Music Biz Headlines, Dec. 22, 2017
Some Santa headlines mixed in with a potpourri of seasonal stories and eye-catchers from mainstream media at home and abroad.
By FYI Staff
The music industry should be dreaming of a white Christmas
Despite its ubiquity during December, the appeal of festive music varies significantly by geography. Spotify provided The Economist with data for Christmas listening across 35 countries, and for every American state, on a day-by-day basis for the two months leading up to Christmas Day 2016 – The Economist
Lord Buckethead released a music video for Christmas and it’s a must-watch
His song, A Bucketful of Christmas, rounds off a year which saw him battle against Theresa May for her Maidenhead seat in this year’s election – and it’s a belter.
The best classic Christmas songs for your festive playlist
The problem with this kind of list, unfortunately, is that no one has written a really decent Christmas song since Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - but then again, sometimes it's best to stick with the classics – The Independent
Mariah Carey's hair froze on the set of All I Want For Christmas Is You set
The Jewish composers who wrote your favourite Christmas songs
Here is a countdown of my personal Top 10 Christmas songs by Jewish songwriters – Steve Kurtz, Fox News
O Canada market report
A growing economy is providing Canadian consumers with more disposable income, a proportion of which is finding its way to live entertainment, reports Steve McLean - IQ
Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ reissue leads Discogs’ 2017 most-collected coloured vinyl list
Arcade Fire places second on the list – Jem Aswad, Variety
Yoko Ono’s The Riverbed coming to the Gardiner Museum
The acclaimed Japanese-American artist’s contemplative work will provide quiet counterpoint to the AGO’s Kusama extravaganza – Murray Whyte, Toronto Star
Melvv parlayed online success into a major-label deal
The young producer Jeffrey Melvin has no desire to follow the conventions of electronic music – Kate Wilson, Georgia Straight
Lhasa de Sela remembered, on album and in concert
The late Montrealer was recently celebrated with a tribute show 20 years after her enchanting debut, and a live album captures a moment of evolution – T'Cha Dunleavy, Montreal Gazette
Getting through the holidays with Otis Redding
His music expresses the yearning to survive a cold season, to be warm and fed and fine – Nicholas Daweidoff, The New Yorker
Annual holiday dance-party tradition returns, with funk and new songs
The Funk Hunters bring their holiday dance-party Funk the Halls to the Commodore Dec. 22 – Shawn Conner, Vancouver Sun
Eminem attacks Donald Trump: 'He's got people brainwashed'
The rapper continues his stream of invective against the president in a new interview, saying ‘his election was such a disappointment to me about the state of the country’ – Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian
Celebrate the holidays Vancouver style with the Georgia Straight's all-local Christmas playlist
The list includes Bryan Adams, Michael Buble and The Be Good Tanyas – John Lucas, Georgia Straight
Eight once-in-a-lifetime Toronto concerts from 2017
From the sweaty end of the Silver Dollar to an unprecedented gathering of Indigenous folk legends, these were the bucket list shows of the year – Staff, NOW
Two decades of funk
The Mellotones turn 20 with a Marquee blowout in Halifax on Saturday – Noah Widmeyer, The Coast
Our film and video history is threatened by the rise of streaming video
For film historians and film buffs, the rapidity with which streaming has supplanted discs and tape as a viewing mode is a bug, not a feature – Michael Hiltzik, LA Times
In the music spotlight: Poi Dog Pondering
The Chicago-based veterans are a sprawling band with more than a dozen members, and they have retained a loyal following – Jeff Elbel, Chicago Sun-Times
Calgary musicians, friends to hold memorial for Funeral Factory guitarist Greg Kucheran
The musician died on Dec. 2 and will be remembered at an event this Saturday – Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald
