This past weekend I attended the Chasing Summer Music Festival in Calgary, Alberta. The festival featured world-renowned DJ’s who took the stage on the grounds of Max Bell Arena. The city’s dramatic downtown skyline, including the iconic Calgary Tower, over looked the grounds which set the scene for a fantastic weekend.

The two-day event featured headliners Martin Garrix and DJ Snake. The festival was primarily an EDM event, which stands for Electronic Dance Music. EDM is known as a range of percussive, electronic music genres produced mainly for dance-based entertainment.

Like most of the fellow festival goers I talked with over the weekend, Martin Garrix was their highlight. The 22-year-old Dutch DJ was unbelievable, and his long list of hit tracks rocked the main stage and helped send festival goers home happy. (Martin Garrix n.d.)

Garrix performed a set which included some of his hottest tracks including; “Scared to Be Lonely,” “Ocean,” “There for You” and “Animals.”

Garrix was born in Amstelveen, Netherlands, which is a suburb north of Amsterdam, which serves the countries capital and largest city. After seeing legendary DJ Tiesto perform in Athens in 2004, Garrix became interested in becoming a DJ himself. His big break came after releasing “Animals,” a solo that he played at Chasing Summer. (Martin Garrix n.d.)

In 2016, Garrix was voted upon as DJ Mag’s top DJ in the world. He has also starred as himself in documentary’s “The Ride” and “What We Started” in 2016 and 2017 respectively. (Martin Garrix n.d.)

It’s been a busy year for Garrix, who performed at the Closing Ceremonies at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and also at the world-famous Tomorrowland Music Festival that took place in Belgium in 2018. (Martin Garrix n.d.)

Garrix is on top of the EDM industry at the moment, and having the chance to see him play live was incredible. His music is upbeat, yet rhythmic, and while he doesn’t sing in his tracks, they often feature lyrics from other genres which help set up the impending bass drops.

I had never been to a music festival before Chasing Summer, and the weekend didn’t disappoint. At first, I was a bit skeptical as I had never been a part of a rave, and wasn’t sure if I would enjoy being clustered like sardines in the mosh pit, but I thoroughly believe the event was one of a kind.

The electric atmosphere added to my experience as each of the thousands that jam-packed their way through the gates bought into the vibe. The fast-paced music sent hands into the air, caused feet to get off the ground and fists to be pumped. Overall, Martin Garrix and the long list of other incredible performances made for not only a fantastic weekend for myself but other festival attendees alike.

Works Cited

n.d. Martin Garrix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Garrix

In 1959, a scandal shook the music world. With the popularity of music and the number of disc jockeys skyrocketing, the radio became the common ground to share music. With popularity from audiences came money for disc jockeys, as their status allowed them to receive money from labels to receive airtime. (Kelly 2016)

This process became known as “Payola,” which refers to the payment of money in return for airtime, and is a combination of the words pay and Victrola, which was an old-fashioned record player. With more airtime resulting in more record sales, it only became natural for labels to push radio stations and disc jockeys to play their music, with financial incentives. (Neira 2004)

After it became publically aware that certain broadcasted game shows were rigged, an investigation was launched into the operations of broadcasters around America, and soon the radio industry was in the midst of a scandal. (Neira 2004)

What came of the investigation?

Two of America’s most famous DJ’s suffered remarkably different fates. Dick Clark, a younger, clean faced disc jockey who was known to millennials for his New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square, got off scot-free. Meanwhile, a counterpart in the industry and the creator of the term “rock and roll,” Alan Freed was charged to 26 counts, costing him his television and radio shows. Both men were likely equally as guilty, however, due to their reputations and appearances, rightly or wrongly, their end fate were the strikingly polar opposite. (Kelly 2016)

“I think the crime I have committed, if any, is that I made a great deal of money in a short time on little investment. But that is the record business.” –Dick Clark (Staff 2009)

Many disc jockeys across America came clean during the investigations, admitting to tallying up an astonishing amount of money, in some cases over tens of thousands of dollars.

Due to their immense power and popularity the disc jockeys had at the time, they were able to greatly alter the popularity of music to the point that simply isn’t possible today, because popular music is arguably more accessible than ever before.

However, a different type of Payola still exists today in many different manners. An essay from the former president of Rykodisc wrote an essay regarding the present-day payola, which was summarized in an article on Noisey;

“Labels hire indie promoters to flog records to radio stations, promoters pay radio stations in cash, giveaways, and assorted swag, and those same promoters often draw a second salary from the stations themselves to “consult” on which songs to add into the rotation.” (Kelly 2016)

Popular music streaming Spotify even offers a “Sponsored Songs” playlist to subscribers. (Sanchez 2017)

In my opinion, in an optimal world, Payola would not exist. However, that is an unrealistic request and quite frankly is a goal that will never indeed be accomplished. For music to become famous, a song needs to be played quite repetitively. It is interesting when listening to the radio, as for the most part, I believe they determine which songs are popular. However, I think that it shouldn’t be up to people with money to decide which songs are popular, that should be up to the consumer to choose. It’s not difficult to see why payola still has such a prevalent role in the world of music.

Works Cited

Kelly, Kim. 2016. A Brief History of American Payola. February 14. https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/64y8y9/a-brief-history-of-american-payola.

Neira, Bob. 2004. Payola Scandal Rocks 50’s Radio. http://www.modestoradiomuseum.org/payola.html.

Sanchez, Daniel. 2017. Spotify Introduces a Brand New Feature: Payola . June 20. https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/06/20/spotify-sponsored-songs-payola/.

Staff, History.com. 2009. Dick Clark survives the Payola scandal .    https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dick-clark-survives-the-payola-scandal.

One of our nation’s finest musical talents that my generation may have no clue about, Paul Anka broke down borders and made his name known on the world stage. Anka, who was born in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario in 1941, was quick to realize his dreams needed bigger lights to make them a reality. (Paul Anka Biography 2017)

At the age of 15, Anka purchased a plane ticket and traveled to where the talent of all kinds flocks to, Hollywood. After getting lost in the shuffle in Los Angeles, Anka decided the bright lights of the Big Apple were his next stop, but with his parent’s patience running short, Paul needed a big break quickly, and when he was fortunate enough to land a meeting with an ABC and Paramount Records executive, he made the most of the opportunity. The up and coming prodigy landed his first contract, and from there it was history. A year later, “Diana” stood as the number one song in the world, and Anka’s career blossomed from there. (Official Site of Paul Anka 2011)

“Lonely Boy” which released in 1959, was Anka’s first single to reach the peak of the Billboard Hot 100 and ended the year as their fifth-ranked song. (Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song) n.d.) What stood apart Anka from other crooners in his era was his exceptional ability to write songs. He was not simply another male with a smooth, low voice. His ability to make words flow beautifully caught the attention of some of the world’s greatest artists including Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. (Paul Anka Biography 2017) While Anka had a similar voice to Sinatra, his ability to write and sing songs from the heart, pushed him over the top.

“When I’m writing, I generally toy with an idea until it manifests itself – meaning a phrase or a tune comes into my head and eventually begins to jell. When something hits me, I write it down immediately. I don’t wait, or it’s gone.” -Paul Anka

To me, Anka had a more distinct, upbeat style of music, more comparable to modern day pop. While Sinatra’s music was a bit slower paced and could be seen as more fitting in the jazz genre.

While Anka’s career peaked as a teen singing sensation, his ability to write songs carried his career’s wave length on even longer.
Anka stands as one of the most successful musical artists to come out of Canada, and his career will be forever enshrined north of the border. The singer and songwriter is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Order of Canada and has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. He also was honored with a street named in his honor in his hometown, named Paul Anka Drive. (King 2010) He will stand as a trailblazer in Canadian Music, and one who will never be forgotten.

“If you’re in pop music, you’ve got to deal with the changing of the guard every few years. By the time the ’70s arrived, I was well aware of the cyclical nature of the game. Pop music is a creature of the moment; it thrives on the mood of its time. Either you hook into that or you’re not going to be part of it.” – Paul Anka

Some tidbits of information I found interesting while I was researching Anka included:

• Amanda Anka, one of Paul’s five daughters, is married to well known Hollywood comedian Jason Bateman (Jason Bateman – A child star grows up 2008)

• Anka’s famous hit “Diana” was written about his childhood crush Diana Ayoub, who grew up in Ottawa with Paul (Butler 2017)

Works Cited

Butler, Don. 2017. Ottawa Citizen. February 13. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/capital-facts-busting-the-myth-of-paul-ankas-doomed-love.

