I popped into the Future bakery to get a coffee like I always do while I’m working at my studio at the Tranzac. The music they play over their speakers possibly reflects the zillions of stores who do not play cds but pre-programmed satellite music. Maybe they do it because it’s convenient….or maybe they do it so they can avoid Socan’s licensing fees? It’s a weird subject because Socan licenses business’s that play music ostensibly to redistribute income to musicians. I think it costs the business about $100 a year. But people everywhere play music and some business’s are offended at the idea of paying a fee for playing music. It’s easy to understand the catch 22 of it – musicians want people to enjoy their music especially if they already bought it and people who have it want to play it because they like it and Socan is suppose to collect music on behalf of the musicians they represent and part of that is licensing commercial places blah blah blah ….and so more and more business’s utilize satellite services and dodge the Socan fee. I don’t know what program they are playing at the Future Bakery but the playlist has some nice surprises, the Kinks, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and those pesky Beatles.

And while standing there the other day I heard something interesting then realized it’s Katie Stelmanis (Austra) who a few years ago was on the same label as me and other pipsqueaks who were on the Blocks Recording Club and even though last month we closed it down after 10 years.

Isn’t it surreal (and beautiful) that someone from that circle  (Blocks or the Tranzac) ends up playing through the Future Bakery speakers and I bet the Future Bakery people are oblivious that it’s a local artist. There was one other person I recognized from the Tranzac alumni sitting there eating his lunch, the brilliant drummer Jake Oelrich and I said Hey Jake you hear that?

He said uh huh. I said you know who it is? He said no. I said it’s Katie Stelmanis she played the Tranzac not long ago. He went back to his food but in an alternate universe an alternate Jake gave me a hi five and said that’s amazing Bob I totally share your perspective and astonishment. I’m freaking out this very moment Bob.