Desi In Toronto

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Before he signs a new band to his independent music label, Franz Schuller usually gives aspiring musicians bad news: They’re probably not going to be famous. This bitter pill is briskly followed by another: “Whatever they think they knew about the music industry from what they’ve heard, or read, or seen on television, that really doesn’t exist any more,” says Mr. Schuller. “It’s really, really hard for artists out there now. It’s an insanely huge challenge to actually make a decent living playing music these days. That’s the reality.”

Ok, I do not know much about the music industry but right away this statement by a music industry insider put me off. If this is true then all the musicians are doomed and it’s the end of the indie music industry and we will all be listening to manufactured pop from the major labels from now.

But wait. Is that what’s really happening? No. We consumers of indie music are not being forced to listen to manufactured music at all. There are tonnes and tonnes of choices of indie musicians who are  creating superb music. I am a child of the 90s but I can say without any doubt in my mind that the indie music scene at the moment has been the best EVER.

Schuller thinks that bands will never make it in the real world.

“For all the massive opportunity that the Internet and mobile phones and devices give us by reaching millions and millions of people, there’s also a gazillion bands. It’s really hard to get noticed or to get anyone’s attention,” says Mr. Schuller. “It’s allowed people with absolutely no business competing in the same space to complicate the careers of people who do have a lot of talent. There’s way, way too much stuff out there.”

So, the reason you are not making money because untalented people are taking up your space??? What the fuck? That is one of the crappiest statements I have ever heard. You will get noticed if you are good and if you think you are destined to be famous then tap on the shoulder of your management not the technology. No one is asking you to be a technology genius. Just be smart about how to connect to people. If you can’t do it, ask your friends, family, your fans or just google it. I cannot believe that the reason why you are not successful is because you think someone else it taking up your space. What nonsense.

And then there is this :

This rings true for Tim Baker, lead singer of the burgeoning Newfoundland-based band Hey Rosetta!, which made the shortlist for this year’s Polaris Prize. As social networking technologies grow more popular, bands are put under pressure to communicate with their fans in a way that didn’t exist a decade ago.

“I just want to create a clone who actually enjoys being online,” he says with a laugh. “What a band is historically supposed to do is tour, and write music and put on shows. When you get home, your time off is actually way more work than being on the road.”

Again. What nonsense. If you do not like to spend time on line – Don’t. Please. Spare us.

Just make sure your music is easily accessible (iTunes, emusic, amazon) and put up shows in different parts of the country to stay in touch with your fans. Stay away from Twitter and facebook if it bugs you so much. I want to hear your music and I will pay for it and your shows/t-shirts. I do not want to hear about your life. I have no interest in it.

I think that’s what bugs some of the musicians these days. Gone are the days where a musician could define a fan, now it’s the fan who defines a musician.The fan decides what he/she wants to hear, what he/she wants to share and what he/she wants to spend money on. The musician should focus on what they do best, play music and leave the business of making money to the quality of their music.

Watch this video to learn the business model of the new music industry.

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“What’s becoming apparent is that the Conservative stimulus program is biased, unfair, targeted to Conservative ridings and shameless in the way it uses party logos to promote a stimulus program that ought to benefit all of Canadians,” Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff said in Regina on Wednesday.

Conservative MPs have been orchestrating cheque-presentation ceremonies, in which the oversized ceremonial cheque contains the picture of the MP, the signature of the MP, Conservative Party logos or a combination of all three.

One of those MPs, Nova Scotia’s Gerald Keddy, said the $300,000 cheque he presented for an arena upgrade mistakenly contained his party’s logo and he could not explain how his signature ended up on the cheque.

“I think the member (of Parliament) in question admitted that was a mistake and should not be repeated,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday while visiting Edmonton.

“So Keddy’s not going to do it again, but what about the rest of them?” said NDP MP Peter Stoffer. Stoffer filed a complaint with the ethics commissioner this week. “It blows me away that they could be so blatant, using your tax dollars to promote themselves.”

