Toronto Pho Sets Record
September 25, 2001

TORONTO, September 25.

Toronto Phosters got a little taste of the big time yesterday, as record numbers attended the third not-so-regular Pho gathering in the city's history.

The event, held last night at Hu Tieu Dai Nam, attracted ten attendees, shattering the previous record of four. "We actually needed more than one table," said Matt Goyer, a Toronto Pho veteran. "That's a problem we've never had before; we almost didn't know how to deal with it." In attendance at the monumental event were Phosters Darryl Ballantyne, Matt Goyer, Darryl Neudorf and Warren Campbell, as well as non-Phosters John Cormie (Fairtunes), David Basskin and Veronica Syrtash (CMRRA), Peter Lampert and Mark Ebedes (Music4Free.com/MusicGadgets), and Tracy (of unknown descent; she came with Neudorf).

Topics of discussion included:

- The proposed Canadian DMCA;
- MusicNet, Pressplay, and subscription services in general;
- ClearChannel's banned songs;
- SOCAN's vision for content licensing;
- Copyright reform;
- Voluntary payments;
- And much, much more.

All topics were hotly debated, and anonymous sources reported feeling some anguish in the air as opinions were disproved. "I sure did learn a lot," Ebedes commented. "I should come to this more often."

The large turnout also brought thoughts of regularity to those in attendance. It was widely voiced that Toronto Pho should become a monthly staple, perhaps meeting on the second or third Monday or Wednesday of each month (details to follow).

Attendance at next month's event is expected to skyrocket once more, breaking the record set yesterday. Numerous closet Phosters were reported to have been unable to attend due to short notice, promising to make it the next one. Early forecasts peg upcoming attendance at 20 or more, though that number is subject to revisions and audit - and may just have been made up to boost analysts ratings.

In unrelated news, Campbell was overheard bragging, "I scored a hat trick on Gord Downie."

The evening was capped off in the true spirit of Pho. When the bill came, money was tossed in - and when it was counted, there was much more than enough.

DISCLAIMER: Not all events occured as they are represented here. Quotes were, in general, made up by the author. Except for the hat trick part.