Music Biz Headlines, April 14, 2022

By Kerry Doole

Boris Brott’s legacy will be his drive to make great music accessible to everyone

Boris Brott, who was killed in a hit-and-run in Hamilton on April 5, proved you could adore Mozart and still be a fanatical Tiger-Cats fan. – Michael Crabb, Toronto Star

Boris Brott remembered by his peers as an unforgettable conductor, mentor and visionary

For decades, Brott was a persuasive and indefatigable voice championing classical music. His techniques were imaginative and striking. There was the time he was conducting the National Arts Centre Orchestra in a family concert that focused on the human voice. During the performance, he took a camera and inserted it down his throat, revealing his well-used vocal cords to a crowd of 2,000 on a screen onstage. The audience could hardly forget such a stunt – which was the whole idea behind it. – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

As the Toronto Symphony celebrates its maestros, a look back at the orchestra’s music directors

The “Maestros’ Special Homecoming” marks an early launch of the TSO’s 100th anniversary 2022-23 season. – William Littler, Toronto Star

Coachella replaces Kanye West with the Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia as headliners

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has found its replacement for former headliner Kanye West: Swedish House Mafia and the Weeknd, organizers revealed Wednesday in a tweet from the event’s official Twitter account. The EDM supergroup and the R&B superstar star will collaborate for the Sunday shifts at the desert festival on April 17 and April 24. – Nardine Saad  LA Times

Art rocker Sister Swire could've recorded her debut anywhere. Here's why she chose Dartmouth

"I have never experienced a creative process like I have here." – Morgan Mullin, The Coast

Oscar Peterson doc wins four Canadian Screen Awards

The documentary Oscar Peterson: Black + White won four Canadian Screen Awards last week, but director Barry Avrich has since apologized after he drew criticism over a comment he made in his acceptance speech. “There are so many Black stories in Canada that need to be told. It doesn’t matter who tells them, we just need to tell them,” Avrich said in that speech. – Adam Feibel, JazzFM

Sam the Record Man: a former worker spills store secrets

Jimi Donabie talks about working at Sam the Record Man in the ’80s and ’90s. – Jessica Dee Humphreys, Toronto Star

Toronto could get two new music venues this summer

The city is working with local organizations to navigate the tough conditions for operating music spaces. – Richard Trapunski,  NOW

2022 Canadian Screen Awards: Scarborough’s big win, Kim’s Convenience’s last hurrah, and memorable moments

Well, that was a refreshingly brisk, slap-free affair. On Sunday night, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television broadcast its 10th annual Canadian Screen Awards. Loaded with clips from the nominated work and celebrity guests, and pre-engineered to avoid any Oscar-like moments of infamy, the telecast, which aired on CBC and streamed on CBC Gem, was short, sweet and extraordinarily Canadian in its earnestness. – Barry Hertz, Globe and Mail

International

Yes, Blockchain might revolutionise music yoyalties. No, it won't happen soon

There is currently a lot of noise around NFTs, smart contracts and crypto currencies – and some wild claims that these new innovations are going to change the way we live and work in the next couple of years. Realistically, especially when it comes to the global reporting of music royalties, this timeframe is overly optimistic.” – Tom Allen, MBW 

NFTs are coming to Facebook and Instagram – Whether you like them or not

Amid various rug pulls, scams and other nefarious activity, it does seem like some of the air has been deflated from the NFT hype bubble, as more people look to take a step back from ‘investing’ in digital art images… But like them or not, NFTs are set to get another boost, with a new report from The Financial Times suggesting that Meta is about to unveil its NFT trading and display plans. – SocialMediaToday

Latin music is on course to generate over $1B in the US in 2022.

MBW today predicts that the record music market for Latin artists in the United States will generate more than a billion dollars in revenue across the 12 months of 2022. We’re feeling confident in this forecast because of new data released today (April 12) in a report from the RIAA, which shows that Latin music generated $886.1M on a retail basis in the US in 2021. – Tim Ingham, MBW

Universal Music can't help falling for Elvis Presley, will manage song catalog

Universal Music is adding the song catalog of the "King of Rock 'n' Roll", including hits such as "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "Jailhouse Rock", under a publishing deal with Authentic Brands Group. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although UMPG said on Tuesday it would approve and collect revenue when Elvis' songs are used in media, films or television. –Channel News Asia

Portishead regroup to livestream rare concert to benefit Ukraine

Tickets for the War Child benefit in Bristol—headlined by Idles—will be raffled off, with all entrants getting livestream access. – Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork

Pink Floyd’s first new recording in nearly 30 years was inspired by a lone Ukrainian musician

“Hey, Hey, Rise Up” features Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Ukrainian band Boombox on vocals and the song will raise money for a Ukrainian charity. – Kory Grow, Rolling Stone

Finally, a universal watchlist for all your streaming services

Plex has done what Apple and Google couldn't: Create a watchlist that works across all your streaming apps. – Khamosh Pathak, Lifehacker

Ed Sheeran slams ‘baseless’ lawsuits after victory in Shape Of You case

British singer Ed Sheeran said baseless copyright claims were damaging the music industry after he won a case at the High Court in London last week over whether a refrain in his 2017 mega hit “Shape Of You” had been lifted from another artist. – Michael Holden, Reuters

Bob Mould has nothing left to prove, which isn't stopping the alt-rock legend from continuing to push himself

For raw passion, unbridled outrage, and pissed-off-at-the-world anger, it’s not so much a song as a fucking statement. Following 10 seconds of firefight guitar violence, the American alt-icon howls “I never thought I’d see this bullshit again. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

Wet Leg review – going beyond the chaise longue on nuanced debut

Hester Chambers and Rhian Teasdale AKA Wet Leg. Dreamy, lush, hooky and thunderous … With millennial angst and humour to spare, the duo’s quarter-life crisis album has a much broader remit than their repetitive breakout single. –  Rachel Aroesti.  

TikTalk: Five must-see music moments from TikTok this week

From Amanda Palmer’s trial-by-internet to an underground track with Chloe Cherry’s stamp of approval. – Rayne Fisher-Quann, NEXT

Behind Jack Harlow: Meet the manager guiding the Grammy-nominated star's global success

Not long ago, Jack Harlow was an Industry Baby. Now he's an industry darling. Lil Nas X’s Industry Baby megahit (featuring Harlow) earned the pair a recent Grammy nomination for best Melodic Rap Performance (and best album for Montero). Harlow may not have won an award, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t the talk of Las Vegas over Grammy weekend. – MBW

Timely doc !Viva Maestro! looks at incredible moment in history through lens of classical music

¡Viva Maestro! is a portrait of the Los Angeles Philharmonic music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel and the El Sistema program that trained him.–  Amil Niazi, Globe and Mail

Charlotte Gainsbourg forges relationship with mother Jane Birkin through intimate documentary

Jane by Charlotte is the new documentary produced by Charlotte Gainsbourg, and is the singer's chance to reconnect with her 75-year-old mother, singer Jane Birkin. – Joanna Schneller, Globe and Mail

Film at 11: How a Minnesota station found old footage of a very young Prince

The footage captures a teenage Prince supporting a 1970 teachers strike in Minneapolis. – Maria Cramer, New York Times

British rapper Dizzee Rascal was sentenced Friday to a curfew and a restraining order for assaulting his former fiancée. A judge at Croydon Magistrates’ Court in south London told the musician he must observe a 24-week curfew and wear an electronic tag. – AP

Billie Eilish dedicates performance of ‘Your Power’ to people of  Ukraine

Billie Eilish and brother Phinneas are sharing their support for the Ukrainian people. In a video produced for Friday’s digital Stand Up For Ukraine event, featuring artists including Elton John and Madonna, the siblings performed their hit Your Power. Eilish told fans that the performance was “a call to action and in honour of the people of Ukraine.” – Brent Furdyk, ET Canada

How The Clash delivered the greatest debut album of all time

With introductions made and a future quickly unfurling in front of them, it wouldn’t take long for the group to form around the songwriting partnership of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. While Strummer was positively brimming with political intent, Jones was intoxicated by the intricacies of rock ‘n’ roll. It was a potent combination that would set the band on a trajectory to the top. – Jack Whatley, FarOut

Grammys 2022: Attention-grabbing event ideas from music's biggest week

Peek inside the week's coolest events from the likes of Steven Tyler, Silk Sonic, Warner Music, SelvaRey Rum and more. – BizBash

Jack Harlow, Angel Olsen, The Smile, Vince Staples, LØLØ: Here are 9 songs you need to hear this week

This week’s Star Tracks playlist also includes music from Hercules & Love Affair, Rema, Bree Runw. – Staff, Toronto Star

These are the top music conferences to attend in 2022

Conferences are the ultimate hubs for networking in the music industry. If you’re looking to connect with some of the best minds in the business, these conferences are for you… – Symphonic Blog