Up first a round table discussion with some of the best in the biz, at what they do. I am seated at a table with three country artists, my buddy Steve Newsome, recent Saskatchewan transplant Genelle James and newcomer Bria Wilson. Kicking it off at our table, from the Calgary Stampede are Samara Lastiwka and Natasha Mandrusiuk. The discussion here revolves around what the Stampede looks for when an artist submits to play at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth. They run through all the requirements and suggestions on when and how to go about getting their attention. Most important, is that they want to see your live show, in person if possible but definitely some video. They are responsible for so much and the time lines are such that they start putting together in August for the following July, maybe getting December off. Any artist looking to play here should reach out in late November.
As the round continues, we get Carla Hackman, an artist agent that deals primarily with up and coming artists. Hackman is with the Sakamoto Agency. The topics here are varied and we skim over a lot of them as we only have twenty minutes with her. Discussion ranges from radio play to streaming and what she looks for in an artist as she prepares to take them on.
Next up, Jody Seeley from Lime Lite Audio & Media, Angie Morris with Sirroma Entertainment and professional songwriter Chard Morrison Though these three all have there individual and unique aspects to bring to the table, today they are here as Directors of the ACMA’s elected legislative body. Since most of what is discussed falls to the inner workings with members, we will leave the content of the discussion out today.
Dave Temple from MCC Recording Studio is our next speaker and one would think that you know what he is going to talk about. You would of course be correct if you said recording. However, surprisingly to me at least, are the other options that MCC has to offer. As temple told us, maybe recording a radio quality tune is out of reach all at once, financially, but don’t let that deter you from talking to him. In addition to working with you financially, MCC will work with you on your brand and all things related to the business end of your career. There is a wealth of talent and knowledge at MCC. It’s no wonder some of the biggest names in the business do their recordings with these Canadian Country Music Award winners.
Seminar number one started right on the heels of the round table. It barely left enough time between to hit the boy’s room and definitely had no time for a beer. Grabbed a glass of water and sat down to listen to Alberta Music's Executive Director, Carly Klassen, speak to the past and upcoming season of Project Wild. Project Wild is an artist development boot camp where one of the twelve finalists will walk away with over one hundred thousand dollars to help advance their career. Last years winner Brad Saunders was present to answer a multitude of questions and offer his insight. Aspiring country artists should keep their eyes open for submissions to start mid March.
With just that tad little time between seminars, we opted to make a rum run. That would be Captain and cola for those keeping score, no lime. We got back for seminar two a little late. Boy, are we glad we didn’t miss too much. The talk was put on by Shawn Wilson, the CEO of Muzooka. This is a game changer for artists of all genres. This is going to help you get paid for your live performances by the big collecting agencies like SOCAN, ASCAP and BMI. There is too much to go into here in this column, but look for me to do a feature on Wilson and his company down the road. Even though we say there is too much to go into, it is the simplest app to use and report your live performances.
We got kicked out of the room and had time for another bevie while the room was set up for the singer/songwriters to take over. When we returned, sound check was done and the first group was up. Ryan Langlois, who would later be elected to the Board, started things off, followed by Kym Simon and Devin Cooper who was the only one choosing to stand when he sang. They were all awesome playing original music that was emotional and entertaining. I do wish that I could remember the name of one tune that Cooper sang. It was about karma and when you get a chance to see him play, I am sure he will do it, but ask anyway. Tell him you had heard about it. Group two started with The Cadillac Junkies, consisting of Shalisa Liesch and Dennis Bosivert playing some upbeat original music. They were followed by Bradly Tucker who tugged at the heart strings with Spin Cinderella and followed that up with two new tunes. One of those tunes was co-written with the last songwriter of the day, Lynn Tessari, who was also nominated with Justin Hogg for Song of the Year, Smoke Signals.