By Kerry Doole
Grant Avenue Studio: "an audacious sandbox"
Hamilton’s recording landmark has a fascinating history, a worldwide reputation and new owners who envision a promising future. It remains a busy recording space, but Grant Avenue Studio simultaneously functions as a living, breathing exhibit of music history. – Kerry Doole, Hamilton City Magazine
Generative AI Copyright lawsuits likely won’t yield results for creative workers any time soon
A full year before generative artificial intelligence services swept the public’s imagination and spooked creative workers everywhere, the Writers’ Union of Canada asked Parliament to protect Canadian authors from the damage the tools could cause. – Josh O'Kane, Globe and Mail
From Scarborough to the Grand Ole Opry: Steven Lee Olsen's career journey
The songwriter behind Keith Urban’s hit ‘Blue Ain’t Your Color’ was working at an Audi dealership in Newmarket when he got his first big break. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
Rufus Wainwright celebrates 50th birthday by covering Neil Young
A version of the track appears on Wainwright's new covers album 'Folkocracy'. – Will Richards, NME
Hamilton is home again for Lorraine Segato
Lead singer for Parachute Club, a longtime social activist and now a member of the Order of Canada, Segato says she may have lived in Toronto for 40 years, but she never really left her hometown behind. – Kerry Doole, Hamilton City Magazine
Come From Away adds 3 shows to Halifax stand
Touring version of smash Broadway musical about Newfoundland will now have 7 performances at Scotiabank Centre Nov 14-19. – Kyle Shaw, The Coast
Vancouver tour date announcements: YG, Tyga, Saweetie, Balkan Bump, Lil TJay, and more
This week’s announcements include everything from rap trios to trumpet players. Mark your calendars. – Chandler Walter, Georgia Straight
International
Now YouTube has raised its monthly price in the US
YouTube has hiked the subscription price for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music for US customers – a move that will no doubt put pressure on streaming giant Spotify to do the same. The video streaming service quietly hiked the price of YouTube Premium to USD $13.99 per month, up by two dollars from the previous $11.99 per month. An annual subscription now costs $139.99, up by $20. – MBW
Spotify to raise flagship premium price in the US
The Wall Street Journal reported on July 21 that Spotify is set to announce price raises next week, with its flagship individual subscription product increasing in the United States from USD $9.99 per month to $10.99 per month – the same rise that Apple Music enacted for its service in October last year. The WSJ additionally reports that similar Spotify price increases are expected to hit “dozens of markets” around the globe in the months ahead. – MBW
Daniel Ek talks AI, artist-centric, TikTok Music, and Spotify price hikes
Spotify‘s latest earnings report, released Tuesday (July 25), showed the company beating guidance on numerous fronts, including monthly active users and Premium subs. Here's a conversation with its head. – Daniel Tencer, MBW
Music label uses AI for song versions in different languages
South Korea’s largest music label HYBE, which manages hit boy band BTS, is using AI to record songs in different languages. While the process currently takes weeks or months to complete, HYBE says it could one day serve a wider range of purposes, including real-time translation. – Reuters
Morrissey rips 'insultingly stupid' Sinead O'Connor coverage
As the world mourns the death of acclaimed Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, Morrissey has criticized media outlets and the record industry for not supporting O’Connor during her life. “She had only so much ‘self’ to give,” Morrissey wrote to his website. “She was dropped by her label after selling 7 million albums for them. – Ultimate Classic Rock
‘Let’s party hard’: Post Malone, man of the people, put on a show of pure euphoria
You could almost feel the G-force of the welcome that the Toronto crowd bestowed upon the 28-year-old performer as he held his Solo cup aloft in salutation. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
Music Review: ‘Barbie’ soundtrack delivers a dreamhouse of Kenergy and ballads alike
The Barbie industrial complex has detonated, coating the planet in pink, sparkly fallout. – Jim Pollock, AP
"Appalled" Miranda Lambert fan speaks out after singer objects to her selfie
Adela Calin, a Miranda Lambert fan who was recently called out by the singer for taking a selfie during a concert, said the incident "felt like I was back at school with the teacher scolding me." – Gabrielle Chung, EOnline
LL Cool J tells Miranda Lambert to 'get over it' after singer stops concert to scold fan
The rapper was baffled by Lambert's decision to halt her own show to chastise fans for taking selfies: “What, do you got rules? ’No yellow shirts!’ Where does it end?” – Marco Margaritoff, Huff Post
Isata Kanneh-Mason: ‘Classical music reflects every human emotion. If you listen, you can understand it’
The pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, 27, has an international career as a soloist and chamber musician, with forthcoming concerts in Lucerne, New York, Seoul and elsewhere. She has a regular duo partner in her cellist brother, Sheku Kanneh-Mason. – The Guardian
Why is Tracy Chapman at the center of a country-music controversy?
The response to Luke Combs's cover of “Fast Car” raises questions about the relevance of race to certain news stories.–The Atlantic
Nils Lofgren is in the E Street Band and Crazy Horse — and still found time to make a new solo LP
The guitarist talks about being in two of rock's greatest bands at once, plus his album that features guest appearances by Neil Young, Ringo Starr, and the late David Crosby. – Andy Greene, Rolling Stone
Nick Cave is currently “finishing” the new Bad Seeds album
The follow-up to 2019's 'Ghosteen' is on the way. – NME
‘Montmartre was dead’: how Paris district has been revived by music
The 18th arrondissement so beloved of tourists has been transformed by indie record labels and musicians. – Henry Young, The Guardian
NME is reigniting its print version after a five-year pause
Music and pop culture brand NME is returning to print after a five-year gap with a new global bi-monthly magazine, showcasing the best contemporary artists and bands, industry insight, expert reviews, and new features. – Ashley King, DMN
The 1975 cancel shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after Malaysia gay kiss uproar
The British pop-rock band the 1975 have cancelled forthcoming concerts in Indonesia and Taiwan after their gig in Malaysia was cut short. The band were banned from playing in Malaysia after lead singer Matty Healy criticised the country’s anti-LGBT laws on stage in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and punishable by 20 years in prison. – The Guardian
The 50 greatest one-hit wonders of all time
From Gnarls Barkley to Dexy’s Midnight Runners to Sinéad O’Connor to Fiona Apple, we ranked the 50 greatest one-hit wonder songs of all time. –Paste
Shut up and (write) the hits — songwriting in the streaming age
Songwriting in the 21st-Century is an increasingly precarious endeavour. We now live in a world where even the slightest similar melodic pattern could send you to court, while AI-driven production could send you packing. Enter the writing room (or pub) to hear from four Australian rock legends who've witnessed this magic. – ABC
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