Music Biz Headlines, Feb. 5, 2020
The Toronto Blues Society turns 35 (pictured), Drake turns to pot, and Bad Child gets a MVP boost. Others in the headlines include The Judges, Jully Black, Guns N’ Roses, SOCAN, Super Bowl show, SiriusXM, Metallica, Debbie Harry, Lucinda Williams, Billie Eilish, Bob Mould, Britney Spears, and Sass Jordan.
By FYI Staff
Audiam Investors say SOCAN owes them $16 million in performance payouts
The original investors of music publishing rights management firm Audiam are suing SOCAN, which bought it in 2016, claiming they are owed $16 million in performance payouts since the Jeff Price-founded company hit subsequent performance targets. — Ed Christman, Billboard
Toronto Blues Society celebrates 35 years
On the eve of the Maple Blues Awards, we sat down with co-founder Derek Andrews to talk about the past, present and future of blues in the city. — CV Grier, NOW
Is Drake the next superstar of the cannabis industry?
In November 2019, Drake announced his first involvement in the cannabis industry would be a joint venture with Canadian giant Canopy Growth Corporation. The collaboration is more than just another celebrity endorsement. The cannabis and wellness brand More Life Growth is majority-owned by Drake, who has a 60% share of the company, with Canopy holding the other 40%. — Benzinga Cannabis
RBC grant helping local musician grow his success
Kitchener's Bad Child is one of 33 artists selected for the Music Video Production (MVP) Project sponsored by RBC and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. — Ariel Deutschmann, Kitchener Today
Toronto concerts in February 2020: 18 we're most looking forward to
Valentine's Day options for the single and cuffed, plus Poppy, Tory Lanez's early career nostalgia tour, a family affair from Rufus & Martha Wainwright and more. — Staff, NOW
The Judges bang the gavel on Live! Sentence
The songs sound catchier, funnier, and faster on their new Live! Sentence release (recorded live at the Rickshaw). What gives, Judge Derby? — Allan MacInnis, Georgia Straight
Jully Black says vocal cord hemorrhage led to emergency surgery last year
The “Sweat of Your Brow” singer says the combination of prolonged stress on her voice and a lengthy winter flu caused an injury that doctors urged her to deal with immediately. — David Friend, The Canadian Press
Guns N' Roses are coming to Toronto on 2020 tour
Famed rock band Guns N' Roses just announced a North American leg of their 2020 tour, The band will stop at Rogers Centre in Toronto on July 13, marking the only Canadian stop on the tour. — BlogTO
International
Event producers weigh In on Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira
They give the booty-shaking spectacle a high mark. — BizBash
SiriusXM’s annual revenues up 35% n 2019, but Pandora slumps
SiriusXM posted its Q4 and full-year 2019 operating and financial results today (February 4), reporting revenue of $2.1 billion and $7.8bn, respectively, increasing 38% and 35% compared to the prior-year periods. — Murray Stassen, MBW
Who are the way-too-early contenders for the 2021 Grammys?
Listen, we know the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards just occurred. You may be thinking a piece predicting potential 2021 Grammy nominees is a bit presumptuous of us -- but hear us out. — J'na Jefferson, Billboard
Metallica’s James Hetfield returns to public life after rehab stint
The Metallica vocalist and guitarist officially opened his classic car exhibition in Los Angeles last night. — Scott Munro, Metal Hammer
50 great tracks for February from David Bowie, Waxahatchee, J Hus and more
From US Girls’ ritzy funk to Jeff Parker’s melodic revamp of a Joe Henderson classic, check out 50 new tracks and read about our 10 favourites. — Staff, The Guardian
Noah Baumbach casts Debbie Harry as the ultimate Queen of New York
It’s the coldest day of a dreary New York winter, and 74 years old Debbie Harry is posing for the camera in front of a billowing steam pipe in the middle of First Avenue, staring down oncoming traffic in knee-high white patent-leather boots with four-inch heels. — Jenny Comita, W Mag
Where politics and country music collide
In his excellent new book, I’d Fight the World: A Political History of Old-Time, Hillbilly, and Country Music, Peter La Chapelle offers a deeply absorbing chronicle of the intersections between country music and politics. — Henry Carrigan, No Depression
Lucinda Williams talks new album, memoir, Americana and next week's Fort Myers show
She’s won three Grammy Awards and loads of critical praise for groundbreaking albums like “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. But back in the '80s, nobody knew what to make of her. — Charles Runnells, Fort Myers News
Billie Eilish’s bedroom studio costs less than $3,000 — What’s your excuse?
Billie Eilish swept the 2020 Grammys, taking all four major awards. Her bedroom studio where those hits were created cost less than $3,000 to put together — on the high end. — Ashley King, Digital Music News
Bob Mould showcases catalog, ejects right-wing heckler at tour opener
Mould may have embraced a sunnier perspective since moving to Berlin three years ago — as evidenced by his new solo album, “Sunshine Rock” — but he’s still a passionate punk rocker at heart, as one outspoken fan discovered. — Chris Parker, Variety
At the Britney Spears pop-up museum (yes, museum), a vacant Kmart becomes a selfie shrine
ByThe Zone: Britney Spears, an interactive pop-up museum dedicated to the 38-year-old pop star emeritus, is housed in a large building on West 3rd Street in the Fairfax district that until recently was a Kmart. — Molly Lambert, The Los Angeles Times
Concert review: A Bowie celebration
The band was joined onstage by a succession of singers, including Sass Jordan, who took to the stage for different numbers. — Jerusalem Post
