Seeing red

After a banger like Band on the Run, it would’ve been forgivable if the next Wings’ album was just so-so. But with the release of Venus and Mars, it was clear that wasn’t going to be the case. The #1 hit record turns 50 this year!

In other news, Mars is making headlines this week (sorry, Venus). A new study of the red planet suggests that the red dust which covers it might mean the planet had a past environment that was abundant in water, and hospitable to life.

That’s what the man said ;)

(Love nostalgia? Play today’s trivia below for a chance to win a $25 Tim Hortons eGift Card!)

WEEKLY POLL

What are we thinking?

IN THE NEWS

Tariffs pushed back a month

U.S. president Donald Trump held the first cabinet meeting of his second term yesterday, at which he announced that the 25% tariffs he’s threatening to impose on Canada will not take effect until April 2.

Just three days ago, Trump said to an Oval Office full of reporters that the U.S. was “on time” with his tariff plans.

Originally scheduled to be implemented on his first day back in office, Trump pushed them back until Feb. 1. Late that day, he announced both Mexico and Canada had pledged to implement border security measures that satisfied his requests, so the deadline was extended until March 4.

During Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Trump alluded to more border safety measures Canada had agreed to, which was partly the reason for the latest deadline extension.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stepped in to clarify that Canada’s moves to crack down on fentanyl smuggling on the border are allowing the deadline to be extended, but said “the big transaction is April 2,” suggesting it’s the hard deadline and official date the United States will impose 25% tariffs on Canada.

POLITICS

Ipsos poll finds Liberals ahead

For the first time since 2021, the federal Liberals have overtaken the Conservatives in a public opinion poll, with Ipsos finding an election held today would result in 38% support for the Grits and 36% for the Tories.

The poll was conducted right before this week’s two Liberal leadership debates, suggesting it’s possible the ground may have shifted since.

However, the survey appears not to be an outlier. Other polling firms over the last several weeks have captured what looks to be a trend in Canadian public opinion towards the Liberal Party, driven in part by the imminent departure of Justin Trudeau as prime minister, and partly by a renewed sense of patriotism in the wake of U.S. president Donald Trump’s ongoing threats of tariffs and annexation.

“The Liberal leadership is changing, Justin Trudeau has left and there’s going to be a new leader of the Liberal party and I think people are interested in seeing who that’s going to be,” said Darrell Bricker, the CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

“The second thing is the threat from south of the border has moved us off of litigating whatever the Liberals did over the last 10 years to the here and now, which is dealing with the United States.”

BUSINESS

Broadcasters ask CRTC for a break

Traditional television broadcasting is being upended by the fast-moving paradigm shift towards streaming, leaving legacy cable providers in a struggle to stay afloat and stay relevant.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is tasked with implementing the provisions of the Online Streaming Act, but some say the way it’s choosing to enforce the legislation isn’t necessary.

Rogers filed a submission for the CRTC’s ongoing consultations with stakeholders, saying the commission is putting Rogers and other traditional media companies at a disadvantage against international streaming giants like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon.

It cited rules that traditional broadcasters are being forced to follow when it comes to the inclusion of a certain number of channels in basic cable packages that it must price at $25.

Bell’s submission highlighted the CRTC’s requirement that a certain amount of Canadian and Indigenous content be broadcast, and noted this provision isn’t being applied to international streamers in Canada.

Those streamers, including Netflix, Paramount+, and Apple argued these types of regulations were intended for vertically-integrated legacy systems, while saying they shouldn’t—and don’t—apply for the business models of online content streamers.

The consultations are revealing a deep disconnect between legacy and new media, suggesting new legislation may be necessary to resolve the impasse.

THIRSTY THURSDAYS

Brewers lean on premium and non-alcoholic

Beer is facing stiff competition these days in the form of coolers, hard seltzers, and non-alcoholic beverages. In response, brewers like Molson Coors and Heineken are making moves to focus more on their premium and non-alcoholic brands to play to what’s left of their strengths.

According to a report published last week by TD Cowen, beer sales overall fell 2.9% last year, while sales of domestic brands fell 4.2%.

