Now - Musicians' Association of Victoria & The Islands

1 MUSICIANS OF VICTORIA & THE ISLANDS 

bogus auditions • seniors residences Performances 

MUSICIANS 

OF VICTORIA & THE ISLANDS 


NICK LaRIVIERE 

Hardest Working Bone Player in Show Biz 

SOCAN Q&A: Increase Your Earnings 

JUNO AWARDS Update 

MUSICIANS’ 

ASSOCIATION 

of VICTORIA 

& THE ISLANDS 

teaching Positions • Working Your WaY to the bottom? JulY 2012

2 MUSICIANS OF VICTORIA & THE ISLANDS

MUSICIANS 


JulY 2012 

Published by 

THE MUSICIANS’ ASSOCIATION OF 

VICTORIA AND THE ISLANDS 

LOCAL 247 

CANADIAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS 

201 - 732 Princess Avenue 

Victoria, BC V8T 1K6 

Phone: 250-385-3954 

Fax: 250-480-1518 

info@afm247.com 

www.cfm247.ca 

LOCAL 247 ExECUTIVE BOARD 

(terms of office in parenthesis) 

President: Paul Wainwright (2012-13) 

Vice-President: Fergus Heywood (2012-13) 

Secretary-Treasurer: Mark Reed (2011-12) 

Victoria Symphony Representative: 

Marcus Hissen (2012-2013) 

ExECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS-AT-LARgE 

Anita Bonkowski (2012-2013) 

gary Preston (2011-12) 

Roberta Rowbottom (2012-2013) 

Larry Skaggs (2012) 

Oliver Swain (2012) 

Thomas Vickery (2012-13) 

COMMITTEES: 

MPF 

Thomas Vickery (Chair), 

Roberta Rowbottom, Mark Reed 

Freelance Musician 

gary Preston (Chair), Cynthia Davis, 

Mark Reed, Roberta Rowbottom, 

Paul Wainwright 

TRUSTEES 

Brad Howland 

Dave Paulson 

Larry Skaggs 

OFFICE MANAgER 

Roberta Rowbottom 


FROM THE PRESIDENT 

________________________________________________ 

Working Your WaY to the bottom? 

When considering where to search for work 

there are a number of important consider- 

ations. Not the least is how much should we 

charge. There is a tendency to believe that 

our clients are very cost sensitive and that 

if we don’t give the low bid, we will lose the 

job. And this is indeed often the case with many buyers - nightclubs and 

charities come to mind. 

There does exist an alternate hypothesis: if your rate is too low, a client may 

feel you are not up to the task. For many clients this is the case. They are 

seeking a premium service and want to believe they are getting something 

special. We are all used to paying a premium for top products and services, 

so be sure and do so if you are providing it. 

Here’s an interesting fact brought to my attention by a very successful 

bandleader. In our region there are many freelancers competing for the 

lowest paying jobs. If you have the opportunity to be a purchaser you will 

find the selection for premium priced local talent very limited. This is why 

many local gigs go to performers from outside our area. 

I encourage members to provide premium quality services and charge 

accordingly for them. You will find there is a market waiting for you. 

Paul Wainwright 

photo: Stephanie Rae-Hull

MARK REED SECRETARY TREASURER’S REPORT 

______________________________________ 

GENERAL MEETING REPORT & PRIVACY CONCERNS 

now that our Local’s newsletter is available to non members including the general public, we are posting our General 

Meeting minutes and financial statements on the members-only area of our website where only Local 247 members 

in good standing can view them. We will soon send our members an email containing a link to the minutes of the April 

general meeting. The 2011 financial statements will be available for viewing soon afterward. 

the Juno aWards are one step 

closer to the possibility of being hosted 

in Victoria in 2014. In April, the 

Capital Region Music Awards Society 

(CRMAS) submitted an application to 

the Canadian Academy of Recording 

Arts & Sciences (CARAS) to bring the 

Junos to Victoria in 2014. This Local 

has supported this initiative for over 

two years and continues to express interest 

in participating in the organizing 

and implementation of the Awards. 

The CRMAS Bid Committee is inviting 

interest in various working committees, 

including: 

• Sponsorship/Finance 

• Aboriginal 

• Volunteers 

• Education/Legacy 

• Host City Events/City Operations 

• Host Services and Protocol 

• Marketing and Pageantry 

• Public Relations 

• Municipalities 

• Artists 

If interested, please contact CRMAS 

directory, at www.capitalregionmusicawards.com. 

contracts + filing = Pension 

contributions We encourage our 

members to get into the practice of 

filing contracts. Doing so is the only 

means by which employers can con- 


tribute to musicians’ pensions. Some 

members are fully on top of this, and 

will benefit from significant pensions 

later on. Music teachers, especially, 

can benefit from this program. The 

pension office accepts contracts encompassing 

up to three months of lessons 

(per student). With each student 

being an employer, one’s pension fund 

can build quickly 

Mark Reed 

music at senior 

residences The Local 

has an arrangement with 

the Vancouver-based Health 

Arts Society (HASOC) 

to administer payment to 

musicians who perform at 

senior centres and retirement 

facilities. 

