Music Biz Headlines, Jan. 3, 2022
A jam session with The Sadies (pictured) and Mike Nesmith is recalled, the shuttering of Come From Away is a major blow, and music notables lost in 2021 are remembered. Others in the headlines include Jay Ferguson, Jean-Marc Vallée, Joni Mitchell, Ralph, Jhyve, Neil Young, SoundExchange, Drake, vinyl, T-Pain, Patti Smith, Ed Sheeran, Janice Long, Flying Nun, and Issa Rae.
By Kerry Doole
The shows must not go on, and for Canadian artists, cancelling holiday tours hurts
Just as Canadian musicians, theatre managers, gallery programmers, film exhibitors and the many, many others who make up this country’s battered arts and culture sector were planning their busy Christmas season, along came a new wave of Covid-19 restrictions. We spoke with a handful of Canadian artists and industry leaders about what it will take to survive a sudden blow of public-health measures. – Staff, Globe and Mail
In Memoriam: a tribute to the musicians who left us in 2021
To the remarkable artists who passed away this year, farewell and thank you. – Andrea Warner, CBC Music
From Sophie to DMX to Bunny Wailer: Here are 15 influential artists we lost this year
A look at some of the innovative musicians who died in 2021 — some widely celebrated and some whose influence you may not have known. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
Sloan's Jay Ferguson discusses his favourite songs of 2021
We've been asking artists for their end-of-year lists, and here is Sloan guitarist/singer Jay Ferguson's Top 11 Songs of 2021. Jay might be the most avid, active music fan in the band -- he managed to get a job as a record store clerk when he was 12 -- and that passion remains to this day. Check out his list and commentary for each pick. – Brooklyn Vegan
To avoid more closings like Toronto’s Come From Away, governments need to support Canada’s performing-arts sector
This is because the reasons the most successful Canadian production of a Canadian show in Canadian history has shuttered permanently less than two weeks after it reopened are as much to do with sluggish policy and inaction from the federal and provincial governments as the Omicron variant. – JK Nestruck, Globe and Mail
Come From Away’s untimely end in Toronto must galvanize calls to save live theatre
In a statement, David Mirvish criticized the lack of government financial support. “In other parts of the world, the government has stepped up to support the commercial theatre sector by offering a financial safety net for the sector to reopen and play during the pandemic, thus protecting the tens of thousands of good jobs the sector creates. That is the case in the US, UK, and Australia – where productions of Come From Away continue to play.”– Lynn Slotkin, Globe and Mail
The time I convinced Michael Nesmith to come to Toronto to jam with The Sadies
Troubled father of alt country struggled to reconcile his Monkees-mocked past. – Michael Hollett, NEXT
How Les Emmerson and the Five Man Electrical Band changed my mother's life
Through both his music and his mom, Emmerson gave my mother the family she needed. – Heather Morrison, CBC News
Toronto-based pop star Ralph shares some New Year’s resolutions
A 2020 Juno Award nominee for Dance Recording of the Year for Gravity, the Etobicoke School of the Arts graduate has decided to take another left turn with this month’s single Gasoline — and trust her gut. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
Actors pay tribute to late Quebec film-maker Jean-Marc Vallee
Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman are among the actors who have taken to social media to mourn the loss of filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée. – Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times
Vinyl pressing plants deal with rising costs, supply chain pain
Supply chain snags and increasing costs are making it a struggle not only for artists to release a timely vinyl version of their album, EP or single, but also for the companies that produce the records themselves. – Spiro Papuckoski, Toronto Sun
As River turns 50, Joni Mitchell releases a video for it
The animated watercolor painting lends the perfect melancholic mood to the untraditional Christmas song. – Holly Gordon, CBC Music
Live music will be uncertain in 2022, but these concerts give us something to hope for
As in 2021, the future of music in 2022 is uncertain with the new Omicron variant, but here are a few concerts to look forward to. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Award-winning song ‘Down’ lifts rising R&B singer back up
A Juno nomination was supposed to kickstart R&B sensation Jhyve’s career — but it took a song called Down to lift him up. – Michael Hollett, NEXT
“One of the greatest theatre artists this country has ever had”: Remembering former director Christopher Newton
Christopher Newton, who established Theatre Calgary and was at the helm of the Shaw Festival for over two decades, died on Dec. 20, age 85. –Karen Fricker & Joshua Chong, Toronto Star
Review: Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Barn
Neil Young’s decision to prioritize immediacy over craft in his later years means these tunes arrive lovingly weathered, but rarely go anywhere in particular. – Andy Cush, Pitchfork
How classical music has pivoted during the pandemic
Organizations such as the HPO, Hamilton Children’s Choir and Brott Music Festival offered concerts online in 2021, Leonard Turnevicius writes. – Hamilton Spectator
Canadian cultural icons who made the arts better in 2021
The Globe and Mail spotlights a handful of people (and places!) who lightened our lives in this up-and-down roller-coaster ride of a year. From Simu Liu to Miriam Toews, a look at the arts heroes of 2021. – Staff, Globe and Mail
Drake is throwing money at companies like never before. What’s his strategy?