In response, Molson Coors spun off four underperforming craft brands to devote more resources to its best-selling premium brand, Blue Moon.

“After further fine-tuning our portfolio last year, including divesting underperforming craft breweries, our resources are focused on scalable opportunities within our expanding above premium portfolio brands in both beer and beyond beer,” said Molson Coors CEO, Gavin Hattersley.

Coors Original, however, is a bright spot for the Chicago-based brewery, which saw 16% volume growth last quarter alone, partly due to its continued exposure on TV shows like Yellowstone.

Heineken, on the other hand, is leaning into its 0.0 non-alcoholic brand, sales for which outpaced its alcoholic division last year.

AI

A thousand artists share the sound of silence

An album was released recently featuring 1,000 musical artists of varying degrees of fame, and the entire record features almost complete silence.

It was made in protest of the British government’s ongoing consultations with industry stakeholders to consider allowing tech firms the ability to use copyrighted music to train algorithms to produce AI-generated music of their own.

If legislation were to be passed, it would allow for this practice unless artists specifically opted out. Critics have said this puts artists at a disadvantage, and have advocated for the practice to only be permitted if artists opt in.

The album credits British musicians such as Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens, and Damon Albarn, and features the sounds of empty studios and recording spaces “to symbolize what we expect will happen if the government’s proposals go through,” said composer and AI developer Ed Newton-Rex.

“It’s a mix of artists that everyone’s heard of and, you know, and many musicians who are not household names,” he told the Associated Press. “And I think that’s really important because this issue is going to affect all of us.”

MEDIA

Ads vs. subscriptions

YouTube is making a play to generate more of its revenue from premium subscriptions rather than advertising, announcing the soon-to-launch “Premium Lite” plan. It will cost less than the current $12.99 per month, though music videos will still contain ads.

YouTube parent Alphabet doesn’t totally specify how much of its revenue comes from ads and from subscriptions, but analysts estimate its currently a 70/30 split, a distribution the tech giant likely wishes to balance out more, particularly given the revenue potential from subscriptions.

For example, YouTube pulled $36 billion in ad revenue last year, while Netflix generated $39 billion overall. Onboarding new subscribers while maintaining a strong position in ad revenue could be a monumental profit generator for Alphabet.

Netflix, on the other hand, is continuing to seek more ad revenue dollars. While it says the vast majority of its revenue still comes from subscription fees, 55% of new sign-ups have been for the ad-supported subscription tier it launched in 2022.

MUSIC

Jason Bonham goes on tour with Physical Graffiti

Physical Graffiti is considered by many to be the crown jewel of Led Zeppelin’s catalogue, and in celebration of its 50th anniversary, Jason Bonham is heading out on a 21-date tour this summer to play it and other Zeppelin classics.

The album’s release in 1975 was a seminal moment for British rockers Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jason’s late father, John. It featured masterpieces like In My Time of Dying, Trampled Underfoot, and the song Plant himself considers Zeppelin’s peak, Kashmir.

“This is my favorite Led Zeppelin album of all time," Bonham said in a press release announcing the tour. "Being able to celebrate it the way we are planning on this tour is something I am extremely excited about. I can’t wait for people to come out and see these shows and celebrate this extraordinary record with us. And don’t worry there will be plenty of other songs that you also love played that night."

The tour kicks off in Wellington, CT on May 3 and is currently scheduled to wrap up on May 31 in Los Angeles. Bonham did, however, hint that more dates will be announced in due time, so stay tuned.

STAKE TRIVIA

Throwback Thursday

Did you know that today is officially National Retro Day, Staker?

To celebrate, we’ve got a game that’s dedicated to all the cool kids who grew up in the ’70s—get ready to get retro with today’s trivia!

Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 Tim Horton’s eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified tomorrow. Keep an eye on your inbox!*

Have a great day ahead Staker!

Today’s issue written by Michael Cowan, Joey Cowan, and Maureen Norman.


*SEE FULL STAKE TRIVIA CONTEST RULES HERE.