HASOC raises funds to pay 

musicians to perform at 

no cost to these facilities. The Local 

distributes the payment and administers 

the pension contributions. If this 

interests you, please contact: David 

Lemon, Executive & Artistic Director 

at d.lemon@healtharts.org 

Links to websites and sound clips are 

welcome. Or send a promo package to: 

Health Arts Society 

1201 W. 7th Ave. 

Vancouver, BC V6H 1B7 

NEWS LOCAL & ABROAD 

bogus auditions A recently 

placed ad online and in local media 

asked for talent for a high profile 

charity event. An implied promise 

of performing before entertainment 

industry heavyweights was made by a 

local hotel. Participants were required 

to attend an audition of six judges. 

Successful applicants were granted the 

privilege of performing at a luncheon 

with no microphone, staging or lighting 

as background music. For this they 

received an ‘honorarium’ of $50 per 

group. Members are cautioned about 

this type of job and encouraged to 

protect themselves from unscrupulous 

and exploitive behaviours. Call this 

office if you have concerns. 

summer concert series 

The City Summer Concert Series at 

the Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill 

cont’d page 8

PROFILE NICK LARIVIERE ______________________________________________________ 

HARDEST WORKING BONE PLAYER IN SHOW BIZ 

Remember this bad joke from the 90s? “What’s the definition 

of an optimist? A trombone player with a pager.” 

Nick LaRiviere put that gag to rest and singlehandedly 

made a powerful statement: it’s got less to do with what you 

have and everything to do with how you present it. 

LaRiviere is one of this region’s most in demand performers. 

His schedule is so full that bandleaders must sometimes call 

months in advance to book him. His travels take him all over 

the US and Canada as well as on numerous tours in Europe and 

the Caribbean. 

A motivated self starter, LaRiviere obtained a music 

degree from UVIC and promptly launched a successful 

career as soloist, sideperson, composer, arranger, recording 

artist, promoter and producer. His group Trombone Mayhem 

includes two independent repertoires, jazz and dance. And 

the Nick LaRiviere Septet showcases his unique and inventive 

composition and arranging abilities with piano/bass/drums 

backing plus a string quartet. As if that’s not enough to grab 

you, he’ll highlight the show with a dazzling conch shell 

solo. 

LaRiviere has written countless arrangements on a 

freelance basis. His reputation for this is well known and 

his concise, easily read pages are well known to most 

freelancers. In addition, he is highly skilled in his own well 

equipped project studio where he regularly creates tracks 

for any number of clients requiring solo trombone or horn 

section parts. 

The Paperboys, Ken Lavigne, Michael Kaeshammer, The 

Timebenders, The Honeycrooners, The Paul Wainwright 

Band, The Midnights, Southern Urge, Yiddish Columbia 

State Orchestra are just some of the groups on his tour 

list. A visit to his website reveals a slate of exceptional gigs 


including the Vancouver FolkFest, Victoria JazzFest, The 

Vancouver Olympics mainstage, with shows coming up in 

New York, Germany and elsewhere. 

His 2009 release Too Much to Do has received critical 

acclaim. LaRiviere’s skilled composing and arranging abilities 

resulted in outstanding performances by a roster of top 

players captured in this collection. A new release is presently 

in the works. 

A dedicated and committed artist, LaRiviere is always on 

the lookout for new opportunities to perform and new 

players to interact with. “I may be busy, but don’t let that 

stop you from calling” is a sentiment he lives by. 

If you need something done, page the busy guy... 

NickLaRiviere.com

SOCAN QUESTIONS? HERE ARE SOME ANSWERS 

t his 

office receives many enquiries about how to generate earnings from lisencing and how SOCAN helps 

members acheive that. To that end we have included a new page on our website detailing how to fill out an Notification 

of Live Performance Report (NLPR). Secretary Treasurer Mark Reed has been in dialogue with advisors 

from SOCAN. Here are his findings. 

Q: Is there a place on the SOCAN 

site where I can find out how and 

which venues and festivals pay their 

SOCAN fees? For example, how 

can I know whether a festival or 

venue (such as a house concert 

venue) is SOCAN compliant? 

A: Many members ask this question 

and it is a valid one. Unfortunately, 

we cannot list this type of info 

because of the Canadian Privacy 

Act. In most cases, we would likely 

be in discussion with the venue or 

promoter already, which will eventually 

result in their compliance, 

but it isn’t always an easy or quick 

process. If you have specific queries 

though, let me know and I will 

see to it that our licensing department 

is working with the venue or 

promoter. Conversations with our 

members have always been a great 

way for us to find out who is using 

to submit the form, proof of performance 

(a handbill, program or 

poster) and set list. 

Q: Is there such a thing as an annual 

(or otherwise periodic) license 

that venues/festival can obtain from 

SOCAN? 

ANSWERS PROVIDED WITH THANKS By: 

Terry O’Brien 

Education & Outreach Manager 

Membership, Vancouver 

Vic Gailiunas 

Industry Relations Executive 

Licensing, Vancouver 

music and where new opportunities 

to earn royalties may lie. No matter 

what, the legal responsibility for 

the venues and/or the promoters is 

always there, so members shouldn’t 

be concerned about letting SOCAN 

know about a potential licensee. 

Q: If a venue/festival isn’t compliant, 

can one register one’s performance 

at a festival or venue 

independently of the operator and 

of other artists who might perform 

there? 

A: Yes, a Tariff 3A licence is an annual 

licence for live music in bars 

and restaurants. We distribute royalties 

on performances in bars and 

restaurants when there is a cover 

charge of $6 or more. This is important 

for musicians to know if it is 

being left up to them what to charge 

at the door. 

Smaller concert promoters that present 

more than just a one-off show 

can set up a Tariff 4A2 account for 

and would report all of their shows 

at the end of the year. After the list 

of shows has been received, SO- 

CAN will work through the distribution 

process. 

Of course, any promoter or venue 

can choose to set up a per-event 

Tariff 4A1 account, even if they are 

doing multiple shows a year. In fact, 

this is the standard approach for 

most concert venues and promoters. 

With the per-event licensing, each 

show is licensed on its own, with 

A: Yes, we ask that members submit multiple shows within a year. A li- shows generally reported quarterly. 

their NLMP forms for their gigs in 

all cases, as it may take us a while 

to get the license, but we continue 

trying long after the event. Members 

have up to a year after the show 

censing agent would help the venue 

or promoter determine when that 

might be appropriate. The promoter 

(or possibly a venue) would then 

pay an annual licence fee up front, 

For classical composers, there 

are also Tariff 4B2 & 4B3 annual 

licenses for orchestras or societies/ 

presenting organizations, respectively. 

You can find information on 

6 MUSICIANS OF VICTORIA & THE ISLANDS

SOCAN Q&A continued 

the tariffs here: http://www.socan. 

ca/jsp/en/pub/music_users/tariffs.jsp 

Q: Is it safe to assume that well established 

venues (eg, Alix Goolden 

Hall in Victoria) are automatically 

a SOCAN licensed venue (or does 

that not even make sense)? 

A: Without looking into that specific 

venue, the answer would mostly 

likely be yes. If a hall is rented to 

the promoter, then the promoter 

bears the legal responsibility for the 

licence. However, if the promoter 

defaults then the venue may be held 

responsible. Some venues do choose 

to license everything themselves, 

and many put it directly into their 

contracts that promoters/presenters 

must license concert events as part 

of the terms of rental. Generally, if it 

is a higher profile venue, you can be 

pretty sure that they have accounted 


for their legal responsibilities in one 

way or another. It never hurts to ask, 

though. 

Q: Do we composer/performers 

have to ensure that the front end of 

the SOCAN license process (i.e., 

registration) is already done, even in 

places like these, to ensure that our 

performances will trigger revenue? 

A: No. You are certainly within your 

rights to ask before you accept the 

gig, but you are not required to. If 

you encounter a venue owner/promoter 

who is not compliant when 

you ask, that may have bearing on 

your decision whether to work for 

them or not. There will always be an 

occasional venue owner or promoter 

who refuses to comply with the law 

voluntarily, usually because they 

are misinformed about the relatively 

small cost and administrative re- 

quirements of the licences, or don’t 

understand the benefit it has for 

music creators. Some simply don’t 

like to comply with certain laws. We 

don’t expect members/musicians to 

argue with venue owners or promoters. 

We are here to advocate on your 

behalf so just let us know if you 

have any problems. 

Q: I understand that we have to inform 

SOCAN of the back end (i.e., 

that performances occurred and of 

which pieces, etc.). 

