Music Biz Headlines, April 3, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Thestory of the Glenn Gould Steinway piano in studio q

Few pianos are as famous as the ones played by Canada's own Glenn Gould. The most famous would be his beloved Steinway CD 318, which currently resides at the NAC in Ottawa, or his childhood piano, the Chickering, that lives in Toronto at Glenn Gould Studio. – CBC Radio

Artists boycott Indigenous Music Awards over cultural appropriation concerns

The boycott is spurred by the IMA's nomination of a non-Inuk artist who performs throat singing. – Lenard Monkman, CBC News 

Newt's Guitar-star Radar: when and where to hear wicked pickers in Vancouver

Hey Vancouver guitar freaks! Anybody want to know when and where in town the world’s top guitarists will be showing their stuff this year? Here’s your monthly roundup of upcoming concerts, featuring guitar stars from the realms of blues, rock, metal, jazz, roots, and what have you. – Steve Newton, Georgia Straight

The top music festivals in Ontario for 2019

Music festivals in Ontario for 2019 offer something more than VELD, Bud Light Dreams, NXNE, and even Electric Island, in that you can escape the city and reconnect with nature, small fresh air and possibly see the stars, even if it's just for a moment. – BLOG TO

Friends hit the road; play La Fromagerie on April 4

Canadian folk artists Annie Sumi and Piper Hayes are on a multi-province tour. – Sudbury Star

BC queer indie synth-pop artist Devours is ‘open and vulnerable’ at last

With his sophomore release, the defiantly queer indie synth-pop artist, who performs under the name Devours, confronts insecurities, expectations around masculinity and, yes, his split from religion. – Arik Ligeti, Globe and Mail

A massive Pride party is taking over the CNE Bandshell

Danny Tenaglia and The Black Madonna are headlining Green Space Festival's day-long TreeHouse rager at the Ex, while Drag Race stars hold down Barbara Hall Park in Toronto. – NOW

Skinnamarink sing-along: Sharon and Bram share child-friendly favourites on farewell tour

Considering the current state of the nation it’s fairly clear that we still need Sharon & Bram, but a long deserved retirement from touring beckons. They’ll be out on the road until July, playing their greatest hits as well as a number of newly recorded numbers. – Tom Murray, The Guardian PE

international

Takeaways from the 2019 IFPI global music report.

What has changed beyond all recognition over the past few years is how revenues are derived. Today, the key revenue driver is streaming, most significantly paid for subscription. Streaming revenues were up 34% in 2018, accounting for nearly half (47%) of total recorded music revenues. By the end of 2018 there were 255 million users of paid subscription accounts globally. – MBW

A new documentary about Phil Lynott’s life is coming to cinemas

The feature-length film from Irish director Emer Reynolds will chart the iconic singer’s rise to fame from growing up in 1950s Dublin, his massive success with Thin Lizzy over the years and his death aged just 36. – Kiara Keane, Lovin

 Wanda Jackson on why she had to retire from touring

There are precious few American entertainers who have been traveling longer than Wanda Jackson. In 1955, 64 years ago, the pioneering country-rockabilly singer was on the road with Elvis Presley, who encouraged the then 18-year-old to move toward rock & roll. Last week, Jackson announced that she would be retiring from performing due to “health and safety.”  – Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone

Billie Eilish proves that people WILL stream blockbuster albums... when they're encouraged to do so

The blockbuster album has begun looking like something of an endangered species in recent times. Eilish's success proves that, on the right terms, the album as a body of work still has great relevance amongst a young streaming audience. – Tim Ingham, MBW

Eric Clapton announces 2019 Crossroads Guitar Festival: Derek Trucks, Gary Clark Jr., and more

Slowhand heralds the return of the fest after a five-year hiatus, set to go down Sept. 20th and 21st in Dallas. Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Billy Gibbons, Robert Cray, and Jimmie Vaughan also appear. – Kendall Deflin, Live For Live Music

Tom Petty, Woody Guthrie & the genius of simplicity

Throughout the years, Tom reflected Woody’s genius of simplicity in his writing. Both were savvy songwriters who knew what it took to make a good song and that simplicity wasn’t random; this was something they both honed and developed as time went on. – Paul Zollo, American Songwriter

Mick Jagger set for heart surgery

Jagger, 75, is set to have heart valve replacement surgery Friday in New York City, with the expectation of a full recovery that will allow him to resume touring as soon as this summer, according to the Drudge Report. – Variety

Elvis Costello & The Imposters team up with Blondie for co-headlining tour

The 13-city tour kicks off July 20 at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York. No Canadian dates announced as yet. – Dave Brooks, Billboard 

Mott The Hoople rocks first U.S. show in 45 years at Milwaukee's Miller High Life Theatre

The influential British rock band hasn't played in the States since 1974. But there they were — Ian Hunter, Ariel Bender and Morgan Fisher — launching an eight-city stateside tour (their last, Hunter has said).  – Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Def Leppard shed tears, Stevie Nicks is hilarious at Rock Hall of Fame ceremony

The excruciatingly long 34th annual ceremony at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Friday night did produce some genuinely moving moments, especially a dignified speech from Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott about the astonishing ups-and-downs of the band’s career, and some trademark hilarious and historically fascinating battiness from Stevie Nicks. – Jem Aswad, Variety

'No to war': Middle East musicians collaborate on a 'peace album'

Iranian musician Mehdi Rajabian brings together artists from the region to promote 'resilience, hope and empathy'. – Al Jazeera