NEW WORKSHOP - Music Data: Why It's Crucial For Artists to Understand, with Nielsen Music. November 7 in Regina/webinar.

Metadata drives today's music industry. This information session will detail how Nielsen Music tracks music metrics, including streaming, sales and airplay, and how this data is used by all aspects of the music industry and drives consumption, charts, and revenue - including your royalties. Topics will focus on how to make sure your metadata is correct, the importance of registering content with Nielsen Music and a demonstration of Nielsen Music’s client tools, including Music Connect and BDS Radio.

Paul Tuch from Nielsen Music will cover areas such as:

• the importance of metadata registration & how to register content (your singles and albums)
• how metadata is tied to the official Billboard charts
• how PROs, Associations & Funding Organizations use Nielsen Music data
• how the industry uses Nielsen data to drive their business
• BDS Radio & Music Connect system demo

This session is FREE for all. You can join us for an in-person session with Paul in Regina, or tune in online to the webinar. Links will be sent out ahead of time. We ask that you kindly pre-register so we know how much coffee to make!

More info and registration form

Saskatchewan Music Awards- Call for Jurors

We may need a few additional jurors to help with the Saskatchewan Music Awards. If you'd like to volunteer for this, or other potential SaskMusic juries over the coming year, and have artistic and/or music industry experience, please visit:
https://saskmusic.wufoo.com/forms/jurist-signup/

Note: We ask for information so that we don't put you on juries where you're in conflict of interest. Both Sask and non-Sask people are invited to volunteer for juries.

Breakout West at Halifax Pop Explosion!

If you're at Halifax Pop Explosion this week, be sure to catch SaskMusic member, Alex Bent + The Emptiness! Alex Bent is a Canadian alt-pop/R&B singer-songwriter and producer currently recording and performing as Alex Bent + the Emptiness. Bent has been featured by media outlets such as Earmilk, Exclaim! and Hip Hop Canada and as opened for acts such as Phantogram and Cub Sport. You can catch Alex on Friday, October 25 at The Seahorse alongside Mouraine and Snotty Nose Rez Kids!

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Featured Career Tracks Mentor - Jesse Northey

Career Tracks offers confidential, one-on-one assistance to artists and music professionals. SaskMusic members can meet with our team to discuss career plans, marketing strategies, touring, songwriting and copyright, funding and grant applications, demo critiques/reviews, industry trends, or other relevant music topics.

This week we're featuring Jesse Northey. For years Jesse primarily worked as recording engineer and producer for bands across Western Canada but soon fell into other music jobs as his interest for the music industry grew. Jesse worked as the Program Manager at Alberta Music in 2017 and has since started his own music company, Dandelion Music Group. A mobile lifestyle has Jesse bouncing between Toronto, Edmonton, and music conferences around the world.

Jesse is a well-versed in grant writing, marketing plans, radio mail-outs, and general music business strategy. Since the start of 2018, Jesse has successfully secured grant money for clients such as Melted Mirror, Marlaena Moore, Scenic Route To Alaska, Amy Nelson, Faith Healer, and countless more. He is also the front-man and songwriter for the band Jesse and the Dandelions who recently released a new psychedelic-pop record called Give Up The Gold (2018).

Whether he's working as a live broadcast engineer for CKUA, producing the band Major Love in his home studio, or program managing Project Wild 2017, his diverse set of jobs keep him tune with the broader music scene and puts him in the position of being a great resource to those looking to produce music, or move themselves forward in their career. He's building infrastructure for the Western Canadian music community and is working towards being an effective artist manager, and facilitator of international showcases.

Jesse joins the Career Tracks program to provide consultation and assistance with questions including: Grant Writing, Radio, Performance Royalties, Marketing Plans, Recording, Management, and more.

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Fiddle Workshop with Daniel Gervais & J.J. Guy

Presented by Music in the House, a power duo of Western Canada’s greatest fiddlers, Daniel Gervais & J.J. Guy are teaming up for a double header fiddle workshop! On Sunday, November 3rd, 2019, Daniel and J.J. will be hosting fiddle workshops for all levels of experience at Music in the House (2345 Smith Street, Regina, Sk.) There will be different levels running simultaneously, so you have the chance to attend both instructors at your own level! The workshops will end with a group jam.

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New workshops being added at www.saskmusic.org/workshops!

Sled Island Submissions Now Open! Deadline February 7, 2020

This is your chance to play the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival (June 24 - 28, 2020 in Calgary, Alberta)!

Since 2007, Sled Island's thoughtful, eclectic programming and independent spirit have produced a one-of-a-kind festival experience. Each June, the five-day music and arts festival brings together a community of more than 250 bands, comedy, film and art as well as over 40,000 attendees in more than 30 venues, earning rave reviews from attendees, artists and media across the globe.

A diverse listening committee made up of festival staff, musicians and industry professionals will assess submissions for quality as well as fit with the festival’s vision and schedule. The quality of the music submitted is far more important to our committee than production quality, promotional photos, live footage or media coverage, although these things can help us assess your fit with Sled Island. In short, our listening committee is hoping to be excited by your music and the possibility of seeing you at Sled Island 2020.

