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FYI

Music Biz Headlines, Jan. 10, 2018

A new documentary explores the fascinating history of Berlin's Hansa Studios. Those also in the headlines include Joan Baez, Bono, Toscanini, Yoko Ono, The Killers, Jimmy Iovine, Lana Del Rey, Lenny Breau, George Michael, and Pat DiNizio.

Music Biz Headlines, Jan. 10, 2018

By Kerry Doole

Hansa Studios: By The Wall 1976-90, Sky Arts — strange nostalgia

The documentary provides a peek into the legendary music studio by the Berlin Wall. Bowie, Iggy and Nick Cave's The Birthday Party all recorded there  –  FT 


Joan Baez talks 'new way of expressing myself' on her first album in a decade

The singer also discusses retiring from the road, and the "pretty fucking gloomy" outlook that inspired her new album 'Whistle Down the Wind' –  Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone

Sure, we streamed a lot in 2017, but we didn't own our music

At the risk of getting all 'wake up sheeple!!' I wonder what this new growth for the business means for us, the music lovers –  Tshepo Mokoena, Noisey

Lithuanian company linked to Bono fined after Paradise Papers revelations

The company agrees to pay €53,000 in back taxes following investigation, as U2 frontman ends his minority investment –  Hilary Osborne, The Guardian

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New biography on Toscanini should win music book of the year

Harvey Sachs’ latest book, Toscanini Musician of Conscience, is the definitive biography of a legendary figure in the music world –  William Littler, Toronto Star

Killers concert was hot but left fans out in the cold

Montreal fans shut out in the cold before being able to enter Place Bell –  T'Cha Dunlevy, Montreal Gazette

Yoko Ono to be reinterpreted by three Toronto musicians

The Element Choir, Mamalia and Lillian Allen take the artist at her word and will push their voices to the limit at the Gardiner Museum at a Feb. 23 show –  NOW

Lana Del Rey says Radiohead suing over song's similarity to Creep

The singer-songwriter tweeted ‘it’s true about the lawsuit’, saying Radiohead are asking for 100% of the publishing royalties to her track Get Free –  Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian

Interview: Jimmy Iovine on 'The Defiant Ones,' future of streaming, and why he is never satisfied

The record industry titan discusses his acclaimed film and many other topics  –  Shawn Setaro, complex.com

The working relationship of Lenny Breau and Ron Halldorson

The Canadian guitar virtuoso and the bassist made musical magic together –   Marc Myers, JazzWax

Row over George Michael’s garden shrine puts future of site in jeopardy

Residents object to mess, but there are no settled plans for an alternative memorial to the singer –  Vanessa Thorpe, The Observer

Guest stars announced for Pat DiNizio Smithereens tribute at the Basie Theatre in New Jersey

An illustrious list includes Stevie Van Zandt, Patty Smyth, Ted Leo and Marshall Crenshaw – Chris Jordan, app.com

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Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​
FYI

Executive of the Week: Justin West of Secret City Records on the Secrets of Independent Music Success​

The man behind one of Canada's most successful indie labels talks about the late-blooming success of French-language streaming record-holder Patrick Watson, why he builds long-term relationships with artists, and why it's important for the indie sector to work together.

Justin West is a leader and advocate in Canada’s independent music scene, but he didn’t plan it out that way. When he started his record label Secret City Records in Montreal in the mid-2000s, it was out of necessity. He had met an artist he loved and wanted to build a career with, and the label was a means to do it. That artist was Patrick Watson, and 20 years later he — and Secret City — are more successful than ever.

West — a multiple time Billboard Canada Power Player – leads one of the biggest indie labels in Canada while also advocating for the sector on multiple boards both locally and internationally. When we speak to him for this Executive of the Week interview, he’s just returned from Banff for the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, and is a central figure in discussions around the Online Streaming Act and collective negotiations with online streaming platforms.

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