Drake’s most recent bets carry all the hallmarks of a hip-hop star’s investing approach: many are consumer-facing brands, often in areas that are buzzworthy and growing fast. – Brennan Doherty, Toronto Star
International
SoundExchange royalties dispute with Music Choice referred to Copyright Royalty Board
SoundExchange launched a lawsuit against Music Choice to recover underpaid royalties in April 2019, following an audit of Music Choice’s royalty statements. At the time, SoundExchange claimed that “Music Choice systematically underreported its Gross Proceeds”, leading to underpayment to SoundExchange for statutory royalties related to its business establishment service. – MBW
It's been a record year for vinyl. Sales of albums hit 30-year high as music fans rediscover decks
The revival of vinyl records has gone from strength to strength in 2021. Sales figures are set to show vinyl sales are at their highest in three decade. The format thrived during the pandemic, with five million albums purchased in 2021 in the UK. This is up 8 percent on 2020, according to the BPI. – Daily Mail
How much do artists make per stream? Here’s the latest breakdown from rapper T-Pain
Rapper T-Pain has reignited discussion about the question that so many in the music industry have asked – “How much do artists make per stream?” – with a new social-media post. – Dylan Smith, Digital Music News
20 independent musician resources you need to see
Looking for some independent musician resources? On top of being an active musician, I research and consume a lot of content. And these are the 20 most helpful resources I’ve come across. – Caleb J. Murphy, Digital Music News
Remembering those we lost in 2021
A look back at those notables in the music industry we lost this past year. –American Songwriter
The 50 best albums of 2021
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! – NME
Tributes paid after trailblazing BBC radio DJ Janice Long dies at 66
The former Radio 1 and Top of the Pops regular is remembered as a ‘broadcast legend and music lover.' Long was an infectiously cheerful and knowledgable voice on a number of BBC stations for 40 years. Long, the sister of the late children’s TV presenter Keith Chegwin, died on Christmas Day after a short illness, her agent, Nigel Forsyth, said. – Mark Brown, Guardian
Issa Rae on the music business: ‘It’s an abusive industry... it needs to start over’
Before she had a finished script, a committed cast or even a solid sense of where her characters might go, singer Issa Rae knew that “Insecure” would have a killer soundtrack. – Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times
The 40 Best Rock Albums of 2021
Featuring Snail Mail, Parannoul, Alien Boy and more. – Paste Staff
Musicians reveal their favourite songs of 2021
Instead of giving you a list of the best tracks of 2021, we thought we'd ask musicians themselves. We got in touch with dozens of artists to ask them for their favourite song of the year (other than their own). – Sky News
David Guetta predicts bright future for dance music
David Guetta has predicted a rosy future for dance music following the pandemic. David Guetta thinks that dance music has a bright future The superstar DJ has worked with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Sia and the Black Eyed Peas. –MusicNews.com
Dundee Music Walk of Fame honours city's big and small stage legends
A memorial walk of fame honouring the stalwarts of Dundee's music scene has finally been installed in the city centre. Michael Marra, Associates singer Billy McKenzie and the Average White Band are among the best known names to feature on the granite path. – Daily Mirror
Flying Nun lands at the Hocken
If the rowdy, punk-infused story of a late-20th-century New Zealand record label doesn't seem a natural fit for one of the most venerable national storehouses of historical documents, think again. The University of Otago’s Hocken Collections is staging an exhibition to mark 40 years of Flying Nun Records, the label joined at the hip with the famed Dunedin Sound. – Newsroom
Just turned 75, Patti Smith receives Key to New York City
“I wish I could give New York City the key to me.” – Evan Minsker, Pitchfork
Ed Sheeran shares plan to “rewild as much of the UK as I can”
"I’m trying to buy as much land as possible and plant as many trees as possible," the Brit pop star declares. Will Richards, NME
How four ’70s-obsessed Italians became America’s favorite new rock band
Måneskin is an almost unnervingly lithe band of 20-somethings who can squeeze into ’70s David Bowie bodysuits (or, as is often the case at photo shoots, squeeze out of them). It emerged victorious at 2021’s Eurovision Song Contest that, decades earlier, gave the world ABBA and Celine Dion; on Friday, it helped ring in 2022 on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.” – August Brown, LA Times
