Music Biz Headlines, Feb. 26, 2020
Guitar wizard Domenic Troiano (pictured) is profiled, Sarah Harmer reflects upon spring, and the streaming boom continues. Also in the headlines are Grimes, Jagged Little Pill, Mark Cohon, VSO, Justin Haynes, Paul Rosenberg, Sega, Rihanna, TikTok, Miles Davis, Bushfire Relief, Plácido Domingo, and Kraftwerk.
By Kerry Doole
Fret Fever: Domenic Troiano’s extraordinary life as a music influencer & inspirational mentor
Big-hearted. Legendary guitarist. Mentor. In a time not so long ago, guitarist/songwriter Domenic Troiano was caught up in the very middle of the massive cultural changes sweeping the world of music. – Ashley Jude Collie, Medium
Richmond Hill arts cuts anger residents
A Richmond Hill-based director, whose film starring Chantal Kreviazuk is currently streaming on Netflix thanks in part to an arts grant he received from the city, is blasting council after it voted to cancel all funding to arts and culture projects. – Noor Javed, Toronto Star
Sarah Harmer talks about spring and new beginnings
The Canadan folk songstress is No Depression’s Spotlight artist for February. Her new album, Are You Gone, is now out. – No Depression
Grimes ponders the end of the world on Miss Anthropocene
If you took a quick glance at the track listing of the new Grimes album and saw that it includes such titles as "Darkseid" and "New Gods", you could be forgiven for assuming that Miss Anthropocene is a concept album inspired by Jack Kirby's work. – John Lucas, Georgia Straight
‘Jagged Little Pill’ the musical offers a whole new generation permission to be angry
A few weeks after I turned seven in 1995, I was introduced to female rage. A babysitter had MuchMusic on TV and I glanced over to see a young woman in an oversized white dress shirt and leather pants shouting through a mane of long, black coils. – Carly Maga, The Toronto Star
CARAS, Juno Awards chairman Mark Cohon talks 2020 Juno festivities
The Juno Awards don’t come to Saskatchewan very often, but CARAS chair Mark Cohon is pretty familiar with the province since his time as commissioner of the CFL. – Matt Olson, The Star-Phoenix
When I first began hearing about hologram concerts I scoffed. A gimmick, I thought. A money grab. You can’t share an experience with a digital fabrication, no matter how real it might seem. – Marsha Lederman, The globeandmail.com
Friends of Justin Haynes unite in support of affordable housing
On what would have been the Toronto musician's 47th birthday, the musician/activist's friends and collaborators will play his songs. – Richard Trapunski, NOW
Why is my favourite band not as famous as they should be? It’s complicated
We’ve all been flummoxed by why certain artists, songs and albums aren’t as popular as we think they should be.The history of music is filled with stories of excellent musicians who never achieved the fame and recognition that they perhaps deserve. – Alan Cross, Global News
International
The CDC warns Americans should expect “a significant disruption” due to Coronavirus
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control warned that the coronavirus will almost certainly begin spreading in communities in the US and that Americans should begin making preparations now. – Celebrity Access
The major labels now earn over $1M every hour from streaming
We all have bad days. Bad hair days, bad work days, bad weather days. Bad days. This truism does not appear to apply, however, to the modern major record company. According to new MBW analysis of official fiscal numbers, the recorded music divisions of Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group jointly generated $22.9m, on average, every 24 hours in 2019. That's just under $1 million every hour between the 'Big Three'. – Tim Ingham, MBW
Def Jam CEO Paul Rosenberg steps down
He has resigned his position to launch Goliath Records, a new joint venture with Universal Music Group (UMG).Rosenberg will also maintain his role as President of Shady Records, Eminem’s joint venture with UMG. – Murray Stassen, MBW
Sega invests in music startup Flutin
Sonic publisher's efforts to expand into other areas of entertainment continue with indie artist discovery app. – James Batchelor,Games Industry
‘It feels like an extra limb’ – musicians on the bond with their instruments
Horrible things happen to instruments in transit – as Ballaké Sissoko and others have recently learned. Five musicians explain why the damage goes more than skin deep. – Michael Hann, The Guardian
Rihanna calls for unity at NAACP Image Awards: "We can fix this world together"
A cold pouring rain wasn’t enough to keep celebrities such as Rihanna, Lizzo, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx away from the Pasadena Convention Center on Saturday afternoon, where dozens of stars turned out for the 51st annual NAACP Image Awards, recognizing the achievements of people of color in TV, music, literature and film and those who promote social justice through creative endeavors. – Alex Cramer, Hollywood Reporter
10 musicians taking on the climate crisis
Be it Nina Simone and James Brown for civil rights, Joni Mitchell and Marvin Gaye for the environment, or Jackson Browne and Buffalo Springfield for nuclear disarmament, musicians have long helped push social movements into the limelight. Today, when it comes to the climate movement, that reality is no different. – Ecowatch
TikTok nabs exclusive BTS premiere for the K-pop stars' new single 'ON'
Further evidence of TikTok’s growing clout in music is the news that the platform has nabbed the exclusive premiere of a clip from a new BTS single, ON, taken from the K-pop superstars’ upcoming new album MAP OF THE SOUL: 7. – Murray Stassen, MBW
'It sounded like the future': behind Miles Davis's greatest album
On the 50th anniversary of Bitches Brew, one of the contributing musicians and the director of a new documentary share their thoughts on the record. – Jim Farber, The Guardian
Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X & more set for World Tour Bushfire Relief Concert in Australia
Miley Cyrus has been tapped to headline the World Tour Bushfire Relief charity concert at Melbourne, Australia's Lakeside Stadium on March 13. – Mitchell Peterson, Billboard
Plácido Domingo apologizes for ‘hurt that I caused’ as investigation finds misconduct
Fallen opera star Plácido Domingo released a statement to The LA Times late Monday night apologizing for the behavior that led to a series of sexual harassment allegations last summer and culminated in his resignation as general manager of Los Angeles Opera in October. – Jessica Gelt, LA Times
Kraftwerk announce 50th Anniversary Tour
The electro pioneers have announced a 3D North American tour to celebrate their 50th anniversary wth a career-spanning set this summer. Dates include Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. – Nina Corcoran, Consequence of Sound
A TV musical remade a Beatles classic — with ‘Help!’ from San Francisco, 70 singers
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” features Zoey standing in a San Francisco intersection, surrounded by 70 strangers belting out the Beatles hit: “Won’t you please, please help me?” This anthemic rendition of “Help!” is the first major musical moment of the NBC series. – Ashley Lee, LA Times
