Music Biz Headlines, Aug. 7, 2019
Toronto’s Nyssa (pictured) dials up the heat, Cardi B plays Veld Festival, and John Legend slams Trump. Others in the headlines include A$AP Rocky, David Crosby, Tanglewood, Rae Spoon, Young Guv, Herbie Hancock, Lil Nas X, Warner Music, Santana, Kraftwerk, cassettes, Chic, John Legend, Koffee, Bryan Ferry, and Tencent.
By FYI Staff
Nyssa dials up the heat this Hot Girl Summer
Toronto’s answer to Robyn says she wants to bring the energy back to rock ’n’ roll. – Jonathan Briggins, The Coast
A$AP Rocky vs. Sweden amplifies the insanity while speaking volumes about how low we've sunk as a species
When pop-culture historians look back on the summer of 2019, they’ll single out the case of A$AP Rocky vs. Sweden as a prime example of things finally going from mildly surreal to totally bat-shit crazy. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
Toronto concerts in August 2019: 20 we're looking forward to
OVO Fest, Caribbean Carnival, Danforth Music Hall's 100th birthday, a dream team-up of progressive jazz giants and more to catch in the last full month of summer. – Staff, NOW
Tanglewood, already a top-rank classical-music festival, extends itself beyond the summer
Music-making doesn’t get much better than this any time of the year, but during the so-called dog days of summer, it is truly special. On the other hand, this is Tanglewood, the granddaddy of all the orchestral summer festivals, where Leonard Bernstein made his summer home and where generations of young musicians have had their standards set. – William Littler, Toronto Star
Rae Spoon makes space with Mental Health
No stranger to the challenges of loneliness and darkness, Rae Spoon examines the cyclical nature of life on a bold, gorgeous new album. – Alexander Varty, Georgia Straight
Review: Young Guv's GUV I delivers scruffy, playlistable pop
Ben Cook's latest album as Young Guv is full of solid songwriting that's infused with more than a whiff of 90s alt-radio nostalgia. – Kevin Ritchie, NOW
Roxanne Tellier – Protesting in the era of Trump
A reaction to America’s president telling four Congresswoman of colour to “go back to where they came from?” – Bob Segarini, Don't Believe A Word I Say
Koffee already has hits like ‘Toast’ under her belt. Now she’s spreading out in North America
Koffee is hot. It’s been a whirlwind few years for the artist, who was born Mikayla Simpson, was raised in Spanish Town by her mother and first taught herself to play guitar to sing along with Protoje songs. – Raju Mudhar, Toronto Star
Veld Festival 2019: Cardi B's clipped set, Jaden Smith's buzz cut and more
The annual EDM mega-fest brought sensory overload, big-name headliners and a nightmare of a time getting out of Downsview Park. Here's what stood out. – Sumiko Wilson, NOW
International
An interview with iconic jazz pianist Herbie Hancock
If jazz for you means tradition and inheritance, maybe Herbie Hancock can change your mind. For him, jazz will always mean cross-pollination, adventurism and faith in what’s ahead. – Giovanni Russonello, NYT
Lil Nas X came out, but has hip-hop? A macho culture faces a crossroads
Overnight, the 20-year-old Atlanta native — born Montero Lamar Hill — has become the biggest gay pop star in the world. That he did so in the orbit of hip-hop and country, genres that have historically snubbed queer artists, was groundbreaking.. – Gerrick D. Kennedy, LA Times
Katy Perry and her team must pay $2.78 Million for copying a Christan rap song on her hit "Dark Horse"
A jury had previously found that Perry and her producers stole a key 16-second musical riff from the 2009 rap song “Joyful Noise.” – Jason Wells, BuzzFeed
Warner Music Group Corp. reports results for fiscal third quarter ended June 30
Total revenue grew 10.4%, with Digital revenue growing 12.5%. – Newswire
How Santana hallucinated through one of Woodstock’s best sets (his own)
When Santana went on at 2 p.m. on Saturday, the crowd was taken aback by bandleader Carlos Santana’s scything, nimble guitar playing, and a rhythm section that included two percussion players, at the time uncommon in rock bands. Carlos now admits he was high on mescaline then. – Rob Tannenbaum, NY Times
European Court rules in favor of Kraftwerk in 20 year-long copyright dispute
The long-running case carries potentially large ramifications around the use and licensing of samples in the wider music industry. – Richard Smirke, Billboard
The 1975 and Billie Eilish help cassette sales reach a 15 year high in UK
Following the recent resurgence of vinyl, many vintage-loving music fans have also turned back to tape as their go-to medium. According to a new report from the Official Charts Company, the popularity of albums in their plastic cassette form is continuing to grow. – Tom Skinner, NME
Nile Rodgers and Chic review – disco springs eternal
The ‘number one producer in the world’ puts on a breathless show at Royal Festival Hall packed with colossal hits that has everyone on their feet. – Dorian Lynskey, Guardian
John Legend slams Trump over mass shootings: ‘The President regularly inspires killers’
The singer has made no secret of his negative feelings about President Trump, and in the wake of the US mass shootings on the weekend, the singer made a series of posts slamming the president for “inspiring” violence. – Jem Aswad, Variety
Irish band channels the spirit of punk, and James Joyce
Fontaines D.C. is a breakout Irish rock act. The emphasis is on the Irish. – Amos Barshad, NYT
Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry: 'I feel more appreciated now'
In March of this year, Bryan Ferry reunited with his longtime Roxy Music band mates, minus Brian Eno, when Roxy Music was deservedly finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Now, Ferry is revisiting many of the greatest hits from the legendary English band on his current tour of North America. – Steve Baltin,Forbes
Tencent in talks to buy 10% of UMG
The Chinese Chinese media giant Tencent Holdings Limited is in discussions to buy 10% of Universal Music Group, UMG’s parent Vivendi has confirmed today (August 6). – Tim Ingham, MBW
‘I’ve been through some painful experiences’ – Sheryl Crow on #MeToo and Michael Jackson
The singer reflects on her career, from being a backing singer on the Bad tour to 2019’s Glastonbury. – Nosheen Iqbal, The Guardian
'What we saw in Israel was apartheid': Icelandic Eurovision protesters Hatari collaborate with Palestinian artist
After worrying Eurovision organisers and thrilling an unexpected international audience in May, Icelandic industrial rockers Hatari return with their politically charged new single. The recently released Klefi / Samed finds the band picking up where they left off after their controversial and fiery performance at this year’s song contest in Tel Aviv. – Saeed Saeed, The National
The ‘Forever Business’: Smithsonian Folkways’ quest to preserve music’s past
The label sets the bar for archiving standards while acquiring niche collections and releasing new music that broadens the definition of “folk.” – Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone
