This month’s Front of House highlights Noah Evans, Licensing and Royalties Administrator. His daily tasks are focused on processing licence requests for physical products, along with the related mechanical royalties, ensuring these are correctly paid to publishers and songwriters. Outside of work, Noah is a passionate record collector, inspired by his dad, and he shares a cherished memory of discovering a first edition of Let It Be by the Beatles.
As a Licensing and Royalties Administrator at CMRRA, could you describe what your typical day entails?
My day-to-day work entails correctly identifying the musical works that are used on products licensed by CMRRA and ensuring that the songwriter and publisher details are maintained and up to date in our system. The resurgence of vinyl is evident in the work I do as a member of the Mechanical Licensing team, as I license many records and vinyl boxsets, as well as EPs, CDs, and even cassette tapes. I love doing my small part to help ensure that songwriters get paid what they’re owed, and I’m particularly invested in reviewing controlled composition clauses in artist agreements to ensure royalty rates are set correctly. Along with the licensing component of the work, I participate in the quarterly processing of major label royalties.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from Queen’s University and a Music Business Certificate from Humber College, what motivated you to pursue a career in the music industry?
My pathway to the music industry started during a period of reinvention in my life. During the pandemic, I, like so many other people, felt rudderless and adrift. I was at a turning point in my life and career up until that point, and despite having many avenues open to me, I felt like I was drowning in indecision.
Facing what seemed like lockdown after lockdown, I became disheartened and more than a little stir-crazy, which lead to me taking many long walks all over Toronto. Accompanying me on these walks was my phone, which of course meant music was always there. As I would walk and walk, pondering what to make of my life at this seemingly critical juncture, I found solace in music I never had time to explore pre-pandemic – music that comforted me in whatever ways I needed, whether that be a friendly voice that shared my doubts and fears, a voice to share in my frustrations, or simply beautiful instrumentation that allowed me to transcend my worries for a few minutes at a time. The more bands and artists I added to my library, the more I realized the prominent role listening to music had taken in my life, and how I couldn’t imagine myself (or my life) without it.
I finally came to the natural conclusion that I should try and shape my career around something that resonated with me, and the obvious answer to that was music. I always had an interest in the inner workings of the music industry, but never knew how one began on that path. One fateful day when my indecision was threatening to overwhelm me, I began looking at college programs, anything to ease my anxiety even if it was fruitless. Much to my surprise Humber had a program on Music Business that claimed to offer instruction on all the music industry topics I was interested in. After learning about the many aspects of the industry, it became clear to me that rights management, royalties, and the work done by CMO’s was where my heart lay in this industry. I had friends in bands that struggled to break even, or even see any money at all from their music, and the idea of fair remuneration really spoke to me.
What ignited your passion for collecting vinyl records, and could you share a memorable story about one of your records in your collection?
To put it short, my father is the key reason I collect vinyl. Growing up, my house was always full of music. My dad played records, cassettes, CDs, the format didn’t matter, the music was just always there, as easy to listen to as breathing air. One could say my love for vinyl began when I was only 3 years old and shattered my dad’s copy of Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home (much to my dad’s surprise).
My own collecting started in high school with Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush and other classic rock bands. In those days when vinyl hadn’t yet had its resurgence, all records were second-hand, and the ones you were lucky enough to find in stores were random (a far cry from today where multiple copies of any and every record can be bought in shrink-wrap, shiny and new). Those first 20 or so records were so important to me. Not only were they mine, but they had also lived a life too, passing down from one owner to another over time presumably until they came into my possession. Despite the limitlessness and convenience of digital libraries allowing me to explore many different artists, the thrill of browsing records on a budget and curating my collection can’t be replicated. Over time my collection grew to include music of many genres and decades, and despite my collecting slowing down in recent years, it’s always interesting to look through my stacks of records to see what I have and what didn’t make the cut.
One of my fondest memories of collecting was finding a first edition pressing of The Beatles’ Let It Be at the Dixie Record Show, the version with a gatefold jacket and additional pictures. I don’t believe the vendor knew what they had, as I got it for what seemed like a steal, especially considering it’s my favourite Beatles album.
What are your top 3 favourite albums and what elusive album are you still looking to add to your collection?
Ah, this is a question every collector dreads hearing and prompts me to ask questions of myself. “What 3 records are top of my mind today?” “Do I go with my most played records?” “Do I pick 3 that symbolize different sides of my music taste… or should I do a deep dive in one particular niche?”
Even if I had to pick 15 records I would still be stumped, let alone pick only three. Today however, I feel it’s only fair to include three albums that remind me of why I love music in the first place. Three albums that at the end of the day make life seem pretty darn good, especially when listened to on a sunny summer afternoon or a reflective summer evening .
Stereolab – Dots and Loops A French “lounge” album that feels both retro but also somehow brand new, Dots and Loops is a great meeting between analog and digital sounds that is breezy and light but also abstract and considered.
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing….. Composed almost entirely of samples from old soul and funk records, Endtroducing is a Frankenstein’s monster of other music – however, the tapestry of disparate samples leads to something deeper and more profound emerging as the listener considers the nature of legacy and of music itself.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Quarters! A collection of 4 songs all exactly 10:10 in length (get it, Quarters..?) Quarters! is full of jazzy, groovy music, psychedelic music that has room to breathe and unspools gradually much like the turns on a lazy river.
As for that elusive record I still want to add to my collection, the only suitable answer is Live ’84 by Black Flag. My favourite “heavy” record of all time, Live ’84 is my white whale of collecting. Full of tangled guitar lines, thundering drums and the inimitable rage of Henry Rollins, Live ’84 captures Black Flag at their late period peak when the boundaries between punk and metal were being eroded. Sadly, for me however, this record was only available on cassette tape upon release, and has only been repressed to CDs since. However, true to the punk form this album has been bootlegged on vinyl for years (ironic considering my role on the mechanical licensing team). Copies sell for way higher than I can justify to myself. To this day I always peruse the Black Flag section at local record stores on the one in a million chance it’s there. One day I will in fact get my hands on it and I’m sure the only suitable question I’ll have then will be which record is next on my list.
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