their work.
The Stampeders were honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award, while Prairie Oyster was recognized with the National Acheivement Award, and Bob Ezrin's career was recognized with the Special Achievement Award.

The Hamilton Spectator reports on last night's Hamilton Music Awards ceremony, where Jeremy Fisher was the big winner, taking home Album of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Video of the Year honours.
Other honourees included the Dinner Belles, winners of Best New Group, Alternative Country Recording of the Year, while the band's pianist, Greg Brisco, won the Keyboardist of the Year award.

The Globe and Mail reports on yesterday's launch of Google Music, which offers 13 million tracks for sale, from three of the four major recording companies. The service is currently only available to customers in the U.S., but Google aims to roll it out eventually to some 200 million Android users globally.

Kobo has announced that it has partnered with Rdio to bring streaming music to their readers. The Rdio application will come pre-loaded on the Kobo Vox, allowing users to play music from a catalogue of 12+ million songs directly from their e-reader.

In a release, Rdio CEO Drew Larner said: "By adding Rdio to the Kobo Vox, our subscribers can now easily extend their Rdio listening experience into their reading life, and it gives them yet another platform to access our service. For Kobo customers, we bring a new and unique social approach to music discovery. Reading and listening to music have always been preferred leisure activities and now customers can enjoy them together, seamlessly."

Billboard reports that Live Nation Entertainment has hired veteran Canadian electronic music producer Ryan Kruger to manage a new division called Electronic Nation Canada .

CBC reports on the Nova Scotia Music Awards, held in Yarmouth on Nov. 5th, where Cape Breton's Carmen Townsend was the big winner, taking home four awards, including Recording of the Year for Waitin' and Seein.'

The Ottawa Citizen reports on last week's Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, where Winnipeg group Most took home 6 awards including Best rap/hip-hop CD for GoodFellaz and single of the year for Don’t Stop.
Nine awards were handed out when the APCMAs were broadcast live on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, while an additional twelve were awarded on Thursday during a non-televised gala.

The application deadline for next year's JUNO Awards is fast approaching - make sure to have your submissions to the CARAS office by Thursday Nov. 10th to be considered!

MusicAlly reports that EMI has announced a partnership with The Echo Nest to create a 'sandbox' for developers to make apps based on its content & artists. Called OpenEMI, the label aims to open it's catalogue to developers and streamline licensing agreements.
EMI will be the publisher of any apps that result, and will take responsibility for licensing and clearances, while the app developers will retain the app's underlying intellectual property. The Echo Nest’s CEO Jim Lucchese says this is key: “There are a lot of reasons why it makes sense for EMI to be the publisher for these apps, but they’re making it clear to app developers that they retain ownership of their IP. We’re targeting passionate, commercially-minded developers who want to make a living and build successful businesses. The IP issue is crucial.”

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports that the Canadian Federation of Musicians (CFM) and Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) have formed a formal strategic alliance to benefit both labor unions.
Ferne Downey, ACTRA's national executive director said "This alliance formalizes the long-standing and mutually-beneficial relationship that ACTRA and the CFM have had for more than 60 years," "Our members work side-by-side, and in many cases - are members of both of our unions. It only makes sense that we would strengthen our bond and work closely together to promote our mutual interests."

MusicAlly profiles the Canadian music marketplace, which is the sixth biggest global market in terms of digital music sales and the seventh biggest in terms of physical sales.

The Toronto Star reports that the National Music Centre, set to open in Calgary in 2014, will operate as a museum, with the aim to bring cultural artifacts from Canada's musicians under one roof.
National Music Centre CEO Andrew Mosker said “It will be spectacular. There are a lot of smaller museums operating around the country, but this would be the definitive.” The centre already has one of Anne Murray's guitars and an accordion from Grammy award winner Walter Ostanek.

A release from the Canadian Country Music Awards reports that the broadcast on CBC generated an average audience of nearly three-quarters of a million viewers, with almost one million viewers at peak time and more than 3.1 million Canadians watching some part of the two-hour show.
"These results certainly demonstrate that Canadian country music fans are alive and well in Canada," said Jim Cressman, Chair of the CCMA's Television Committee. "As a team we continue to exceed our ratings targets, making us a leader in broadcast award show programming. It wouldn't be possible for us to reach these outstanding results without the diligent work of our incredible team. A big thanks goes out to the artists, labels, managers, CBC, CMT and the Corkscrew creative team for creating a collection of compelling moments in the show."

In a banner night for Manitoba musicians on Sunday, Winnipeg-based artists took seven of the 19 musical categories at the 2011 Western Canadian Music Awards at the Yukon Arts Centre, in Whitehorse, Yukon.
The night concluded with the induction of 54-40 into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame, who closed out the show with a live performance.
The WCMAs reward artists based in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and, new for 2011, the Northwest Territories.

Billboard's Karen Bliss reports on the Western Canadian Music Awards from Whitehorse, YT, where The Sheepdogs won the Rock Recording of the Year award for their album "Learn & Burn" while Del Barber two home both the Independent Album and the Roots Solo Recording for "Love Songs For The Last Twenty."

The Canadian Folk Music Award Nominees were announced with Dave Gunning and Bruce Cockburn leading the nominations with four each.  Other nominees in the 19 categories include The Wailin' Jennys, The Good Lovelies, Lynn Myles, Ron Hynes, and Andrea Ramolo.  Submissions are still open for the new category of "Unsung Hero" until October 31st.  All winners will be announced at a gala event on December 4th.

The Financial Post Tech Desk reports on the growth of Sirius XM Canada, who announced on Wednesday they have passed the 2 Million listener mark, putting it in the same tier as some of Canada's largest television and cable providers. President and chief executive Mark Redmond credits the recovery of the auto market for much of the growth, saying :"the big driver of our business today and into the future is the automotive business." Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have all partnered with Sirius XM Canada.

The Vancouver Sun reports on MetroLyrics, a Vancouver-based site that has grown to become the world's largest online lyrics website and the third largest site among all music websites, which was recently been acquired by the CBS Interactive Music Group.
Originally created as a way for then 16-year old Milun Tesovic to earn money to buy a car, the site has grown into the largest database of legal music lyrics in the world, with over 700,000 songs. A 2008 licensing agreement with Gracenote allows MetroLyrics to pay royalties to artists for all the lyrics it displays.

The world is mourning the loss of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who died yesterday at the age of 56.  According to Music Canada President Graham Henderson, "The brilliant execution of the iPod and iTunes has had an enormous impact on the music industry.  Were Jobs not taken long before his time, there is no doubt he would have continued to transform and revolutionize technology and media as we know it."   Billboard has an excellent story about Job's life and contributions to the entertainment industry. 

Canadian Music Week has just announced that acclaimed producer and engineer Daniel Lanois will be inducted to the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at the 2012 Canadian Music & Broadcast Industry Awards gala at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel during Canadian Music Week’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
In a release, Canadian Music Week President Neill Dixon said “I have been a personal fan of Daniel Lanois since the beginning. Through his work with U2 to Neil Young, he has made an indelible mark on the industry and solidified a reputation for himself as a world-renowned producer over the past four decades. It’s time we in Canada celebrate the career of this remarkable man with this Hall of Fame induction.”

Drake was honoured with the Allan Slaight Award last weekend at the Canada's Walk of Fame gala. The Allan Slaight Award is presented to a young Canadian making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy.
In accepting the award, Drake said “I am a proud Canadian, and I am grateful to Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Slaight Foundation for this award.”
Drake donated the $10,000 honourarium accompanying the award to Dixon Hall, a Toronto non-for-profit group that offers supportive programs and services in East Downtown Toronto.

