The Return of the All-Canadian Thread

[nerd4hire]

Well, I don't know how many of us there are left here, but maybe there's enough to get the All-Canadian thread going again. Better than hi-jacking other people's threads to talk hockey I think, :silly: although that's fun too. :hehe:

So whataya think? Should we be in Afghanistan? Did the Americans suck us into another one. Like here we go again. "We'll create the mess, and you Canadians clean it up."

What's with the wierdness concerning the price of Gas? If we have more gas than we'll ever need for our own purposes why are prices so high here, and why should it matter to Canadian prices if there's a war in Iran, or a hurricane off the coast of Florida? Why is it 10 to 50 cents a litre less in Ontario than it is in the west where the oil is?

Did you hear there's going to be an Olympics on the west coast? We totally got sucked in. It's just going to be a party for the rich that the rest of us pay for. Latest figures suggest we're goin to be paying a lot.

Hey, how how about Canadian television lately? Not so bad eh? There's some decent stuff created here now. What happened there I wonder. Used to be, any kind of talent, and they were off down south.

And the gun registration boondoggle...was that a rip, or what?

 

[Amber Benson]

I think the only thing in that group of Canadian randomness that DIDN'T make me cringe was the Canadian Television.


I know I'm excited for the Trailer Park Boys Movie... I'm an east-coaster, myself, so we have a soft spot for them... If you have no idea who they are, you should find out. Some of the funniest stuff I've ever seen.


Anyway. I'm in the military, and I've had friends die overseas because of this 'war' and I'm not really into talking in depth about it... But I've been saying from the beginning that we should just get the hell outta there and let the American's fight their own battles.

 

[nerd4hire]

Yeah TPB rocks. I don't mind Corner Gas either. Takes a little getting into, but once you're there, it's addictive. The first season of The Tournament was good. I was even getting into that one that came out this summer - Northern Town. I liked that Hockey documentary that was on last night too, but we've always done good documentaries.

Then there's all the Hollywood North stuff. Canadian talent with American money, but now it's done in Canada. Maybe that's why Canadian entertainment is getting better. The talent doesn't have to migrate south anymore.

 

[Amber Benson]

Exactly! So many movies and TV shows are being filmed in Toronto and Montreal and Vancouver. We just had one here in the maritimes a couple weeks ago. It's incredible.

And so many Canadian-born actors and actresses' are doing A-list movies. The great Hollywood North is really starting to shine.




Just a side question?

Who's your favorite 'up-and-coming' or 'recently-HUGE' Canadian actor/actress?

 

[nerd4hire]

Well, favourite actor who given the right role could be gigantic is Caroline Dhavernas, the Quebecoise actress who played Jaye Tyler in Wonderfalls. Recently-huge though, I don't know. Give me some examples. I don't suppose William Shatner would apply. :hehe: lol (Denny Crane fan here).

I like to play spot the supporting actor in Hollywood North stuff. For example you see the chick who played the doctor in the early Stargates, in the background, everywhere.

 

[Amber Benson]

I love watching an actor or actress that I'm interrested in, and finding out that they're Canadian. It makes them THAT much better lol.


A couple that I can think of would be Hayden Christensen (Star Wars Ep II & III), Elisha Cuthbert, Tricia Helfer (well she's a model, but she's even bigger now with the Canadian Top Model), Mia Kirshner (L Word, the Black Dahlia), Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), Ryan Reynolds... Just to name a few.


My favourite... Mia Kirshner. Even though she was crazy on the 2nd season of the L word, you HAVE to be good to be THAT convincing :biggrin:

 

[nerd4hire]

Oh. I like Sandra Oh then. Loved her in Sideways.

There's another kind of fascinating thing happening in Canadian entertainment lately. It's curious, most people seem to be unaware of it.

Have you heard how the big multi-national music companies aren't happy with Canadian copyright laws? Right now you can download music from the internet, and you won't be sued. You can buy an album, and not worry about them putting a rootkit on your computer, governing how you can use it, and spying on your activity. They got sued here when they tried it.

The multi-nationals don't like being told they can't do anything they want, anywhere they want. They're trying to pressure the Canadian government to sneak new copyright laws through. They claim they're protecting the artists. Well the artists themselves disagree. Canadian musicians do anyway.

