Music Biz Headlines, Jan. 7, 2019
Erin Costelo (pictured) gets the documentary treatment, a tribute to David Sinclair, and R. Kelly's misdeeds are probed. Also in the headlines are The Pursuit Of Happiness, Angel Blue, classic '90s albums, Faith/Void, Joseph Shabason, new music books, TSO, Coachella, album sales, British rap, Universal Music, NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll, YouTube, Ed Sheeran, Latin music, and RIAA.
By Kerry Doole
Books about music blast away January blahs
The darkest time of the year needs some music to brighten things up. New titles include looks at Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Stephen. – Sarah Murdoch, Toronto Star
Everything you missed at the Drake Hotel's three-floor New Year's Eve party
The Headlines NYE party featured a stacked lineup of local hip-hop and electronic musicians including Ryan Hemsworth, Sean Leon, Jimmy Prime and more. – Claudia McNeely, NOW
Rising hip-hop phenom Noname is making her mark
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Obituary: David Sinclair, a musician's musician
The easy-going guitarist played with a who's-who in Canada, including Sarah McLachlan, k.d. lang, and his own band, Straight Lines. – John Mackie, Vancouver Sun
Throwback Thursday: 25 classic albums turning 25 in 2019
There’s an argument to be made that 1994 was one of the best years ever for music. Grunge and alt-rock saw some of their biggest releases. – Dave Breakenridge, Edmonton Journal
HiHo Kids meet Angel Blue in a viral video that puts the pop back into opera
Earlier this year, the opera world had one of its few-and-far-between viral videos. It’s an episode of the Kids Meet series by YouTube’s HiHo Kids. Soprano Angel Blue – whom Toronto audiences can hear live as Mimi in the Canadian Opera Company’s 2019 production of La bohème – sits for several interviews with kids and she answers their questions about her very cool job. – Jenna Simeonov, Globe and Mail
Seven Nines and Tens' David Cotton on releasing cassettes in a digital age and mixing stoner metal with jazz
Coup Sur Coup Records has released Satisfy the Faction, a comprehensive document of a decade's worth of recordings by Cotton's band, Seven Nines and Tens. Satisfy the Faction came out in the form of a double-cassette boxed set. – John Lucas, Georgia Straight
30 years later, the Pursuit of Happiness is back on its feet
“Gotta get up and take on that world,” Moe Berg sang ages ago. “When you’re an adult it’s no cliché, it’s the truth.” When he wrote that line from the sardonic Pursuit of Happiness hit I’m An Adult Now, Berg was in his 20s, soon to be a rock star. About three decades later, Berg is 9-to-5-ing and pushing 60. He’s no longer a rock star. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Faith/Void is closing in February
The multi-purpose venue and record store was a champion of DIY in Toronto’s music and arts scene. – Michael Rancic, NOW
Toronto musician turns his mother’s reflection on her Parkinson’s disease into new album
In recent years, Joseph Shabason has been forced to reckon with the hard realities of having a family member stricken with Parkinson’s disease. The experience inspired his new album. – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
Erin Costelo doc airs on CBC
The making of Sweet Marie was directed by the Halifax singer's good friend Amelia Curran. – Tara Thorne, The Coast
Five Songs About the music industry
In this edition, we bring you five songs about the music industry itself. SPOILER ALERT: people don't tend to write songs about the music biz when they're feeling good about it. – John Lucas, Georgia Straight
Atlanta symphony’s struggles shed light on TSO’s challenges
Symphony orchestras across the country are fighting for audiences in these days of abundant leisure-time options, to find them, to expand them and often just to hold onto them. – William Littler, Toronto Star
Coachella either gets it kind of right or mostly wrong with the announcement of 2019 headliners
Considering rap pretty much ruled everything the past 12 months, there’s a case to be made that the 2019 edition of Coachella got things at least partly right on the headliners’ front. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
International
Album sales are dying as fast as streaming services are rising
Music consumption shot up in 2018, no thanks to the album or song sales. – Amy Wang, Rolling Stone
'Rappers are growing up': Tiffany Calver, the new voice of BBC rap, on 2019's hip-hop trends
As the first woman to present the BBC Radio 1 Rap Show, Calver explains where the genre is heading – from mental health themes to female empowerment. – Ammar Kala, The Guardian
After widespread complaints, Coachella is enacting a new anti-sexual harassment policy. But is it enough?
Music festivals have always been places for escape and community. But amid the groundswell of the #MeToo movement, the spotlight has grown to include not just artists but the fests’ own longstanding problems around sexual harassment and assault. – August Brown, LA Times
Universal Music Group buys House of Blues Studio for $4.3M
Universal Music Group purchased the House of Blues recording complex in Berry Hill in November, continuing the company's aggressive investment in major recording studios. UMG also owns famed London's famed Abbey Road Studio, which it recently renovated, and LA's Capitol Studios. – Nate Rau, Nashville Tennessean
Lady Gaga, Jay-Z allegedly declined to appear in Surviving R. Kelly docu-series
Executive producer dream hampton claims the R&B singer’s former collaborators Céline Dion, Erykah Badu, Dave Chapelle and Questlove also turned down interviews. – Laura Snapes, The Guardian
How the music industry overlooked R. Kelly's alleged abuse of young women
McPherson, who has since left Sony, did not respond to multiple interview requests. He is far from the only industry figure who worked with Kelly and benefited from the partnership, even as a cloud of allegations - mostly involving the sexual abuse of young women - began to grow around the star. – Washington Post
The 2018 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll
NPR Music's 6th Annual Jazz Critics Poll places Wayne Shorter's Emanon as Album of the Year. – Francis Davis, NPR
YouTube's streaming domination clips the market’s wings
For all the media attention given to Spotify and Apple Music, YouTube is still the world's most popular music streaming service. But its unique licensing position and massive free offering often have a negative effect on the entire music streaming market. – Mark Mulligan, MIDiA
Latin albums are now more popular than country albums in the U.S.
A new report from the data company BuzzAngle suggests that consumption of Latin music continued to blossom in 2018. – Elias Leight, Rolling Stone
RIAA names Mitch Glazier Chairman, CEO and Michele Ballantyne COO
Mitch Glazier has officially taken the helm as the chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), replacing Cary Sherman. Ballantyne has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the music industry trade group. – Hypebot
Ed Sheeran to face trial over claims he copied Marvin Gaye
A judge ruled his song Thinking Out Loud was similar to Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, so a trial in New York City looks possible. – Harriet Alexander, The Telegraph
Diljit Dosanjh photographed by Lane Dorsey on July 15 in Toronto. Styling by Alecia Brissett.
Diljit Dosanjh photographed by Lane Dorsey on July 15 in Toronto. Styling by Alecia Brissett.
Diljit Dosanjh photographed by Lane Dorsey on July 15 in Toronto. Styling by Alecia Brissett. On Diljit: Hermès shirt & pants.
Diljit Dosanjh photographed by Lane Dorsey on July 15 in Toronto. Styling by Alecia Brissett. On Diljit: EYTYS jacket