Billboard reports on the introduction of Bill C11, the Copyright Modernization Act, yesterday:

Music Canada is pleased to see long overdue copyright reform legislation back on the Parliamentary agenda and a strong commitment to get it passed.  President Graham Henderson:  “Like any bill, we are fully confident it will undergo changes in committee, particularly given the consensus that developed during review of Bill C-32 that slight adjustments were needed so that the legislation would meet the government’s anti-piracy objectives and support jobs in the creative industries.”

The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) has issued a statement welcoming the introduction of the federal government's new Copyright Modernization Act today, said they look forward to its passage for the benefit of the nation's independent music sector.
"The government should be congratulated for reintroducing this bill so quickly," says Stuart Johnston, President of CIMA. "Our members are encouraged by the government's commitment, and we look forward to working with the government to help smooth out the wrinkles in the legislation. The bottom line is Canada needs this new copyright act to protect the intellectual property of our artists and the music industry businesses that represent them."

Billboard reports that CIMA, the Canadian Independent Music Association, has elected 10 new members to their Board of Directors at their annual general meeting on Sept. 27 in Toronto.

The Canadian Press reports that the JUNO Awards have added a new category for the top Metal/Hard Music album of the year. The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced the new prize Wednesday, which brings the total number of categories to 41. The JUNO Awards will be announced at the ceremony in Ottawa on April 1, 2012.

Congratulations to the winners and nominees of last night's 102.1 the Edge’s annual CASBY Music Awards, where The Sheepdogs took home 3 awards, winning NXNE Favourite New Indie Release for "Learn & Burn", Molson Canadian Favourite New Artist, and Favourite New Album for "Learn & Burn". City and Colour won the award for Favourite New Single for "Fragile Bird", and Mumford and Sons won the award for Favourite Edge Session. The CASBYs are chosen entirely by fans.

Billboard reports on the Facebook Music announcement, which was a major part of today's F8 presentation:

Billboard reports that Jeremy Summers has been named EVP/Chief Marketing Officer at Interscope Geffen A&M. Summers formerly served as the senior VP of Marketing for Universal Music Canada, a position he held since autumn 2010. He had been a part of the sales department at Universal Music Canada since 1994.
Universal Music Canada President Randy Lennox praised Summers in a statement: "Jeremy is a modern music executive with a marketing pedigree earned from seventeen years of service to our Canadian company. He has enriched our business through his acumen and imagination-and will surely do likewise for our cousins Stateside. We shall miss his keen insights and wish him ever greater successes in his continued career with Interscope."

Make it 4 out of 4 for Arcade Fire.  At a gala last night in Toronto, the Montreal-based band was named the 2011 Polaris Prize winner, selected from a strong field that also included Ron Sexsmith and Hey Rosetta.  That makes 4: the number of award programs that has put Arcade Fire on top with Polaris being added to earlier wins at the Grammys, the Junos and the Brit Awards.

The clock is ticking down to the Polaris Prize Gala and announcement of this year's winner.  The gala will be broadcast live on Sirius XM and CBC Radio 3, Webcast live on Much tonight at 8 p.m. and Broadcast on Much on September 24th at 1 p.m. and midnight.

The Telegraph reports that Jeremy Hunt, the British Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, is set to deliver a speech calling on Google and other search engines to play a bigger part in the fight against online piracy. Mr. Hurt argues that by taking "reasonable steps," search engines can make a significant difference in reducing infringement. Mr. Hunt's speech goes on to state “We do not allow certain products to be sold in the shops on the high street, nor do we allow shops to be set up purely to sell counterfeited products. Neither should we tolerate it online.”

The Montreal Gazette reports on last night's Canadian Country Music Awards, where Dean Brody was the big winner, taking home Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Songwriter of the Year accolades for his sophomore album Trail in Life.
Johnny Reid also had a big night, winning Male Artist of the Year, the Fan's Choice Award,  as well as CMT's Video of the Year award for "Today I'm Gonna Try and Change the World."
Terri Clark won Female Artist of the Year Award, on the strength of her latest release, "Roots and Wings."
Edmonton trio Hey Romeo won the award for Best Group or Duo, while Chad Brownlee won the Rising Star award, his first CCMA award.