Concerned with the prospect of record-label lawsuits against MP3 file sharers, and the continuing march toward greater restrictions on the use of music, the artists -- including Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Sum 41, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace, Dave Bidini of Rheostatics, Billy Talent, John K. Sampson of Weakerthans, Sloan, Andrew Cash, Bob Wiseman, a co-founder of Blue Rodeo, and my own band, the Barenaked Ladies -- launched the Canadian Music Creators Coalition...The immediate reaction to the new coalition has been incredibly positive. Dozens of additional Canadian artists, including Randy Bachman, Sam Roberts, Feist and Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor, have all jumped on board. Music fans across Canada and around the world have expressed their support as we repair the bonds between artists and their fans.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/....html?id=3367a219-f395-4161-a9b9-95256c613824

 

[teentitan]

I liked that Hockey documentary that was on last night too, but we've always done good documentaries.

Of all the things I thought I knew about the Stanley Cup I did not know it holds 9 Litres of beer!
Here's a cool game to play now on tv shows spot the show without a Canadian in it.
I bet close to 70% of the shows have a Canadian on it.

 

[killerdwarf]

Mmmm, my favourite actor/actress from Canada right now? Rachel McAdams...especially when she has red hair...mmmmmm....She is actually a very good actress, and she's from St. Thomas, ON...just 15 minutes from where I am, and about 3 minutes from where I work...

 

[zombie.apparatus]

Mmmm, my favourite actor/actress from Canada right now? Rachel McAdams...especially when she has red hair...mmmmmm....She is actually a very good actress, and she's from St. Thomas, ON...just 15 minutes from where I am, and about 3 minutes from where I work...

I love Rachel McAdams.. very talented.. and also a total cutie :silly:

 

[Jill_Valentine]

I'm gate crashing, because I'm a Canada fangirl.


Is membership of Broken Social Scene compulsory in Canada? Is it like national service, you have to serve two tours to retain your citizenship? Bless Conan O'Brien, he introduced me to the magical, fairytale world of Canadian indie-rock.

Have you heard how the big multi-national music companies aren't happy with Canadian copyright laws? Right now you can download music from the internet, and you won't be sued.

I wondered about this. Metric are terribly glib about telling people to download their stuff - bless their hearts - but I wasn't aware that they hailed from a land of funky free-love ethic copyright laws. You seriously can't get prosecuted for illegal downloading? Wasn't it Alanis Morrisette who was leading the charge against illegal downloading once upon a time?

 

[nerd4hire]

Yeah Alanis, has a different point of view. We haven't heard from Shania on the issue as far as I know.

As near as I remember it went something like this. The Canadian branch of the multi-national record conglomerate, legal machine tried to sue a Canadian for filesharing. The judge wouldn't let them have the name of the person whose IP they were investigating. This prevented them from suing.

The CRIA (Canadian Recording something or other) weren't worried, because they had the party in power at the time lined up to change the laws to give the recording industry more power. There was a Canadian election. It resulted in a minority government. This prevented the party from passing controversial laws. There was another election. Another party came to power, but it's still a minority government. The recording industry wants to by a new set of laws from a Canadian government, but the government in power never has enough votes to take a chance on altering the law. The CRIA is still lobbying though, so we'll see what happens.

 

[Jill_Valentine]

Right, so it's a matter of legal technicality rather than intellectual property laws? Interesting. You reckon the CRIA will win out eventually?

The wider Broken Social Scene family are all on indie labels, I'd expect them to be vocally cranky because they don't have to answer to anybody - except to me, who has to pay thirty quid a pop for imported albums so I can appease my downloader guilt, although the warming glow of musical smugness offsets the cost considerably - but I was a little surprised to see Avril Lavigne on that list. Eh... BSS and Billy Talent have worked up considerable fanbases more or less all by themselves, I would have thought Avril "Guest Starred in The Sims" Lavigne would be less inclined to bite the hand that marketed her.

 

[nerd4hire]

The reason Avril, and some of the others are on that list I think, is because they're managed by this guy who has some radical ideas, which suggest it's possible, and necessary for the artist to embrace the new technology, and find new commercial opportunities.

I forget the guy's name, or else I'd find a link, and show you what he's proposing.

As far as the CRIA winning thing goes. I used to think it was inevitable, but now I don't know.

Another thing you have to remember about the way things are run in Canada is there is a tax on blank CDs, and DVDs. The money from this is meant to compensate the copyright owners for any loss from filesharing. The problem here is the artists haven't been getting any money from it. The CRIA, and the multi-nationals have. They want more, and they still want to be allowed to sue filesharers.

