Music Biz Headlines, Dec. 6, 2019

By FYI Staff

Drake is Spotify’s most streamed artist of the decade

It was the decade of Drake on Spotify. The company says the Toronto rapper was its most-streamed artist of the decade, both globally and in Canada. –  CP

The wonder of Whoop-Szo 

Anishinaabe shoegazed-streaked metal sees this five-piece rock you gently with tunes that are anything but. – Morgan Mullins, The Coast

Stars: Together is a curious, cathartic look at band life

Canadian indie act makes good on their dramatic rep with an unpredictable stage play that blends jubilant performances with humour, emotion and plenty of meta-commentary. –  Natalia Manzocco, NOW

10 good reasons to go see the Drive-By Truckers this spring

My favourite band of all time is the Beatles and my favourite band right now is the Drive-By Truckers. You probably already know what the Beatles are all about, but in case you're not familiar with the DBTs, here are 10 reasons why you should try to see them when they play the Commodore on March 17.  – Steve Newton, Georgia Straight

Does listening to Christmas music too early spoil the eggnog?

Vancouver musicians Veda Hille and Sam Parton debate when people should drop the needle on holiday tunes.  – Jake Costello, CBC News 

Catching up with the Crash Test Dummies 

It's been over two decades since God Shuffled His Feet—but as a sold-out show last weekend proved, Halifax still brakes for the Winnipeg folk-rock five-piece.  – Erin Christie, The Coast

Pharrell Williams' condo project has released the first photos & It's jaw-dropping

Pharrell Williams has been involved with some of the most iconic songs of the past 15 years, and he's now getting in on Toronto's juicy condo market, as a designer.  – Narcity

What will happen to music in the next decade? Here are 10 predictions from me (and a few others)

Whenever I hold an event with a Q&A portion, someone inevitably asks “Now that we’re streaming so much music, what comes next?” An excellent question. – Alan Cross, AJOMT

This has to be some kind of record: Seniors aged 88 and 102 release their debut al

Age is but a number, right? If you need more proof, say hello to Alan R. Tripp and Marvin Weisbord, a couple of Pennsylvania seniors aged 88 and 102, have just released their debut record. – Alan Cross, AJOMT

International

Musicians plan to remove their music from Amazon to protest its ties with ICE

A group of musicians and activists is calling for artists to pull their music from Amazon’s music streaming service until it ends its relations with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), as spotted by Stereogum. The group, No Music For ICE, was formed under the nonprofit advocacy group Fight for the Future last month. – Dani Deahl, The Verge

Music subscriber market shares H1 2019

The global streaming market continues to grow at pace. At the end of June 2019 there were 304.9 million music subscribers globally. That was up 34 million on the end of 2018, while the June 2018 to June 2019 growth was 69 million – exactly the same rate of additions as one year earlier. Spotify remained the clear market leader with a global market share of 35.6%. –Muscindustryblog

Here comes the merch: Sony strikes deal for Beatles memorabilia

Sony Music Entertainment has signed an agreement to be the exclusive North American purveyor of Beatles T-shirts and other memorabilia, the latest sign of the increasing importance of such sales for musicians and record companies. –  Anne Steele, Wall Street Journal

The 50 Best Albums of 2019

From ‘Lover’ to ‘Cuz I Love You,’ ‘Death Race to Love,’ and beyond, here are the records that defined the year.– Staff, Rolling Stone

Oprah Winfrey co-producing documentary on sexual assault in music industry for Apple TV+

The documentary, produced by Winfrey with Impact Partners and Jane Doe Films, will follow a former music executive deciding to take public her story of assault and abuse by "a notable figure in the industry." –  All Access

Are TikTok and Bytedance about to become a real problem for Spotify?

Last month, we learned from mobile activity monitor Sensor Tower that TikTok has now been downloaded more than 1.5 billion times across the world. – Tim Ingham, MBW

Goa gets the best of jazz at this fest

Toronto's Shuffle Demons were amongst the highlight performers. –Times of India

The 10 Best Albums of November 2019

November is essentially the last gasp for air in the album release schedule, apart from the few December LPs, Christmas records or perhaps a surprise-released bombshell. Several of these November albums were among our favorites of the year. –  Staff, Paste

Alicia Keys, Megan Thee Stallion & Rosalia to be honoured at Billboard's 2019 Women in Music

Billboard's 14th annual Women in Music event will see the stars celebrated for their contributions to female empowerment. Keys will be honoured with the American Express Impact Award for her work with She is the Music. –  Rania Aniftos, Billboard

50 Songs for a New L.A.

From Ice Cube to Lana Del Rey, from Slauson to Silver Lake, a panoramic playlist for our city. – Randall Roberts, LA Times

Who cares if Billie Eilish has never heard of Van Halen? She’s 17!

If you were outraged because Billie Eilish has never heard of Van Halen, I have some terrible breaking news: you are even older than you think. – Vinay Menon, The Star