A: Yes, members have up to one 

year after the performance to submit 

a Notification of Live Music Performance 

form, along with proof of the 

performance and set list info. This 

can be done either online digitally or 

via the paper form - both forms are 

available to members in their online 

account page. • 

MEMBER PROFILE JACK MIRTLE 

trumpeter and writer Jack Mirtle has enjoyed an active and varied career. Born in Calgary, he put 

himself through the Royal Academy of Music in London UK. Here he also performed in the Royal Academy 

Orchestra. He has performed with Bob Crosby, Howard Cable, the Calgary Stampede Band, the Calgary 

Symphony, the Victoria Symphony and conductor/pianist José Iturbi. 

His career in the Canadian Forces Band spanned over thirty 

years from 1961 to 1992. A second career as a writer was not 

part of his gameplan, but rather came about by circumstance. 

He describes spending idle time 

on tour reading up on some of his 

favourite artists. “My bandmates 

would head down to the pub. That 

wore thin before long so I’d find 

the local library. I discovered some 

of the books I wanted hadn’t been 

written yet.” 

Author of Thank You Music 

Lovers: A Biographical Discography 

on the Career of Spike Jones 

and the City Slickers (1986), Naden 

Band: A History (1990) The Music 

of Billy May: A Discography 

(1998) and most recently 

The Capitol Records 

Children’s Series: 1944- 

1956, (2012) Mirtle is an 

assiduous researcher who 

makes exhaustive studies 

of his subjects. 

Local 247 member Jack Mirtle is the author of three 

Who knew that Tex Ritter books. 

released Yankee Doodle 

continues to perform with various 

and She’ll Be Comin’ Round the groups and big bands. He asserts 

Mountain on March 8, 1953? Jack this will be his last book (although 

Mirtle! And it’s all here in his latest that’s what he said last time...) 

book. 

http://www.bookfinder.com/author/ 

Since retiring from the forces, he jack-mirtle/

NEWS LOCAL & ABROAD cont’d from p 4 

Park and Centennial Square commence 

this month. Bandleaders are 

reminded that they are responsible 

for getting a contract to City Hall and 

filing it in the office once it is signed. 

This is the recommended practice for 

every engagement and will offer contract 

protection and pension benefits. 

A double win! 

Download the Live Performance Contract 

for Canada. 

muisicians’ garage sale It is 

with regret that we have had to postpone 

the Garage Sale this summer. 

Demands on resources make it unfeasible 

at this time. We plan for a Spring 

2013 event. Stay tuned. 

Friends of Music Society (FOM) is a nonprofit 

organization working with VIHA 

that brings people together through music. 

At FOM, musicians with a mental illness can 

practice and perform with other musicians in 

the community in a safe, welcoming and fun 

environment. 

Here’s what members have said about what 

FOM means to them: “Singing in a group, 

being part of something that is bigger than 

myself, contributes significantly to my mental 

health.” “Sometimes music gives me a reason 

to face the day.” “I have learned that I can be 

a contributing member of society despite my 

illness. I cannot imagine life without FOM.” 

With several ensembles, lessons, jam sessions, 

public performances and more, 

there are many ways local musicians can 

get involved, support FOM and help raise 

awareness about mental illness. Consider 

volunteering, making a donation or simply 

spreading the word. Together we can continue 

building sound relationships for mental 

health! 


four teaching Positions 

Thanks to Mary Byrne at the Victoria 

Conservatory of Music for this: “I want 

to alert our union member to four 

postings soon to be appearing at www. 

vcm.bc.ca for the VCM/Camosun Jazz 

Studies programme. Included here is 

a posting for Instructor of Business of 

Music. I can’t help but feel that some at 

AFM might be uniquely suited to teach 

that course. Thanks!” 

check the Jobboard Numerous 

attractive jobs appear on our Jobboard 

every month. Check it out frequently, 

or follow us on Twitter (@MusiciansVict). 

All genres are in demand 

- country, classical, singles to larger 

ensembles. 

helP is nearbY A great deal of 

valuable information is available at 

the national website on subjects such 

as AFM Locals, Licensed Booking 

Agents, GoPro Music, International 

Gigs, Instrument and Liability Insurance, 

Contract Protection and Emergency 

Travel Assistance. 

manage Your member Profile 

AFM/CFM members can update their 

addresses, phone numbers, privacy 

settings, email and website all in one 

place. www.afm.org/ and log in. 

FRIENDS OF MUSIC SOCIETY 

ADVERTISING 

Reach 450 Musicians’ Association members and additional 

subscribers with your ad in Musicians of Victoria & the Islands! 

rates 

size 1 issue 4 issues members 

1/4 page $40 $120 $20/issue 

1/2 page $60 $180 $30/issue 

Full page $100 $300 $50/issue 

*30 word limit 3 weeks lead time is required to place an ad. 

We reserve the right to edit ads for size and content. 

Prices subject to change without notice.

Now - Musicians' Association of Victoria & The Islands

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?