The EU decision on copyright term has broad support in the European industry as AEPO-ARTIS, FIM, GIART, ICMP, and IFPI, which represent all the facets of the music sector in Europe, issued a joint statement warmly welcoming the decision by EU Member States and applauded the Polish Presidency and supporting Member States for their commitment to this initiative.

Over 38,000 artists and musicians signed a petition in favour of term extension, acknowledging the positive impact it will have on the sector.

In a statement from the IFPI, the international recording industry welcomed today's decision by the European Union to extend the term of copyright protection offered to performers and producers from 50 to 70 years.

Plácido Domingo, chairman of IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide, applauded the decision: "The decision to extend the term of protection for recordings in Europe is great news for performing artists. Artists at the start of their careers will benefit from an increased pool of revenue that will be available to invest in new talent. Established artists can benefit from their work throughout their lifetimes. This is especially important today when licensed digital services make music widely available online."

.The Canadian Country Music Association celebrated their 2011 Hall of Fame inductees at last night's Gala Dinner Awards.
This year’s two Hall of Fame Inductions honoured Michelle Wright and Bill Langstroth . The Slaight Music Humanitarian Award recipient, Johnny Reid was honoured and also received recognition as Top Selling Canadian Album of the Year.
Click the 'More' link for the full list of Gala winners:

Alan Cross, veteran radio broadcaster and musicologist, will launch his latest music history radio show with Orbyt Media, broadcast beginning October 11th from boom 97.3 in Toronto.  The Secret History of Rock with Alan Cross will is a two hour weekly program focusing on rock from the 70's, 80's and 90's.  It will be written and hosted by Cross.

The legendary rock band U2 proved to be highly sought after on the red carpet on opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival which launched with the world premiere of the U2 documentary From the Sky Down, directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim.  The Hamilton Spectator has published a Q&A with Guggenheim which is a great read. 

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Heritage Minister James Moore said that the Conservative government will re-introduce Bill C-32 this fall, and he hopes to see the amendments to the Copyright Act pass by Christmas. The bill will be re-introduced in it's current form, and go back to a legislative committee for study.
"This is long overdue in Canada. We did so much consultation, so much preparation, there was such a depth of understanding of the legislation that we tabled that we want to continue the study of that legislation", said Moore.

The National Music Centre which is to open in Calgary in 2014 has caught the attention of Canada's Walk of Fame.  The Centre has been chosen as the beneficiary of the Canada’s Walk of Fame Inductee Charity Ball presented by RBC on October 1, 2011 in Toronto.  The ball will follow the awards ceremony of the newest inductees.

Festival Music House to host K’naan, Sam Roberts Band, the Arkells, Rural Alberta Advantage and more during TIFF 2011.

The 2nd round of voting is now open for in the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards.  A full list of nominees is available online.  Voting is open until October 6th and the winners will be announced November 4th.

With the announcement yesterday by Steve Jobs that he would be resigning as Apple's CEO, many questions are being raised about the future of the tech company.  While it has been made clear that Jobs will continue to be involved in strategic direction for Apple, the day-to-day operations will be in the hands of the new CEO, Tim Cook.  Billboard tries to answer the question on everyone's minds:  "Who is Tim Cook?".

How many times have you wondered where your friends are sitting at a concert venue?  A unique collaboration between Ticketmaster and Facebook enables you to find your Facebook friends in concert seating. 

MySpace's new VP Global Marketing says the site will return to its foundations with a relaunch later this year as a music hub, directly targeting the likes of iTunes, Spotify and VEVO.
According to the story in AdAge Digital, Al Dejewski says, "No other music destination online today can claim the breadth of partnership we have with the four major music labels in addition to the tens of millions of independent artists and the libraries of their songs."

Festival Music House will feature performances by K'Naan, The Sheepdogs, Dinosaur Bones, Ladies of the Canyon (including guest Music Canada blogger Maia Davies), The Sam Roberts Band, Lights and Parlovr among others, in this year's musical component of the Toronto International Film Festival. 

Performances will take place September 12, 13 and 14 at the Mod Club.  The feature performers were chosen by a panel of industry leaders from hundreds of submissions.

Music subscription service Rdio has taken a hint from its customers - they want a family plan!  Having teased the family subscription a few weeks ago, Rdio has officially made it available for customers in the US and Canada.  Rdio's VP of product design Malthe Sigurdsson talks about that and a lot more in an interview with Music Ally.

comScore has released its latest metrix on the number of people watching online videos in the US, where they're watching them, and for how long. 

The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Warner Music Group has announced that Stephen Cooper has been named CEO, while Edgar Bronfman Jr. will serve as chairman.
Lyor Cohen, chairman and CEO of recorded music and Cameron Strang, chairman and CEO of Warner/Chappell Music, remain in their positions, and report directly to Cooper.

Riley O'Connor is the latest inductee to be announced for the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.  Part of Canadian Music Week's 30th anniversary celebrations, his induction will take place on March 22, 2012.  Earlier it was announced the Q107's John Derringer will also be inducted. 

BPI has established a fund to help indies affected by the Sony DADC warehouse fire in London.  More than £100,000 has been raised so far.

A collective licensing agreement, representing almost 1500 major and independent record labels in Canada, has facilitated the launch of Galaxie Mobile by Stingray Digital, the first Canadian-owned commercial-free mobile streaming music service.

Music Canada spearheaded the negotiations, empowering AVLA to act on its behalf. “We aggressively pursued this pioneering agreement because we understand how cumbersome our regulatory environment can be, and we are willing to help services better navigate it,” says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

"By enabling Stingray to clear all rights necessary with both major and independent music labels, we have created an accessible template for other semi-interactive services that want to come to Canada. In addition, AVLA’s independent members benefit from being at the ground floor of a deal that may otherwise have begun only with the largest rights holders. Developing the digital business here will remain an important priority for us in the months ahead,” says Victoria Shepherd, Executive Director of AVLA.

The story also appears in today's Globe and Mail.

A gust of wind took down another stage - this time in Indiana and this time killing five people and injuring more than forty. 

The tragic events have many in the music community sending their thoughts and prayers to Indiana.  Canadian artist Terri Clark writes on twitter:  "Stage collapse is our greatest nightmare. Thoughts and prayers going out to the victims and families of the Indy tragedy."

Just last month wind took down part of the stage at Ottawa's Bluesfest but fortunately there were only minor injuries.  CBC News has coverage and video from Indiana. 

Billboard reports that SOCAN members will receive their highest royalties ever this month, following additional revenues following the resolution of litigation related to Tariff 1A (Commercial Radio).
In a statement, SOCAN CEO Eric Baptiste said “The boost in royalties that SOCAN members will receive in August represents an increase to the income which Canadian music creators and publishers depend on to make a living. SOCAN continues to work diligently towards ensuring that our members are paid adequately through the licensing of music use in Canada.”

The Guardian reports that numerous independent record labels fear they have lost a catastrophic amount of stock in a fire at a distribution warehouse in north London during the riots in the capital on Monday night. A three-storey, 20,000 square-metre building in Enfield, owned by Sony DADC and holding stock to be distributed by the Pias Group, was burned to the ground.

Billboard reports Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Watch the Throne" collaboration album was released exclusively on iTunes today, becoming the first major hip-hop release in recent memory to avoid being leaked.

Digital Music News reports that Deloitte has analyzed the top-grossing tours of the past decade and found that 94% of the top-grossing acts had a lead singer who was over 40 years old. PRS For Music posed the question: "Against the backdrop of falling record sales, who is putting the time, money and expertise into developing the arena, festival and stadium acts of the future?"

More tributes have been pouring in for Steve Propas - in this article Karen Bliss shares more about his negotiating prowess. 

He's been called a good friend, mentor, valuable liaison and legend of the music industry.

The Canadian music community is mourning the loss today of Steve Propas, best known as co-founder of Solid Gold Records with partner Neill Dixon.  Propas passed away last night at the age of 63.

"Steve was a beacon for our community for decades. Music was in his soul. Our community is impoverished by our loss of his prodigious talents and great love of music. Rest in peace, Steve. Hail and farewell," says Graham Henderson, President of Music Canada.

Music writer David Farrell has written a piece chronicling Propas' life and sharing recollections from those who best knew him.

The funeral will be held Friday at 1 p.m. at the Steeles Memorial Chapel in Toronto.

The Hollywood Reporter  that Canadian David Foster is set to take the top position at esteemed jazz label Verve Records:

Plácido Domingo has been named as chairman of IFPI, the organisation that represents the recording industry worldwide.

Domingo said in the statement: "It is a great honor to be invited to become the chairman of IFPI. I have always passionately believed in the importance of respecting talent and in the rights of all those who perform, create, produce and invest in music. Today, the world of music and in fact most of the arts is undergoing enormous changes and challenges. Technology, which on one hand allows artists to reach many more than ever before, has led to a debate about how to find a way to protect the intellectual property rights of artists, creators and all those living and working in the world of music. I look forward to being a part of those discussions."

The New York Times reports on the passing of Amy Winehouse, who died today at age 27.

Monte & Avery Lipman, of Ms. Winehouse’s American record label, Universal Republic, said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened at the sudden loss of such a gifted musician, artist and performer. Our prayers go out to Amy’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.”

IFPI has issued a release announcing that online payment service PayPal has agreed a partnership with City of London Police and the international recording industry that will see even stronger action to prevent PayPal's services being used by illegal websites worldwide that sell copyright infringing music.

Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide says: "We knew that when illegal online music services could no longer take payment from credit cards they would try to work around the restriction. That is why we and the City of London Police approached PayPal and I am delighted to say they responded instantly and positively."

The Guardian reports that Baidu, China's largest search engine, has signed an agreement with top music studios to distribute licensed songs through its MP3 search service, ending years of legal rows over allegations the company abetted piracy.

Music Canada presented Awards of Appreciation to M.P. Dean Del Mastro and Dan McTeague on behalf of the employees of major record labels in Canada in appreciation for their efforts to save jobs.

The Unison Benevolent Fund gets a big shot in the arm from Music Canada and Slaight Music, making the million dollar capital endowment fund goal much closer to being realized.  Music Canada and Slaight Music challenge others in the industry to join them in supporting this vital safety net.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), along with broadcast partner CTV, have announced that Ottawa, Canada’s Capital Region, will host THE 2012 JUNO AWARDS and JUNO Week events and festivities, March 26 – April 1, 2012.

The Polaris Prize Shortlist 2011 was announced yesterday, after a jury narrowed the 40 disc Long List down to 10 contenders vying for the title of the best Canadian album, based on artistic integrity, without regard to musical genre, professional affiliation, or sales history.

Billboard reports that Eminem's 2010 album 'Recovery' is the first album to sell over one-million digital downloads globally, citing Nielsen Soundscan. The article goes on to report that Adele's 2011 album '21' is expected to reach the same benchmark this week.

The Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations (CCMIA) and Musicians’ Rights Organization Canada (MROC) have announced the formation of a strategic partnership.

As the release states, MROC is a Canadian federally incorporated not-for-profit collective society whose objectives include the collection and distribution of performer remuneration collected by Re:Sound (a music licensing company) formerly known as the Neighbouring Rights Collective of Canada.

MROC’s sole function is to collect and distribute to musicians the performer’s share of neighbouring rights royalties stipulated under various tariffs approved by the Copyright Board of Canada.