Music Biz Headlines, Aug. 13, 2018
Cannabis sponsorship of music events raises eyebrows, festivals are pressed to combat groping, and the Elvis Presley Foundation is broke. Others in the headlines are Nap Eyes, Android, Britney Spears, Jennifer Castle, Billy Talent, Vancouver rap, Sumner Redstone, Tash Sultana, Neil Finn, Sass Jordan, Prime Boys, Mamma Mia!, Paul Reddick, and Ry Cooder.
By Kerry Doole
How legal are the cannabis sponsorships at Canadian music festivals?
Corporate weed brands are forging ahead with grey area sponsorships at live music events despite warnings from Health Canada. – Samantha Edwards, NOW
Artists, fans push music festivals to tackle sex harassment
Fans and artists are asking the live music industry to make cultural changes to address sexual harassment and groping in the wake of the #MeToo movement. – AP
Nap Eyes’ subjective science
The band’s Halifax-based leader Nigel Chapman ruminates on his concrete, visible sound objects. – Brennan McCracken, The Coast
Elvis Presley Foundation, like Lisa Marie, is broke: Just $38K in assets 41 years after star’s death
Lisa Marie Presley isn’t the only member of her extended world who’s broke. So is the Elvis Presley Foundation. On the eve of the 41st anniversary of the star’s death, his legacy for being charitable is pretty much in shreds. – Roger Friedman, showbiz411.com
Millions of Android devices are vulnerable right out of the box
Security meltdowns on your smartphone are often self-inflicted: You clicked the wrong link, or installed the wrong app. But for millions of Android devices, the vulnerabilities have been baked in ahead of time, deep in the firmware, just waiting to be exploited. – Brian Barrett, Wired
‘It was a bit of a blur’: Britney Spears on the making of ...Baby One More Time
As the smash hit that changed the musical landscape turns 20, Britney, along with her collaborators, discuss the creation of a pop masterpiece. – Michael Cragg, The Guardian
Billy Talent fans glad to show support after shootings with Danforth benefit concert
The fundraiser was held in the same neighbourhood where 18-year-old Reese Fallon and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis were killed and 13 others were injured on July 22, when a gunman fired into crowded restaurants and patios. – Olivia Bowden, CP
Singer-songwriter Jennifer Castle on finding balance through her work as a doula
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So Loki promotes Vancouver rap alongside international artists at Safe & Sound Festival
So Loki—rapper Sam Lucia and producer Geoffrey Millar—argues that the Vancouver rap scene needs a thriving ecosystem to compete with Toronto. – Kate Wilson, Georgia Straight
Courtroom battle over control of CBS reignites questions about Sumner Redstone's capacity
As CBS Corp. grapples with an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by its chief executive, the company’s high-stakes legal battle against its controlling shareholder family took center stage Wednesday in a Delaware courtroom. – Meg James, LA Times
Rising one-person psychedelic rock band Tash Sultana: ‘It didn’t happen from me sitting on my arse’: Q&A
As a one-person band used to juggling myriad instruments and loops and pieces of gear at the same time, Sultana is remarkably adept at reacting to adverse situations as they materialize. –Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
Neil Finn on his new album with son Liam, and joining Fleetwood Mac
It’s often said that belonging to a band is akin to being in a family. It’s an analogy that New Zealand popmeister Neil Finn has taken to heart over the years. – Randy Lewis, LA Times
Kitchener Blues Festival displayed plenty of ‘Sass’
August festival featured artists from across the blues-rock spectrum. – Joel Rubinoff, Waterloo Region Record
Prime Boys drive travelling pop-up shop across Toronto
The hip-hop trio's exclusive merch truck takes a tour of the group's hometown. – Olivia Bednar, NOW
Mamma Mia! still gets audience seat-dancing 18 years after its Toronto debut
The return of Mamma Mia! to Toronto, where it received its North American premiere in 2000 and subsequently ran for five years, is exquisitely timed, given that Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the Hollywood sequel that expands the story of the stage version and its film adaptation, is in theatres now. – Carly Maga, Toronto Star
The music of 'The Handmaid's Tale' provides 'ironic counterpoint' to show's dark themes
The second season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was brought to a close with a moment of cathartic violence. But one could argue the star of the scene wasn’t Alexis Biedel’s handmaid Emily but instead a voice offscreen: Annie Lennox. – Erin Ben-Moche, LA Times
Paul Reddick a poet of the blues
To Paul Reddick, the blues has always been a beautiful landscape. The Toronto-based bluesman began cultivating the "entire gamut" of this melodic soil at the age of 12. – Coral Andrews, Waterloo Region Record
Guitar legend and American roots-music champion Ry Cooder is elated. Here's why.
Ry Cooder has a new lease on life, musically speaking, and the legendary guitarist and roots-music champion couldn’t be more delighted about his first album in six years and his first concert tour in a decade. – George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune
