THE INDIES

SUBMIT ONLINE - www.sonicbids.com/indies2009

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS: DECEMBER 1, 2008

Nominations for the 9th Annual Canadian Independent Music Awards, The Indies - are now being accepted. Presented by Canadian Music Week, The Indies acknowledge, promote and honour achievements of Canadian and international artists in the independent music sector.

Submissions are now being accepted exclusively through Sonicbids at www.sonicbids.com/indies2009 until December 1, 2008. Artists who submit before November 15th will receive discounted submission package rates.

The eligibility period for all awards categories will run from September 1, 2007 through December 1, 2008. Nominees must have been active during the eligibility period and are based on the performance of the group or artist either on record or in live performances.

Additional rules and regulations can be obtained from the Canadian Music Week website at www.cmw.net.

“Independent performing artists continue to embrace their freedom from big label constrictions and still manage to prosper, said Neill Dixon, President of Canadian Music Week. Their obvious success and spirit grows more dynamic every year, as evidenced from the number of musicians participating in the Indies. Going against the mass market grain, they are managing to capture the attention and win support from the public, media and taste-makers alike.

An initiative of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Music & the Arts (CAAMA), the awards are limited to independent artists and cover 15 genres of music. Nominees will be announced in January 2009. Winners in 28 of the 30 categories are decided by both a public and an industry vote.
 

The Awards will take place in Toronto on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel as part of Canadian Music Week.

Tickets for The Indies may be purchased on the Canadian Music Week website at
www.cmw.net or by calling 905-858-4747

THE 15TH ANNUAL NXNE NOW OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

Real Careers Get Made at NXNE

NXNE (NORTH BY NORTHEAST) invites all musicians and music-loving filmmakers to join in one of the world's premier festivals for new music and music-related films. NXNE 09 is the festival's 15th anniversary, and it promises even more for artists ready to take their careers to the next level. Submissions for next June's festival open starting November 1-musicians and filmmakers can submit their band or film exclusively online at www.nxne.com

NXNE gives artists what they need most-overnight. Here's how:

€NXNE packs 70,000 fans and thousands more industry pros into over 50 participating

venues-from intimate clubs and screening rooms to a jammed Yonge-Dundas Square and stages at Pearson Airport.

NXNE draws media from around the world. Key performances are recorded for international broadcast and breakout bands are written up worldwide, giving festival performers unmatched global exposure.

NXNE bands can score big cash via the $10,000 ROGERS FAN CHOICE AWARD and the GALAXIE RISING STAR AWARD, as well a band prize pack from GIBSON €NXNE plugs homegrown artists directly into Canada's radio network via the NXNE TOP 60 TIP SHEET, a one-of-a-kind pipeline that gets the music of the best Canadian NXNE musicians straight out to over 250 influential programmers across the country.

NXNE is looking for music across a full range of genres: rock, hip-hop, alt-country, punk, electronica, reggae, dance, metal, and more. Films can be documentary, short, feature or animation-any film where music is the star, underground or otherwise.

Visit www.nxne.com and follow the links to submit a band or film to NXNE. Submissions are accepted November 1, 2008 - January 31, 2009. Submit by December 31 and pay only $25-after December 31, the cost goes up to $35. Submissions are accepted online only.

The 15th annual NXNE rocks Toronto June 17-21, 2009.

Every June, NXNE fills the streets of downtown Toronto with music from hundreds of local, national and international artists. Alumni include Feist, We Are Wolves, The Dears, Sufjan Stevens, the New York Dolls, Ron Sexsmith, the Constantines, K'naan, Television, City & Colour, MC5, Sheek Louch and many more. The NXNE Film Festival screens music films ranging from concert classics to indie docs from around the world. The NXNE Conference offers networking sessions, panels, and celebrity interviews with the likes of Stewart Copeland and Johnny Rotten. Visit www.nxne.com for more detailsŠand be sure to check out NXNE on Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube!

HMV’s New Store Opening

HMV celebrated 20 years of business in Canada on June 17, and what better way to do it than to open their new store design to the public and provide customers with a few free concerts.

Although many don’t seem to think that HMV’s latest store design is much different from the old one, there are a few distinct differences. Customers will now find what they are looking for in well-labeled sections. DVDs and CDs share the bulk of the store with books occupying some of the corners. The other sections are reserved for iPods, iPod accessories, cell phones, video games, and of course video game accessories.

So what is really new and exciting about the store of the future? Shoppers can now check their Facebook page while trying out the latest video games in the stores newest section called “Hub”.

Hub has new and shiny Apple computers and three game systems with videogames ready for customers to test the newest additions to the market.

The bands who played for the opening rocked the middle of the store with great music. With big names like the Sam Roberts Band and Billy Bragg HMV really drew in some crowds while giving away prizes like signed posters of The New Kids on The Block and CDs signed by Soulja Boy which seemed a little inconsistent considering the concert line up.

The concerts opened with the shy boy-next-door Mathew Barber. Although Barber was alone on acoustic his set had the crowd wanting more love songs. Barber was also very friendly, sticking around for some of the other sets and was happy to sign his albums if asked.

Ill Scarlet drew in crowds of teenagers and even asked their fans, “Shouldn’t all of you be in exams right now?” Their set was a huge hit, as their fans were pleased with the performance and happy to be able to take pictures and get autographs after the show.

Sam Roberts probably drew in the biggest crowd. People of all age groups surrounded the stage to listen to a couple of the songs off their latest album Love at The End of The World. They played well and their set had people wanting more.

HMV will be opening more stores with their new design across Canada within the year. The stores may not be very different from what we are used to, but this store definitely drew crowds for its opening day.

- Ana Cristina da Silva