Author: Kevin Bourne

Spotify has announced changes to their Spotify for Artists service that could have a major impact on their platform and the industry at-large. Currently artists must go through a third-party service like Noname in order to upload music to Spotify. With the new changes artists will be able to upload music directly to the platform, lowering the barrier to entry, and perhaps competing with Soundcloud. According to Motley Fool, the changes mean artists will receive 50% of the net revenue generated on their music. Spotify said in their announcement: “Today, we’re announcing a new beta feature that enables independent artists…

For the second year in a row an Ottawa fashion designer is headed to New York. A year after fellow Ottawa designer Stacey Bafi-Yeboa graced the runway at New York Fashion Week, Marshall Celestin will be showing his Never Give Up streetwear line at Street Fashion Week, an event designed to “support and elevate creatives within the fashion, wearable technology, and music space”. Celestin held previous showings at Fashion Fest in Edmonton, Runway for Hope in Ottawa, and more recently Youth Fest in his native St. Lucia. For the budding fashion entrepreneur, this dream has been 13 years in the making. It…

Eminem, Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers, or as most of us know him, the hip-hop phenom who was so peculiar yet so lyrically nice that it didn’t matter what he looked like. When it comes to industry success, very few come close to the achievements Eminem has accomplished. With over 220 million records sold over his career he’s one of the bestselling hip-hop artists of all time. Eminem released Revival in 2017 which was, frankly, a bad body of work, especially in comparison to the masterpieces he created earlier in his career. That puts me in the category of people who…

For years, Ottawa has punched well below its weight as a film and production hub while much smaller cities like Sudbury have built a name for themselves, but that may soon change. The Ottawa Film Office recently announced a proposal for the city’s first soundstage and creative hub at the former Greenbelt Research Farm, owned by the National Capital Commission. The proposal is being submitted in partnership with Toronto-based production facilities company TriBro Studios which already owns and operates over 200,000 square feet of film and television production studios in the Toronto area. TriBro president Peter Apostolopoulos said of the…

This past weekend marked the 15th anniversary of one of Ottawa’s most underrated festivals, House of Paint. The three day hip-hop festival once again shed light on the original elements of the culture- DJing, bboying, mcing and graffiti – for both old heads and younger hip-hop heads alike. The festivities started with the OG 500 Poetry Slam on Friday night at the National Arts Centre’s the Fourth Stage. The featured artist was Antigan-Canadian slam poet Tanya Evanson. Ottawa Poet Laureate and Missing LinX member Jamaal Jackson Rogers, also known as Jamaal the Poet, said of the event: “Before ya’ll go…

Today rapper Freddy Printz released the music video for his single Chicken Grease and SHIFTER has the exclusive premiere. Aside from Pittsburgh native Cashtro Crosby, who also appears on the song, the video includes cameos from fellow Ottawa artists J Chinnasz, Black Iri$h, Juwn and Huey Draper, as well as photographers Christopher Eades and Richard Obas, and sound engineer Deresean Jarret. The Heirmanos directed video was shot at Mooneys Bay beach and the Anderson Links Golf Club. When asked about the concept for both the song and music video Printz said: “The song came about after producer Khamali Jordan sent me the beat and…

Ottawa, also known as the sleepy government town; the city that fun forgot. The city where everything shuts down at 5 o’clock in the afternoon. When I first told my friends I was leaving Toronto and moving to Ottawa almost nine years ago they laughed. “Why are you moving to ‘Ottawack’? There’s nothing to do there”. They weren’t necessarily wrong. When I first saw the Rideau Centre I thought, “What the hell is this?” It looked old and run down, more like a discount mall than the city’s downtown mall. The whole city just felt old and folky. As a…

Don’t call it a comeback, but Puma is making noise again. The iconic sneaker and apparel brand, mostly known for branding products for soccer, track and field, and every sport other than basketball, is making a serge back into the hoops business. In late June of this year, Puma made a splash when it announced it was re-entering the basketball sneaker business for the first time in 20 years with the help of none other than hip-hop icon and business mogul Jay-Z. He has officially been given the title of “Creative Director” for the German sports apparel company, a role…

After moving to Ottawa from Toronto many years ago, I scanned the Ottawa hip-hop scene to see what was going on. There wasn’t much, but one act caught my eye- Buck-N-Nice. They really had their shit together. Not only was their music good, but they had what looked like a tight operation- music videos, well-designed merch. These guys were serious. You could tell they were hustling and grinding. It’s one thing to be a fan of someone’s music, but it’s another thing to be a fan of someone’s hustle. Fast forward to 2018, Buck-N-Nice are still grinding, releasing their sophomore…

Canadian wonderkid, Alphonso Davies, has completed his dream move from Vancouver Whitecaps to FC Bayern Munch for an MLS record $22 million dollars (18.75 million euros). This deal is a significant one when you consider MLS is the league where top European players go to end their careers, earning one final payday and  experiencing the North American lifestyle. Many legends have made the move, from David Beckham and Kaka to Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, and most recently Zlatan Ibrahimović. The MLS has somewhat built its reputation off the backs of such star players. This move may signal a changing…

I think it is time I address a plethora of issues. The dance music scene is going through a massive transitional upheaval right now. If you don’t see this already (and are working in this space) then you are either already blinded by the dollars or need to find a new career path asap, respectfully. What I have learned is if you manage and agent an artist properly and tick all the check boxes, go viral and have some luck, you will probably either kill them or their health will degenerate from a successful touring life (along with mental health…

Yesterday, LeBron James opened a public school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. The school differs from other celebrity funded schools in that James’ school, an initiative of the LeBron James Family Foundation, will not be a private or charter school, but will operate within the public school system. The school, called I Promise, will be home to 240 at-risk children and may eventually be home to 1,000 students. Children who attend the school may also be eligible for a full scholarship to the University of Akron. James calls the opening of the school the most important accomplishment of his…