Billboard Canada FYI Bulletin: Monowhales Call It Quits

Opening a 60+ date tour in San Diego this Saturday, Sting returns to Massey Hall for five nights in Sept. (20-22, 24-25) and, by the time you read this, the late fifth show addition on Sept. 22 will too likely be sold out too – for a ticket count of about 14K.

The Sting 3.0 tour will see Sting playing in the power trio mode that first made him famous, accompanied by guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons). So far, Toronto is the only Canadian stop on the North American tour. Below, performing in Tampa, Fla. On Feb. 24 of this year.

– At the 2022 Juno Awards, Canadian alt-pop trio Monowhales were named Breakthrough Group of the Year and earlier this week vocalist Sally Shaar, guitarist Zack Zanardo and drummer Jordan Circosta announced they were packing it in a statement that failed to say much of anything other than they have “evolved” creatively and personally and that they had “reached a point where we no longer feel we can do justice” to the band’s raison d’etre.

Continuing, “This wild ride has been one of the most fulfilling and important experiences of our lives – working with our small but mighty team to create a universe of music and visuals while traversing the country to share unforgettable moments in rooms filled with our incredible fans. Every show we've played has been nothing short of magical, a testament to the power of connection and togetherness. It's with heavy hearts that we announce the end of this chapter in our lives, but as we embark on new paths, we're ready to explore what the future holds. We each have exciting endeavours ahead, and we can't wait to share them with you.”

With that, we eagerly await future news. Shows at the Springtide Music Festival, the Area 506 Festival and opening for Tokyo Police Club on their farewell tour in ON, B.C. and NL have been cancelled.

– Destiny Media Technologies Inc. the Vancouver tech company behind promo music distro platform Play MPE, will hold a webinar on April 15 to discuss financial results for its Q2 that ended Feb. 29. A recording of the webinar will be available after the event here.

In 2023, the company beta launched a new digital service aimed at indie market clients wanting tracking data for new releases. The service is trademarked MTR, an acronym for “Music Tracking Radar" or "Meter."

– Live Nation and Ticketmaster are under legal scrutiny after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear an appeal by them in the face of class-action lawsuits filed in multiple provinces for allegedly profiting from third-party ticket reselling, as per The Canadian Press. The case centres on the use of automated "ticket bots" that scoop up event tickets beyond limits imposed on general buyers.

– Edmonton show and dance band but first and foremost polka band, The Emeralds, will soon have one more album on release, marking a catalogue of some 30 albums since starting in 1970. Twelve years later, in 1982, the group released a variation of the Swiss novelty dance song, “The Chicken Dance.” It had already been covered umpteen times with an endless number of variations on the title, but in 1982 they recorded it for a K-Tel album and called their version “The Bird Dance.” With TV advertising behind it, it became an international sensation. The album went double-platinum in Canada, and gold in Australia and earned strong sales in the U.K. and elsewhere. As part of Alberta imprint Royalty Records’ 50th-anniversary vault releases, The Emeralds’ Medleys from the Vault: Volume Two is set for release on the April 19. Included, “In Heaven, There Is No Beer Medley.”