 

[Jill_Valentine]

MP3 players killed the Radio Star, I guess. Indie types who can't pull off international PR campaigns can use downloading to their advantage instead. Metric have a sizeable amount of work that hit legal trouble and ended up in unreleased limbo, so they've got nothing to lose by blessing downloaders. BSS are legendary live, so they've got touring to prop up their visibility and pay the bills while they're at it. But that case won't just be a clash between Mr. Evil Corporation and the Coalition of Starving Artists, it's two completely different and incompatible ways to sell music. The Canadian Music Creators Coalition way depends on a) Music good enough to stand by itself and b) Fans loyal enough to pay for music they could get for free. Mr. Evil Corporation may churn out gener-o-muzak, but his way will ultimately make more money, more reliably, than banking on a performer being actually good enough to earn their success.

The CRIA has a tried and tested formula, but one that looks increasingly unworkable. The CMCC has progress and public sentiment on it’s side, but ultimately, if their philosophy wins out, the music industry is going to be way less profitable in future. Oh, it's like Lord of the Rings, only with lots more acoustic guitars.

Just flicked through a list of coalition members, and gee, is that a conspicuous absence I see Nelly Furtado and the Arcade Fire? Too much too lose, I guess. There goes your indie cred.

If I were Avril Lavigne, I'd have stayed very, very quiet right now. Mind you, if I were Avril Lavigne, I would have been quiet before, since I wouldn't be able to sing.

Anyway, other things Canadian. Um...Tricia Helfer? Sure, she’s only really known for one show outside of Canada, but she does play several million characters in it.

 

[nerd4hire]

That manager of Avril Lavigne who's driving all this is named Terry Mcbride. He works out of Vancouver. His company also manages non-canadian bands like Dido and Coldplay. He's a bit of a revolutionary. Here's a bit about the way he operates.

Industry insiders like McBride think the old model is as antiquated as the 8-track. "The future of the business isn't selling records," McBride says. "It's in selling music, in every form imaginable." And by establishing a series of so-called artist-run labels, McBride is creating the next-gen music company. "We become the management company, the publishing company, and the record company rolled into one," McBride says. "We take our 20 percent cut of the whole pie."

More important, he says, the new model frees him and his artists from the overgrown bureaucracy of the music industry, and that means more money for everyone. He can book tours, sell ringtones, peddle songs to advertising agencies and, yes, give away free downloads without any of the complex, multiparty negotiations that once gummed up the works. "It used to take months to sell a frickin' ringtone to Bell Canada," McBride says. "With BNL, one phone call gets the job done."

McBride's success will depend on what he calls "collapsed copyright." Nettwerk will represent artists like BNL, but the bands will record under their own labels and retain ownership of all their intellectual property, an anomaly in the industry. The bands, in turn, can expect to earn considerably more money – say, $5 to $6 from the sale of each CD instead of the standard dollar or two.

Nettwerk is also poised to take advantage of the significant changes in music marketing wrought by social networking sites like MySpace. Radio, and the labels that provide tunes for radio playlists, are no longer the gatekeepers to stardom. Some of the most promising new bands, like Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire, owe their success to online word of mouth and grassroots marketing. Nettwerk has tapped this phenomenon to the fullest, offering prizes to people who sell a certain number of CDs to friends and using software to keep close tabs on its extensive network of volunteer marketers, formerly known as fans.

By becoming a one-stop shop, Nettwerk fronts some of the money and does most of the work once performed by the various players associated with a big, complicated act like BNL. (The band itself pays the studio costs of its recordings.) And however admirable and logical it might be to keep the intellectual property in the hands of an artist, McBride also runs a risk: Acts could use Nettwerk to reach stardom only to then abandon the company for a different management firm.

It's a risk McBride is willing to take. Twelve of the nearly 40 acts on Nettwerk's roster now have their own labels, and McBride says that within six years nearly all his artists will have shed their major-label partners. "The old system kept us from imagining what a music product could be," McBride says. "Now we can really start to have fun."

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.09/nettwerk_pr.html

Mcbride doesn't like these lawsuits by the RIAA in America. He's paying the legal fees for this 16 year old American girl who's being sued by them. She was downloading his client's songs, and she sent him a letter.

http://www.mp3.com/news/stories/3042.html

It's interesting that the mainstream media never picks up on this story. I think that says something about who runs it, because it's an interesting story.