And this is the same political party that howled incessantly on the Liberal Party sponsorship scandal. It’s one thing to try and win an election but this is blatantly politicising an infrastructure program. I hope Harper is investigated oh wait that can’t happen because of all the cronies now in place.

And this just proves why it’s so easy to detest the Harper adminsitration:

In one case, B.C. Conservative MP Colin Mayes handed over a cheque with the Conservative party logo and his own picture on it.

In Ontario, Conservative MPs Scott Reid and Larry Miller dispensed with party logos altogether, but put their own names in large print in the top left corner of ceremonial cheques they posed with, making it seem as if the cheques were drawn on their personal accounts.

“These are the tax dollars of Canadians,” said Easter. “They’re not Conservative dollars . . . just to be used for the Harper propaganda and messaging machine.”

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Well, I have been in Canada for 7 and a half years and I am finally going to give it a shot……developing an interest for Hockey (that’s Ice Hockey to you non-North Americans).

This season I promise to follow NHL……ok that would be too much. I promise to follow the Leafs this season. That’s how I learned to appreciate football (that’s American Football to non-North Americans). I forced myself to watch the games and over time, I realised that football requires a lot of skills and strategies which really appeals to me as a couch athlete.

So here are my thoughts on the Leafs’ game last night (which I was able to watch in peace and quiet on account of my wife and in-laws). Keep in mind that these thoughts are from someone who has never in his life watched an entire game of hockey.

Leafs and the Canadiens played quite an engaging game of hockey. Never was there a dull moment and when the fights started, it was even more entertaining!! I guess there is a fair amount of animosity between the two teams because they came to blows fairly regularly. I thought it was the Senators from Ottawa that the Leafs hated.

From what I can gather, the offense was top notch from the Leafs. They were playing hard and most of the time the puck was in Canadiens’ half. But it was their sloppy defense that basically lost the game for them. 3 of the 4 goals by Canadiens were from power plays in which, I swear, the scorers basically walked over to the goal and scored. It’s start of the season so let’s see how it unfolds.

I hope to watch more games (now that I have a PVR, it would be easier). I will not bore you with the details except to let you know from time to time if I have any passion developing for the game like most of my colleagues and friends do.

Later.

I have taken running half marathons in the last two years or so and I have never felt as alive as I do when I finish a 21 KM run. The delicious ache that flows through the body for a day or so is exhilarating although the the crash that follows is PAINFUL on the legs.

The thrill that one experiences as the run is about to start is pretty amazing!

• The leg muscles are tense.
• The crowd’s thrill starts to infect you.
• The iPod is switched on.
• Just before the start, you start focusing your mind towards the run.
• And the start……I feel as if I have just sprouted wings and am ready to fly.

I am usually able to maintain my enthusiasm until the 10 KM mark. After that for the next 3 – 4 KM it’s a struggle to gain back the momentum. I start popping more gummy bears, start drinking more water which is probably what I should stop doing. This stopping and starting kills me. Once I get my runner’s high back, I can run fairly well until the last 3 KM or so. I feel like I have bricks for legs and I start plopping to the finish line.

And that’s what happened on Scotiabank Marathon as well. I was sure I would crack the 2:15 hour mark but I finished with a pathetic 2:21 hour.

On the whole, I really enjoyed the run except the last 3 KM. Need to practice more.

I did have an issue with the organisation of the event. I mean, the organisers had done a superb job on the course but the approach to downtown (by car) where the event was to start from was absolutely pathetic. I had given myself enough time to reach the venue but because all the approaches to the downtown core were closed (and on the site there was no information that these approaches would be closed), I barely made it to the run on time.

Moreover, once the run was finished, the runners were carted to a cordoned area (understandable, as the organisers did not want anyone other than runner to eat food) where we were squeezed to the point where I was actually claustrophobic. I mean, we have just finished a run, we want to relax and enjoy some food but no, we were squeezed and had to go through back ways to get where we wanted after jostling with fellow runners. Very annoying.

But I will come back to the run again and maybe, just maybe, I will run the full marathon next time

:)