Crew Round Table

  LISTENER SUGGESTED TOPIC: The closing of HMV in Canada. The closing of HMV in Canada was a devastating loss for music lovers.  The final song, however, has been playing for quite some time.  Digital music downloading gained popularity year over year for more than a decade, and the old “bricks and mortar” stores never truly answered the success of companies like Apple with their iTunes online music store.  Digital downloads became the primary revenue stream for recorded music globally in 2015, overtaking the physical sales of albums and CDs.  Some retailers saw this inevitable change and adapted, but HMV did not get the right business mix, and is no more. In this show we examine the effect of HMV closing on the Canadian retail music scene, reminisce about our favorite HMV memories, and look at how other retailers are filling the void.  How does Sunrise Records continue to grow their physical store presence despite the shift to digital downloads for pop music? Why have book retailers not been crushed by digital book downloads, and is the comeback of vinyl records the saving grace of music retailers in Canada? All this and more in another fantastic episode of “Crew Roundtable”! Please SUBSCRIBE AND SHARE using the links below:Subscribe in ItunesLike our page on FacebookFollow on Twitter We love doing the show for you, we hope you love listening, and we appreciate you sharing with your friends - THANKS!Tweet #AskTheCrew

More and more “dumb” devices are gaining network connectivity and are connecting to the internet.  This theoretically increases convenience for us by routing controls and monitoring through our phones.  Yet there is a growing concern that the Internet of Things, or IOT, has a darker side.  From simple issues beginning with higher electricity usage and longer and more complicated setups, to security issues such as poor or non-existent software security and bug fixes and patches. This week the “Skeleton CREW” discusses whether this newest technological advancement is all it’s hyped up to be or if we should just steer clear and keep our dumb devices dumb. Tweet #AskTheCrew

So the City Council of Toronto has decided to toll, (which means tax), usage of the DVP and Gardiner Expressway for ALL commuters. Is this fair to those coming from the GTA into Toronto proper? Should the City of Toronto be allowed this taxation power from the Ontario government? Are there any better ideas for raising revenue where Toronto is missing the boat? This topic has the Crew riled up like you’ve never heard before! Subscribe and share the latest episode of your new favorite podcast, CrewRoundTable.com!Tweet #AskTheCrew

Certain restaurants and other food establishments in Ontario must now show the calories in foods they serve. Calories for all items must be prominently displayed on the menu, and when recipes change information must be updated for the public with new menus. The intent of this government decree appears as combating obesity in Ontario. More information should help diners make informed choices, but the Crew is split on the effectiveness of this program. Is displaying only calorie counts on menus an effective way to combat rising obesity rates in Ontario? Does it place an unnecessary burden on small businesses? Is sugar the real hard evil no one wants to engage? Does the public notice or care about using calorie count information when making prepared food purchases? All this and more in another fantastic episode of CrewRoundTable.com! Subscribe using the links in the right hand column and share, share, share! Thanks! Tweet #AskTheCrew

Special DOUBLE topic! Where are all the bees? Since the mid-2000s, reports surfaced about pressures on the bee population. Whole hives were found barren, farmers noticed lack of bees to pollinate their crops, and no ready solution was available. Parasites and pesticides are supposedly to blame, but is there another side to that story? Bees are a vital cog in the agriculture machine that helps feed humanity. Toronto has become a hub of bee keeping enthusiasts to promote, protect, and grow the bee population to aid agriculture and business. Vertical farming, on the other hand, uses no bees to produce food. A vertical farm is a completely controlled indoor growing process which can drastically increase yields of certain crops and does not rely on bees to pollinate plants. What are the costs, is this sustainable, where is it practiced today, and is it really a closed system? Can vertical farming become a successful business to help feed humanity? All this and more in another fantastic episode of CrewRoundTable.com! Subscribe using the links in the right hand column and share, share, share! Thanks! Tweet #AskTheCrew

The gaming system that single-handedly brought back the home video game market from a depression in the mid-1980s is back! The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, may be the greatest home video game system of all time. Nintendo introduced the NES Classic for Christmas 2016 and retailers cannot keep it in stock! The deep pull of nostalgia has the NES Classic currently selling for $300 on Amazon! (Use the Crew Amazon links at the top of our page if you plan to pay $220 over MSRP, we'd greatly appreciate it!) NES Classic is a mini version of the original NES, with 30 classic preloaded video games like Super Mario, Mega Man 2, and Zelda - what more could you want!? Quite a bit actually, as the Crew explore the hits and misses of this gaming juggernaut. All this and more in another fantastic episode of CrewRoundTable.com! Subscribe using the links in the right hand column and share, share, share! Thanks!Tweet #AskTheCrew

Convenience for the customer frequently means additional costs for the retailer, but increased convenience sometimes translates into increased sales.  Along with increased convenience come the risk of fraud and theft.  With the recent arrival of Android Pay into Canada, the “Skeleton CREW” discusses the wide variety of cashless payment systems, their pros and cons, and the argument on still having cold hard cash in your pocket. Tweet #AskTheCrew

On this episode of JR Talks to People, JR speaks with Cynthia Gould of High Heels Lo Fi.  Cynthia discusses her band, the aforementioned High Heels Lo Fi, their newly released EP "The Booty Sessions", and the psychological manipulation power that the VJ wields! To find out more about Cynthia or High Heels Lo Fi, please visit: http://www.cynthiagould.com/ http://www.highheelslofi.com/ To purchase "The Booty Sessions" or any of their albums, visit: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/HighHeelsLoFi ------- Subscribe to the Crew Round Table podcast feed on iTunes, Google Play, or visit CrewRoundTable.com to listen on line. If you enjoyed this podcast, or any others on the Crew Round Table Network, please take time to rate and review us on iTunes. Tweet at us @crewroundtable with the hashtag #askthecrew Or visit us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/crewroundtable/ Our opening and closing music was provided by BenSound.comTweet #AskTheCrew

What is the Ontario Carbon Cap and Trade system beginning in 2017? How will it affect YOU as the average Ontario consumer? The Ontario Cap and Trade system WILL affect every aspect of your life as your purchasing power is diminished, Ontario companies leave Ontario, and the government is GAMING THE SYSTEM before the very first Cap and Trade carbon credit is issued! Ontario, [before a system is IMPOSED by the Federal government], is about to enter into a failing market subsidizing business in Quebec and California while tossing away Ontario's competitive advantage in business and industry! You NEED to listen to this episode and educate yourself on what Ontario Cap and Trade is and how it will affect your life in Ontario. It's not too late to have the government abandon this faulty system! Visit CrewRoundTable.com to subscribe to this, and other shows, in the CrewRoundTable.com podcast network. Thanks! ​Tweet #AskTheCrew

The Toronto region alone sees more than 70,000 automobile accidents every year.  Do you know what to do if you are involved in an automobile accident in Ontario? The first episode of "Hot Takes with Gino" gives you valuable advice on what to do if you are involved in an automobile accident.  These tips WILL save you time, money ,and hassle when dealing with your insurance company.  Don't loose your car to tow trucks, don't take blame at the scene, ALWAYS have your phone handy to take pictures of EVERYTHING, and call your automobile insurance company right away while you are still at the scene of the accident. All this and more, so what are you waiting for?  Listen now to the first episode of "Hot Takes with Gino"! "Hot Takes with Gino" is the first podcast under the Crewroundtable.com Podcast network! Visit crewroundtable.com to subscribe! Tweet #AskTheCrew