Congratulations to our Regional Finalists from Newfoundland to British Columbia.  All 12 will be showcasing at Canadian Music Fest.  All 12 are now competing for the slot of “National Songwriter Winner”.  The National winner will be announced on Saturday March 13th at 11:15am as part of Canadian Music Week Conference.

CALGARY CJAY 92 FM Winner:  The Otherside “Going Blind”

EDMONTON The Bear 100.3 FM Winner:  SE7EN SIDED “Rust”

HALIFAX Q104 FM Winner: Steven MacDougall  “Cruel and Unusal”

MONTREAL Virgin 96 FM Winner: Calling Broadway  “Right From Wrong”

OTTAWA Virgin 106.9 FM Winner: Junkie and the Spider “War”

REGINA Big Dog 92.7 FM Winner: Val Halla “The Bad Girl Touch”

SAINT JOHN 98.9 Big John FM Winner:  Tim Chaisson “Lay Low”

SASKATOON Rock 102 FM Winner:  Black Book Valuc  “My Way”

ST. JOHN’S K-Rock 97.5 FM Winner:  Patrick Molloy  “Who Will Listen”

TORONTO Virgin 99.9 FM Winner: Jesse Weeks   “Somewhere In The Distance”

VANCOUVER Virgin 95.3 FM Winner:  Kemal Evans  “Booty Queen”

WINNIPEG Hot 103 FM Winner:  Chad James  “Step To Me”

Canadian Radio Star – the 17^th annual national songwriting competition – is now underway. Aspiring songwriters from across Canada are invited to enter for their chance to win $10,000 in cash, thousands in valuable prizes and the opportunity to have their material heard by Canada’s leading radio programmers, recording industry executives, hit songwriters and the potential for a new legion of fans. Sponsored by Astral Media and Canadian Music Week, the contest is one of many events taking place during Canadian Music Week (CMW), March 10 – 14, 2010.

“Our mission continues to discover potential future stars at the regional, grassroots level,” says Rob Braide, Astral Media. “Through competitions like Canadian Radio Star, we can do that.  We are able to support songwriters and their passion of creating music, by arming them with valuable tools and prizes that they can use to master their craft, because at the end of the day, it all begins with a song.”

Entry forms are available as of today (October 5, 2009), at leading musical instrument dealers and participating radio stations or online at www.radiostar.ca. A combination of public voting and a panel of industry judges will determine regional and Grand Prize winners. The Grand Prize winner will be announced during Canadian MusicWeek on Friday, March 12^th. For complete contest details, visit www.radiostar.ca.

“In many ways, this competition offers a launch pad for the careers’ of aspiring Canadian songwriters,” says Neill Dixon, President of Canadian Music Week. “It opens doors to new possibilities, provides unrivaled exposure, and puts the songwriters’ songs directly in front of a commonly unreachable audience.”

The national Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package of: $10,000.00 in cash (first runner up receives $2,500.00 cash); Tascam 2488 NEO PortaStudio – 24-track self-contained audio work station; Neumann TLM 49 Professional Studio Microphone; Yamaha MO6 Music Production Synthesizer; 30 hours of mixing and mastering time from Metalworks, Canada’s #1 recording studio; $5,000.00 national radio promotion package from dB Promotions & Publicity Inc; and a Songwriters’ Resource Library Package featuring some of the bestselling songwriting titles carried by Music Books Plus. Both the Grand Prize winner and the first runner up will each receive one free digital radio station upload to any format of choice by RDR Music Group in conjunction with DMDS.

Each regional winner will receive a prize package of: Acoustic Guitar provided by Gibson Guitar Canada; Sennheiser Studio/Live Package including: E865 condenser vocal microphone, stand, cable and HD280 professional headphones; Yamaha Pocketrak 2G with 3 hours Pcm Recording with tilt-up stereo microphone; 2 ½” Carving Leather Guitar Strap w/ foam padding and garment leather backing from Levy’s Leathers Limited; Planet Waves Custom Pro Series Instrument Cable; Planet Waves S.O.S. Tuner; EXP Coated 80/20 Light Gauge D’Addario Strings; an all expense paid weekend at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto – March 12 – 13, 2010; delegate passes to attend the 2010 Canadian Music Week Conference & Canadian Music Fest; access to some of Canada’s most successful songwriters and music industry professionals through the Songwriters’ Summit; and an opportunity to perform at Canadian Music Fest in Toronto during Canadian Music Week.

All entrants receive a one-year subscription to Canadian Musician Magazine.

Sponsoring Radio Stations:

Virgin Radio 95.3 FM    Vancouver, BC
CJAY 92 FM                Calgary, AB
100.3 FM The Bear       Edmonton, AB
ROCK 102 FM              Saskatoon, SK
Big Dog 92.7 FM          Regina, SK
HOT 103 FM                Winnipeg, MB
Virgin Radio 99.9 FM    Toronto, ON
Virgin Radio 106.9 FM Ottawa, ON
Virgin Radio 96 FM       Montreal, QC
Q104 FM                     Halifax, NS
Big John 98.9 FM         Saint John, NB
K-Rock 97.5 FM           St. John’s, NL

Canadian Radio Star would not be possible without the following sponsors: Astral Media; Canadian Music Week; Canadian Musician; Canadian Music Publishers Association; D’Addario; dB Promotions & Publicity Inc.; DMDS; Fairmont Royal York; Gibson; Levy’s Leathers Limited; Metalworks; Music Nova Scotia; Neumann; Planet Waves; RDR Music Group; Songwriters Association of Canada; Sennheiser; The SOCAN Foundation; Tascam; Yamaha.

Astral Media Radio, an Astral Media Property; Astral Media is a leading Canadian media company, active in specialty and pay television, radio, outdoor advertising and iMedia. Astral Media’s solid and dynamic presence in the country’s major markets rests on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted media for all its audiences.

Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining four information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; four awards shows and the nation’s largest New Music Festival – Canadian Music Fest – CMW spans a five-day period from March 10 to March 14, 2010 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and various downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe. For more information, visit www.cmw.net

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For further information, please contact:
Bessie Bullard – Communications Director
T: 905.858.4747 E: bessie@cmw.net

For more information click here:  www.radiostar.ca

Saturday, March 13, 2010

9/14/2009

Canadian Music Week announces Songwriter/Performer/Actor, Paul Williams, as a 2010 Keynote Speaker. Presented by the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC), he will be speaking on Saturday, March 13 as well as performing on the “Kings of Songwriting” panel as part of the Songwriters’ Summit. The conference runs from March 10^th – 14^th at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in the heart of downtown Toronto.

Paul Williams is an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe winning Hall of Fame songwriter. He has composed such timeless musical standards that have been recorded by diverse musical icons as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, Ella Fitzgerald, David Bowie, Ray Charles, R.E.M., Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughn, Johnny Mathis, Luther Vandross and Kermit the Frog. He is a recipient of The National Music Publishers President’s Award and is President and Chairman of the Board of ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).

Publicly lauded for his work as a singer/songwriter, he has created classics such as “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “You and Me Against the World” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song”. He has scored the films Bugsy Malone and Phantom of the Paradise and his songs  ”The Rainbow Connection” (The Muppet Movie) and “Evergreen” (A Star is Born) grace the American Film Institute’s list of the top 100 movie songs of all times.

Williams predicts he will be best known for his lyrics to “The Love Boat” and his appearances as ‘Little Enos’ in the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy, however he has made numerous appearances in movies and television throughout his career. His recent work in theatre and television includes creating the story and writing the songs for Disney’s A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa for which he received an Emmy nomination, Garry Marshall’s touring sensation of Happy Days, and a stage version of Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas.

Incredible talents such as Paul Williams inspire Canadian Music Week to explore the world of songwriting with a daylong summit…

Canadian Music Week Songwriters Summit
sponsored by Astral Media®
Saturday March 13, 2010

The Canadian Music Week Songwriters Summit is a series of workshops specifically designed for songwriters with participation from esteemed industry professionals. Occurring on Saturday, March 13^th attendees can experience session topics that include ‘Kings of Songwriting’, ‘Xtreme Performance Makeover’, ‘Can Artists Afford to Give Away Their Music for Free’, ‘The Screen As Jukebox: Song Placement for Film and TV’ and many more. To attend the Songwriters Summit, one-day event tickets are available for $150.00 and can be purchased by visiting www.cmw.net or by calling 905-858-4747.

Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining four information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; four awards shows and the nation’s largest New Music Festival – Canadian Music Fest – CMW spans a five-day period from March 10 to March 14, 2010 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and various downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe. For more information, visit www.cmw.net.

For Canadian Music Week information, please contact:
Bessie Bullard – Communications Director
T: 905.858.4747 E: bessie@cmw.net

For more information click here:  www.cmw.net

For immediate release:

NEW SONGWRITERS’ WORKSHOP LAUNCHES FALL TOUR ACROSS CANADA
- www.radiostar.ca -

Toronto, Ontario (August 12, 2009) – Canadian Radio Star’s New Songwriters’ Workshop returns for a second year, embarking on a national tour in the fall.  The workshops – targeted to aspiring artists and songwriters – are free day-long programs taking place in cities across Canada from September 10 to October 4, 2009.

Workshop Dates & Cities:

Thursday, September 10 – Saint John, NB
Saturday, September 12 – Halifax, NS
Sunday, September 13  – St. John’s, NL
Friday, September 18 – Ottawa, ON
Saturday, September 19 – Montreal, QC
Sunday, September 20 – Toronto, ON
Thursday, September 24 – Edmonton, AB
Saturday, September 26 – Calgary, AB
Sunday, September 27 – Vancouver, BC
Thursday, October 1 – Regina, SK
Saturday, October 3 – Saskatoon, SK
Sunday, October 4 – Winnipeg, MB

Sponsored by Astral Media, and supported in part by the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC), Canadian Music Publishers Association (CMPA), and SOCAN, the New Songwriters’ Workshops are a precursor to the launch of the 17th annual Canadian Radio Star National Songwriting Competition and are being presented in conjunction with the participating radio stations.

“It all starts with a song,” says Rob Braide, Astral Media.  “The aim of projects like Canadian Radio Star is to bring aspiring songwriters together with acclaimed industry professionals, teach them songwriting skills, provide them with feedback, and give them the opportunity to turn their songs into hits. Astral Media is thrilled to support this initiative and these workshops which nourish Canada’s vibrant and emerging musical landscape.”

Workshop programming will focus on such critical topics as how to write a hit lyric, how to break into licensing for film and TV, what radio looks for in a song as well as the basic elements of song structure and lyric writing. Leading industry experts from music publishing and radio programming, as well as professional songwriters such as Mladen Alexander, John Capek and Ralph Murphy will be on hand to lead the workshops, listen to demos and participate in a Q&A period.

“Songwriters have the unique ability to write our nation’s soundtrack,” says Neill Dixon, President of Canadian Music Week.  “Their music and lyrics enrich our lives daily and touch those in every corner of the world.  Our task is to provide them with the tools and guidance to empower their creativity and diversity.”

Admission to the New Songwriters’ Workshops is free.  Registration is limited to capacity and is open now to songwriters through the Canadian Radio Star website – www.radiostar.ca.

Additional details about the workshops, including times, location, and confirmed presenters can be accessed by visiting the Canadian Radio Star website – www.radiostar.ca – or by listening to the following presenting radio stations:

Saint John, NB – 98.9 Big John FM
Halifax, NS – Q104
St. John’s, NL – K-Rock 97.5
Ottawa, ON – Virgin Radio 106.9
Montreal, QC – Virgin Radio 96
Toronto, ON – Virgin Radio 99.9
Edmonton, AB – 100.3 The Bear
Calgary, AB – CJAY 92
Vancouver, BC – Virgin Radio 95
Regina, SK – 92.7 Big Dog FM
Saskatoon, SK – Rock 102
Winnipeg, MB – Hot 103

Astral Media Radio, an Astral Media Property; Astral Media is a leading Canadian media company, active in specialty and pay television, radio, outdoor advertising and iMedia. Astral Media’s solid and dynamic presence in the country’s major markets rests on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted media for all its audiences.

Canadian Music Week is Canada’s leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries. Combining four information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; four awards shows and the nation’s largest New Music Festival – Canadian Music Fest – CMW spans a five-day period from March 10 to March 14, 2010 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and various downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe. For more information, visit www.cmw.net.

For further information, please contact:
Bessie Bullard
Communications Director
P: 905.858.4747
E: bessie@cmw.net

For more information click here:  www.radiostar.ca