Music Biz Headlines: Artists Speak Out After Music Exec Casey Wasserman's Appears in Epstein Files
Also this week: more on Bad Bunny's historic Super Bowl performance, country festival Boots and Hearts expands in more ways than one, Deadmau5 slams AI deepfake and more.
Without a doubt, the biggest story of the week was Bad Bunny's halftime show at The Superbowl. It overshadowed the lacklustre game (the Seattle Seahawks won) and earned rave reviews from around the globe, even if POTUS was not a fan.
Read these stories and more in this week's roundup of music biz headlines of the week from Canada and beyond.
Canadian Music Biz Headlines
Daniel Lanois Signs Extensive Licensing Deal With Warner Records
Under the deal, which covers solo and collaborative albums, 12 of the star Canadian producer and artist's catalogue titles have become available via streaming partners, including his gold-selling 1989 solo debut Acadie. – Kerry Doole, Billboard Canada
Jonas Brothers Join Boots and Hearts 2026 As Headliners
Making their country music festival debut, the sibling trio will headline the three-day Burl's Creek, Ontario music fest alongside The Chicks and Rascal Flatts. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
Max McNown, Midland, Kalsey Kulyk and More Join Boots and Hearts West’s Inaugural Lineup
Tyler Joe Miller, Brock Phillips and Thelma & James will also perform alongside headliners Russell Dickerson and Shaboozey at the country fest’s first-ever Western Canada edition in Edmonton. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
Can Musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland Fiind Another Miracle?
The singer-songwriter saw his career resurge in his 70s. Now, he and his wife need one more miracle: to survive and make music in spite of his dementia. – Josh O'Kane, Globe and Mail
Aquakultre’s 1783 Album Delves Into Enduring Ties in Black Nova Scotia
On his new album 1783, Dartmouth-based musician Aquakultre (a.k.a. Lance Sampson) uses a dizzying array of culturally and geographically relevant musical styles to write a multifaceted history of Black Nova Scotia. That sort of far-ranging consideration of the past and present conditions of a group of people is uncommon in pop music. – Matt Horseman, Globe and Mail
Céline Dion Shares the Songs on Her Personal Playlist
The Canadian music icon revealed a 10-track list on Spotify, which includes hits from Rihanna, Metallica, James Blunt and more. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
Deadmau5 Responds to Gen-AI Deepfake: ‘Just the Beginning for Talentless F–ks to Abuse This Tech’
The fake video apparently portrayed the legendary producer endorsing the work of the artist who posted it to Instagram. – Katie Bain, Billboard
He is amicable and chatty and an enthusiastic interviewee who occasionally comes across like a motivational speaker. But when Morvan talks about the scandal and lost years that followed, there is a bitterness that creeps in. – Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald
Inside the Sold-Out Music Series Centring Black Artists and Changing the Face of Toronto Jazz
Davie Studios’ live jam series has grown from a research project into a vital platform for Black musicians, offering fair pay and a sense of community. – Savannah Ridley, Toronto Star
House of Folk Takes Canadians Back to the Coffeehouse
In Vancouver, Firehall Arts Centre’s House of Folk: A Lost Canadian Folk Show is a new play about the emergence of Canada’s folk music scene that’s set in coffeehouses across the country. – Nathan Caddell, Georgia Straight
Country singer Dallas Smith Stars in Old Strathcona-Shot Soul's Road
With the national theatrical release of Dallas Smith-starring Soul’s Road, Joel Stewart has breached the world of directing narrative features in the gentle, feel-good story of a musician who got too close to the fire, presently trying to make amends for everyone he burned on the way down. – Fish Griwkowsky, Edmonton Journal
International Music Biz Headlines
Wasserman Fallout: Every Artist Who Has Spoken Out Over Founder’s Epstein Ties
Clients of Casey Wasserman's namesake agency, including Chappell Roan, have begun defecting after his relationship to Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell came to light. – Chris Eggertsen, Billboard
The global superstar called for unity without hiding from confrontation in a brilliant, career-defining performance. –Andrew Unterberger, Billboard
President Trump Calls Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show a ‘Slap in the Face’ to America
"Nobody understands a word this guy is saying," the POTUS wrote. – Hannah Dailey, Billboard
Inside Bad Bunny's Historic Super Bowl Halftime Show
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance required 9,852 theatrical pyrotechnics, nearly 400 costumed extras, and a lot of ingenuity. And yes, that was a real couple featured in the wedding. – Angela Watercutter, Wired
Green Day Kicks Off Super Bowl Opening Ceremony With Hits MedleyThe punk rock band from the Bay Area helped celebrate the Big Game's 60th year and past MVPs. – Anna Chan, Billboard
Here’s What Happened at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics 2026
The Games officially started at Milan’s San Siro Stadium on Friday (Feb. 6), with a show that included performances of Mariah Carey, Laura Pausini, and Andrea Bocelli. – Billboard Italy
From Melania to Kid Rock’s Halftime Show: Why is Maga Art so Dreadful? (Opinion)
As the right stokes culture wars, their alternatives to ‘woke’ Hollywood prove to be shoddily made and uninspired. – Jesse Hassenger, The Guardian
E-40 and Too $hort’s NFL Honors Show Underscores Bay Area’s Music Presence During Super Bowl Week
E-40 turned NFL Honors into a hyphy detour, firing off Bay Area slang that helped shape a generation as actor Tiffany Haddish and Carolina Panthers rookie Tetairoa McMillan danced from their seats and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce nodded along to the beat. – Associated Press
'Paul McCartney: Man on the Run," a chronicle of Macca's rebirth after the Fab Four's split will hit theaters for one night only on Feb. 19. – Gil Kaufman, Billboard
Mariah Carey’s Olympic Act Prompts Questions About Possible Lip-syncing and a Curious Teleprompter
The performance by pop star Mariah Carey at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony was the talk of the town — but it also raised a few questions. – Associated Press
