Steves Music Store Restructuring
Steve’s Music Store just recently celebrated their 60th anniversary and moved their Ottawa store from their downtown location to Catherine street. And unfortunately it appears that all but their Montreal store and online operations will be continuing because of the retail slump caused by the pandemic and trade issues with the states.
Liquidation sales have begun at in store. Click here for details.
What is my Spotify Age?
Those that don’t use Spotify often will probably notice that they are not provided a “Spotify Age”. And some will wonder what the point of it is anyway, questioning whether it is simply flattery based attempts to promote use of the service.
I like Spotify for it’s convenience when I have forgotten to add songs I had ripped from my compact disc collection to my cell phone’s library but I don’t use it often because I’d rather use my limited bandwidth with other apps. And this is why I have no assessment.
I also use Amazon Music more often so this trend does not apply to me, although I am somewhat curious as to what the results would be. But not enough to favour the service over the upcoming year to get an answer in late 2026.
Quite frankly I’d rather rip music from vinyl and listen to that because I know the artists actually got a fair royalty rate. And greatest hits albums are a great way to get the artists their dues, if you don’t want to buy their most popular albums.
I’m presuming my age is pretty much up there anyway because I tend to listen to classic rock from the 70s to the early 2000s. And can’t say that I like even five singles on the Billboard 100 now.
Oh well…
Michael Fisher of Heart has passed.
Heart co-founder and producer Micheal Fisher has passed according to his brother Roger:
Inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013, Heart had originally been founded as The Army in 1967 by brothers Michael and Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen, evolving into Hocus Pocus for a few weeks in 1969 and then White Heart from 1970 to 1973, when vocalist Ann Wilson joined.
By 1973, the band name was shortened to Heart and by 1974, guitarist and vocalist Nancy Wilson had joined the band, who had begun writing for their debut album, Dreamboat Annie, a Multi-platinum album that was produced and engineered by the brothers and producer Mike Flicker at Mushroom Studios in Vancouver in the summer of 1975.
With the success of this album, Michael “Magic Man” Fisher decided to forgo his management of the band and instead decided to co-produce several of the band’s subsequent albums with Mike Flicker, including 1977’s Little Queen and 1978’s Dog & Butterfly, which were two more hit albums featuring his brother Roger.
I was a child in the 70’s and only encountered their recordings from time to time on the local radio stations. But I do remember liking them as a pre-teen and had begun collecting their recordings by my mid teens, starting with the band’s Greatest Hit Live album and self titled album on cassette.
I highly recommend their official biography, Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul and Rock & Roll, which was a New York Times Bestseller in late 2012.
The Sad State of Canadian Media
Today I learned from Ottawa radio personalities Stuntman Stu and Angie Poirier what fans of 45 radio stations across Canada have also learned from their local radio personalities, that Canadian radio is not teetering on the edge but has pretty much been toppled by other media.
These are 45 out of 103 Bell Media owned stations that are being sold and only the latest cuts in the company, which cut 9% of their work force and some local news programming recently, including the noon broadcast of CTV News here in Ottawa.
People in the industry in Ottawa were concerned after Bell Media had applied to have their commitment to local television reduced with the CRTC in June 2023, days before a massive 1300 in lay-off in the middle of the month and weeks before when two major CTV News personalities, Leanna Cusack and Joel Haslam had retired in July 2023.
All is not well with Bell Media yet people are still acting like we are in the states and have access to a sustainable amount of viewers, when American radio has their own issues according to Pew Research.
So, what will happen if no buyers are found for these stations? Will smaller, remote communities without high speed internet become dead zones? Will larger stations simply become re-transmitters for American programming?
“Tough luck” is not actually a response, especially in communities where print has disappeared, where small business advertisements, local events and important municipal, provincial and federal government information have no venue. But unfortunately this dismissiveness is being heavily promoted by American propagandists on social media, who want to control this nation’s media.
I guess some people have forgotten that weather radio is being decommissioned in many communities in Canada and that cell coverage fails during some weather emergencies, as well as internet access.
Television and radio are the more reliable information sources outside of the urban centres and suburban communities. And it’s time to stop listening to the ought-is.
Now That Was Annoying!
I was unable to write anything on this blog because I had injured my right shoulder last week. But now i’m back with a few events:
The Burlington Record & CD Sale will occur this Sunday, the 13th, from 10am to 3pm at the Halton Naval Veterans Hall at 2444 Industrial St. in Burlington, Ontario.
The nearest bus stops are stop #204 at the corner of Gueph and Mountainside and stop # 207 at the corner of Guelph and Davidson. Admission is free with a donation to the hall.
—
Fanaticcon 4 will be occurring this Sunday, on the 13th, at the Ottawa Conference and Event Center at 200 Coventry Road. And this event will feature stars from Television of Film, as well as memorabilia from those genres and comic books.
This event will occur from 11am to 5pm and general admission is $15 with kids under 12 getting in for free. But you should note that VIP early admission tickets are available for $20. Click here for details.
—
Fan Expo Canada is a four day event that will occur at the Metro Toronto Convention Center that will feature celebrity appearances and merchandise from music, film and television.
Both the north and south buildings will have various vendors, displays and autograph sessions/meet & greet opportunities from the 24th to 27th of this month. And the nearest subway station is of course Union Station.
Admission prices vary depending of what experience you would like and additional details can be found by clicking here. But you might want to hurry and buy them by midnight tonight, eastern time, because they are discounted until then.
Enjoy. And if you’re over 50, be careful lifting cases of 24 water bottles!