Music Biz Headlines: Beyoncé Launches Her Cowboy Carter Tour, Metallica Makes a Major Donation to Daily Bread
Other stories making headlines this week: Carly Rae Jepsen eyes Broadway, Ottawa launches the first Capital Music Week, Universal Music Group rebrands in Nashville and more.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé has kicked off music's latest mega-tour, and Billboard was there for the action. She was one of two of stadium acts making headlines, with Metallica making a big donation to Daily Bread Food Bank after their Toronto takeover.
The other major news in Canada this week was the election victory of Mark Carney and the Liberal party, which included a viral celebration set to a CanRock hit of the late 2000s.
Find all those stories and more in this week's roundup of the headlines of the week.
Canadian Music Biz Headlines of the Week
Metallica donates $40K to Daily Bread Food Bank Following Toronto Concerts
Heavy metal band Metallica plans to donate $40,000 to Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank through its foundation, All Within My Hands. –Lucas Casaletto, CityNews
Carly Rae Jepsen Teams Up With Lena Dunham for a Broadway Project
Carly Rae Jepsen has been tapped to help adapt the teen rom-com “10 Things I Hate About You” for the Broadway stage. – Nicole Thompson, Canadian Press
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney Dances to Down With Webster in Viral Victory Video
The Prime Minister partied to the Toronto band's 2009 song "Whoa Is Me" after securing a fourth term for the Liberal party in Canada's 2025 federal election. – Rosie Long Decter, Billboard Canada
Martha and the Muffins Call for Poilievre to Stop Using ‘Echo Beach’ at Rallies
Members of the group say they’ve been told the Conservative Party of Canada has been playing their 1980 new wave hit at some campaign events despite the musicians asking them to stop last month. – David Friend, The Canadian Press
Ottawa's First-Ever Capital Music Week Will Feature The Halluci Nation, Skydiggers
An initiative of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, the event will focus on local and national music cultures, hosting an international nightlife summit as well as showcasing concerts, networking events and more. – Rosie Long Decter, Billboard Canada
Arcade Fire Returns With a Slate of Sold-Out Shows and a Deeply Divided Fan Base
In 2022, frontman Win Butler faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Here’s how fans are reacting to news of a new world tour. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
AC/DC in Vancouver: Check out the Band's High-Voltage History in B.C.
Vancouver’s long love affair with AC/DC began on Tuesday, July 25, 1978, at the Pacific Coliseum. The Aussie quintet forged in the rough-and-tumble Sydney scene dismembered headliners Aerosmith. – Stuart Derdeyn, Vancouver Sun
Sound Advice — 25 of the Best Edmonton Live Music Venues
Without venues, no concerts, and as the nights grow longer and warmer, it felt like a sweet moment to do a flyover of Edmonton’s best and beautiful (or charmingly crusty) live venues — the literal floors holding up our music scene. – Fish Griwkowsky, Edmonton Journal
Céline Dion Celebrates Birthday With a Private Ballet BC Performance
According to the company, Ballet BC artistic director Medhi Walerski and Dion have long admired each other's work. It made the intimate celebration all the more meaningful, blending two artistic worlds with plenty of mutual respect and joy. – Vicki Duong, Georgia Straight
Kaytranada Wants Fans to Dance at Shows: ‘If You Put Your Phone Up, Let’s Move Them Hips at Least!’
"It looks mad awkward from where I stand," the star Canadian producer/DJ said of seeing phones at his performances. – Angel Diaz, Billboard
International Music Biz Headlines of the Week
Beyoncé Slays L.A., Brings Out Kids at Cowboy Carter Tour Opening: Review & Best Moments
Daughters Blue Ivy and Rumi also shared the spotlight as the 32-date tour kicked off. – Gail Mitchell, Billboard
Cookie Giant Crumbl Sued by WMG Over Copyright Infringement on TikTok
The complaint was lodged in a US District Court in Utah on Tuesday (April 22), claiming Crumbl used at least 159 of WMG’s recordings and compositions in promotional videos posted to TikTok and Instagram. Crumbl is reportedly eyeing a $2BN sale. – Mandy Dalugdug, Music Business Worldwide
Universal Music Group Nashville Enters a New Era, Rebranding as Music Corporation of America (MCA)
Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced the next step for its Nashville operations: a new name. Under the leadership of President and CEO Mike Harris and Chief Creative Officer Dave Cobb, Universal Music Group Nashville has been rebranded to Music Corporation of America (MCA)—a name with a storied legacy. – Digital Music News
The Financial Times reports that the European Commission is set to launch a probe into the acquisition "amid claims the deal will give too much power to the industry’s largest player. – MBW
Do Earworms Multiply in Stressful Times?
Maybe those songs you can’t get out of your head are a soundtrack to the apocalypse. – Vinay Menon, Toronto Star
A Mexican Musician Uses a Contentious Genre to Sing of Women Imprisoned for Killing Their Abusers
Two days before her new album was launched, musical icon Vivir Quintana was behind barbed wire at a women’s prison in Mexico. The singer had spent the past 10 years visiting women incarcerated after defending themselves and, in doing so, killing their abusers.‘ – Associated Press
'Chipmunks Were Obsessed With My Mics'’: The Man Who Recorded a Tree for a Year
Joshua Bonnetta spent 8,760 hours recording a pine – then honed it down into a four-hour album full of creatures, cracking branches and quite possibly the sound of leaves growing. – The Guardian