2008. Jason Bateman – A child star grows up. June 20. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/jason-bateman-a-child-star-grows-up-850743.html.

King, Betty Nygaard. 2010. The Canadian Encyclopedia. January 17. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/.
n.d. Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonely_Boy_(Paul_Anka_song).

2011. Official Site of Paul Anka. http://paulanka.com/biography/.

2017. Paul Anka Biography. April 27. https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424.

One of our nation’s finest musical talents that my generation may have no clue about, Paul Anka broke down borders and made his name known on the world stage. Anka, who was born in the nation’s capital, Ottawa, Ontario in 1941, was quick to realize his dreams needed bigger lights to make them a reality. (Paul Anka Biography 2017)

At the age of 15, Anka purchased a plane ticket and traveled to where the talent of all kinds flocks to, Hollywood. After getting lost in the shuffle in Los Angeles, Anka decided the bright lights of the Big Apple were his next stop, but with his parent’s patience running short, Paul needed a big break quickly, and when he was fortunate enough to land a meeting with an ABC and Paramount Records executive, he made the most of the opportunity. The up and coming prodigy landed his first contract, and from there it was history. A year later, “Diana” stood as the number one song in the world, and Anka’s career blossomed from there. (Official Site of Paul Anka 2011)

“Lonely Boy” which released in 1959, was Anka’s first single to reach the peak of the Billboard Hot 100 and ended the year as their fifth-ranked song. (Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song) n.d.) What stood apart Anka from other crooners in his era was his exceptional ability to write songs. He was not simply another male with a smooth, low voice. His ability to make words flow beautifully caught the attention of some of the world’s greatest artists including Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. (Paul Anka Biography 2017) While Anka had a similar voice to Sinatra, his ability to write and sing songs from the heart, pushed him over the top.

“When I’m writing, I generally toy with an idea until it manifests itself – meaning a phrase or a tune comes into my head and eventually begins to jell. When something hits me, I write it down immediately. I don’t wait, or it’s gone.” -Paul Anka

To me, Anka had a more distinct, upbeat style of music, more comparable to modern day pop. While Sinatra’s music was a bit slower paced and could be seen as more fitting in the jazz genre.

While Anka’s career peaked as a teen singing sensation, his ability to write songs carried his career’s wave length on even longer.
Anka stands as one of the most successful musical artists to come out of Canada, and his career will be forever enshrined north of the border. The singer and songwriter is a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Order of Canada and has a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. He also was honored with a street named in his honor in his hometown, named Paul Anka Drive. (King 2010) He will stand as a trailblazer in Canadian Music, and one who will never be forgotten.

“If you’re in pop music, you’ve got to deal with the changing of the guard every few years. By the time the ’70s arrived, I was well aware of the cyclical nature of the game. Pop music is a creature of the moment; it thrives on the mood of its time. Either you hook into that or you’re not going to be part of it.” – Paul Anka

Some tidbits of information I found interesting while I was researching Anka included:

• Amanda Anka, one of Paul’s five daughters, is married to well known Hollywood comedian Jason Bateman (Jason Bateman – A child star grows up 2008)

• Anka’s famous hit “Diana” was written about his childhood crush Diana Ayoub, who grew up in Ottawa with Paul (Butler 2017)

Works Cited

Butler, Don. 2017. Ottawa Citizen. February 13. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/capital-facts-busting-the-myth-of-paul-ankas-doomed-love.

2008. Jason Bateman – A child star grows up. June 20. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/jason-bateman-a-child-star-grows-up-850743.html.

King, Betty Nygaard. 2010. The Canadian Encyclopedia. January 17. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/.
n.d. Lonely Boy (Paul Anka song).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonely_Boy_(Paul_Anka_song).

2011. Official Site of Paul Anka. http://paulanka.com/biography/.

2017. Paul Anka Biography. April 27. https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424.

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