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Focus Wales 2020 - Showcase Opportunity, Deadline Dec.1/19

FOCUS Wales is a not-for-profit organization, established to provide the annual new music showcase event for the Welsh Music Industry. Their core work centres around the delivery of an international multi-venue showcase festival taking place in Wrexham each Spring, which places the music industry spotlight firmly on the emerging talent that Wales has to offer the world, alongside a selection of the best new acts from across the globe. FOCUS Wales 2020 will mark the festival’s 10th edition, and will welcome over 15,000 people to the town, building upon 2019′s record attendance across a jam-packed weekend of events. There’s no place like Wrexham during FOCUS Wales, as they showcase 250+ bands from across the world, fill out a variety of spaces and music venues, using 20 stages, and hosting a full schedule of Interactive Industry Sessions, Arts events, and Film screenings, throughout the festival. 

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The Great Escape 2020 - Showcase Opportunity, Deadline Feb. 11/20

The Great Escape welcomes artists from every genre across the globe to apply for a chance to play at the world’s most renowned festival for breaking new talent. You will be performing with the beautiful seaside backdrop of Brighton, where 450+ acts will be filling over 35 venues, making 13th-16th May 2020 one hell of a weekend and a great opportunity to meet key music industry figures who come to TGE looking for the next big thing.

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Juno Awards Submissions Now Open

Submissions are now open for The Juno Awards with a deadline of October 18 for discounted early-bird entries and a final deadline no later than November 8.  

For a complete list of Awards categories, eligibility rules, and voting criteria, visit www.junoawards.ca/submissions.

Sign up to become a CARAS Academy Delegate and receive 40% off submissions: www.junoawards.ca/join

The 49th annual Juno week starts Monday, March 9 in Saskatoon and culminates with the CBC live broadcast of the Awards from SaskTel Centre on Sunday, March 15.

Showcase Opportunity: Apply to play SXSW March 13-22, 2020

Performing at SXSW can serve as a great launching pad for a new project or record and it will give you and your group the opportunity to meet like-minded artists and industry professionals from around the world. Beyond making new connections, you’ll have the opportunity to share your music with the creative and highly driven SXSW community made up of tomorrow’s arts and tech leaders. Above all else, it’s a great time!

Each year, around 2,000 artists from every corner of the world join together in Austin, Texas to perform and celebrate together. Not limited by musical style, the SXSW Music Festival strives to present both iconic and emerging acts each year to the reps from record labels, booking agencies, management and PR firms, publishers, media outlets, artists, and fans in attendance to help shape the dialogue about the global music industry.

Final Deadline: October 25, 2019 at 11:59 PM PT

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Canadian Blast BBQ at SXSW, Deadline November 8, 2019

CIMA, through Music Export Canada, is excited to announce that submissions are now being accepted for their 2020 Canadian Blast BBQ at Austin’s SXSW! This year’s mission will mark the 15th year that CIMA will be in attendance for this key showcase and business development opportunity at the most influential and largest music festival & conference in North America.

The legendary Canadian Blast BBQ will be taking place on March 18, 2020 and will be moving to a new venue – The Venue (on 6th Street). This event, the kickoff for CIMA’s Canadian Blast mission at SXSW, is a high-profile event that draws hundreds of VIP international delegates, media and thousands of SXSW delegates!

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Apply to Play Canadian Music Week 2020! Deadline December 15/19

Each year Canadian Music Week (CMW) attracts hundreds of artists and industry from around the world to gather in Toronto, ON for five days of live music, learning, and making new connections. Now is your chance to take part in it! CMW is back, May 19 - 23, 2020. Spend your days attending panels, one-on-one meetings, and more at the music conference before you head out for the night to showcase in front of new fans, fellow musicians, and industry friends.

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Keychange Seeking Innovative Women and Gender Minority Artists and Innovators. Deadline October 30, 2019

Keychange is looking for 37 innovative, emerging artists, with a distinctive and original talent who write/perform their own music, and are ready to export to new international territories. As well as the comprehensive training programme, artists will get the opportunity to showcase at one of the 13 festival partners. Mixed gender groups are welcome to apply for showcasing, with the woman or gender minority member taking part as a Keychange participant. 37 industry professionals will also be recruited, who must be pushing the boundaries of music industry practice, demonstrating an interest in new business models and innovative ways of working with growing professional track record. 

Each successful applicant will get a bursary and a programme of stimulating activity facilitated and overseen by the new project management team. Partners in all 12 countries will select the 74 participants at a selection panel taking place in London in December. 

More info

Monthly Songwriters Groups

Saskatoon: Next meeting is Sunday, November 3, 1pm at Studio XII (9-1025 Boychuk Dr.) The group meets the first Sunday of each month. Everyone welcome.

Group info: https://www.facebook.com/saskatoonsongwriters/

Regina: Next meeting is Thursday, November 21, 7pm at SaskMusic Regina (1831 College Ave). The group meets the third Thursday of each month. Everyone welcome!

Group info: https://www.facebook.com/groups/258208420940008/

• The Dead South , October 25, 2019, TCU Place (Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium & Convention Centre)
• Halloween Party featuring Snake Oil, October 25, 2019, Painted Hand Casino
• BADKITTY (Single Release) w/ Smokekiller, The Hourhand, & The Matt Remenda Ensemble, October 26, 2019, Capitol Music Club (The)
• The "Ain't Country Enough" tour at Paved Arts featuring The North Sound and LJ Tyson, November 1, 2019, Paved Arts
• Tyler Gilbert live at O'Hanlons, November 8, 2019, O'Hanlon's Irish Pub