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FYI

Music Biz Headlines, June 14, 2019

Billie Eilish (pictured) is changing pop, Justin Bieber challenges Tom Cruise, and more on the UMG fire. Others in the headlines include the CMAO, Reid Jamieson, The Trews, Echo in the Canyon, SKOOKUM, Jay-Z, Joy Division, Madonna, Stereolab, John Prine, Bob Harris, and DJ Khaled.

Music Biz Headlines, June 14, 2019

By FYI Staff

Ontario's country music association comes to Ottawa for first time, introduces Francophone category

The plaid-wearing band Les Rats d’Swompe is making a splash on Ontario’s country-music scene as part of a contingent of Francophone artists celebrating a new category at the Country Music Association of Ontario awards, to be handed out at the National Arts Centre on Sunday. –  Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen


Billie Eilish, the people’s pop star, ushers in a new age in music land

Billie Eilish is 17 years old and she is not interested in your nonsense. At a sold-out Budweiser Stage in Toronto on Tuesday, the former social media darling and now the people’s pop star broke rules, danced in unchoreographed ways and was aggressively carefree in front of a legion of girls and young women who screamed here and sang along there. –  Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail 

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Eclectic folk fest changes tempo with hard-rock headliners Damn Truth

A Folk Fest sur le canal co-founder says banjos and fiddles are his bread and butter, but there’s room for bands that think about their craft in “a folky way.” – Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette

Reid Jamieson: Songs of resilience, by adults, for adults

The first thing you notice when listening to his new album Me Daza is Reid Jamieson’s voice. Like lead singer Thom Yorke, Jeff Buckley, or Jeremy Dutcher, Jamieson has one of those rich, resonant voices, with a high-end range that never ceases to astonish. –  Howard Druckman, Words & Music

Ticats season opener a ‘new thing clicking’ for The Trews

Sports and rock ’n’ roll have always found symmetry with The Trews. So it only makes sense that the Hamilton-based rock band is played the halftime show for the Tiger-Cats season opener last night with a nationally televised three-song set.  –  Graham Rockingham, The Hamilton Spectator

Jazz.FM91 gets its voice back after the upheaval of 2018

Heather Bambrick is just one returning voice in the roster assembled by new management following the ouster of the old in February. The lean non-profit had lost listeners, donors and advertisers during a messy, public infight involving staff complaints against management. – Trish Crawford, Toronto Star

Am I too old for the ultimate rock rebellion T-shirt?

Finally, after years of searching, there it was on Redbubble.com: a pre-shrunk, tri-blend, moisture-wicking, ethically sourced Clash T-shirt with an indigo-on-black silhouette of Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision bass guitar.–  Joel Rubinoff, Waterloo Region Record

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Justin Bieber wants to fight Tom Cruise. He should battle his burdens instead

Most of the media was treating this proposed Bieber-Cruise welterweight bout for what it ultimately is: absurd. But assuming this isn’t an inside joke, it is more than just comically random. It is also profoundly sad. Bieber is a lover, not a fighter –  Vinay Menon, Toronto Star

No Love, but lots of love for Beatles, Beach Boys, and Byrds in Echo in the Canyon

It’s clear from the start that Echo in the Canyon is a labour of love for Jakob Dylan, who pursued his obsession with SoCal folk-rock with the help of first-time director Andrew Slater, former head of Capitol Records and also the younger Dylan’s manager. –  Ken Eisner, Georgia Straight

Vancouver park board adds SKOOKUM festival to annual calendar of major special events

The SKOOKUM Music Festival is one step closer to making a comeback in 2020. The Vancouver park board has just voted to add it to the annual calendar of major special events. The board won't allow BRANDLIVE to put on the event without the approval of the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and Musqueam Indian Band. –  Charlie Smith, Georgia Straight 

International

Hip-Hop meets Hoops: Canadian rapper Peter Jackson is the creative genius behind the Toronto Raptors playoff anthem

Ahead of Beyonce and right alongside Drake and Bieber, how an unexpected climb towards the top of the charts in 2016 paved the way for the latest unofficial playoff anthem for the Toronto Raptors.– NBA.com

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Hip-hop's next billionaires: The richest rappers in 2019

Forbes declared Jay-Z hip-hop’s first billionaire earlier this month. Here's a look at those coming up behind, including Drake. – Zack O'Malley Greenburg, Forbes

A list of artists whose masters were lost in the 2008 Universal Studios fire

The ripples are just being felt from Jody Rosen’s bombshell New York Times Magazine exposé on the Universal Studios fire of 2008. The losses felt by Universal Music Group were staggering — not to mention the broader music community.  Yet nobody knew about the horrific losses, including affected artists, their managers, or their estates. That wasn’t by accident. –  Paul Resnikoff, Digital Music News

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A guide to what’s fake in ‘Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story’

Martin Scorsese's new documentary 'Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story' mixes elements of fiction into the narrative. Here’s a guide to the several fictionalized elements of the movie. – Andy Greene, Rolling Stone

Madonna 'devastated' as ticket sales bombing for upcoming tour

Madonna’s upcoming Madame X tour is turning out to be a complete disaster, as RadarOnline.com learned she’s “devastated” that she isn’t selling out in seconds like she once did! Although the 60-year-old singer scaled back to smaller venues for the upcoming tour, it’s not making much of a difference in terms of numbers. – American Media

Unknown Pleasures: Joy Division’s accidental masterpiece at 40

In 1979, four Manchester kids went into a Stockport studio to record a noisy punk record, but came out with something different, darker, utterly astonishing and deathless. –  Ed Power, Irish Times

Stereolab review – art-pop pioneers dance about architecture

Reappearing after a decade away, Stereolab’s blend of pop melody and highbrow lyrics prompt the least likely audience singalongs imaginable. – Alexis Petridis, The Guardian

Bob Harris to pause BBC Radio 2 show to recover from heart scare

Famed country music DJ sustains torn aorta while out walking but tells listeners he is ‘on the road to recovery’ –   Laura Snapes, The Guardian

Kacey Musgraves, Dan Auerbach share John Prine stories as legend joins Songwriters Hall of Fame

In a deserved recognition of artistry and storytelling, favorite Nashville penman John Prine will enter the Songwriters Hall of Fame on Thursday at a ceremony in New York City. The Tennessean asked a handful of torchbearing Americana storytellers about what makes Prine so unquestionably himself. –  Tennessean

Why isn’t Pat Boone in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

If we remove Elvis, Pat Boone would have been the King of Top 40 radio in the ’50s. – Neal Umphred, Medium

A billionaire venture capitalist thinks music as we know it will be dead in 10 years

Vinod Khosla believes that we won't listen to music in a decade. Instead, will be listening to custom made song equivalents that are built around our mood. These tracks could be created by using AI technology, Khosla said.  – Mary Hanbury, Businessinsider

How energy drinks thwarted DJ Khaled’s quest to top the Billboard charts

DJ Khaled’s latest offering was not No. 1 in America, and energy drinks are to blame. His new album Father of Asahd, was bundled wth packs of energy shots (similar to 5-Hour Energy) through Shop.com as his chart-tackling Trojan Horse, and Billboard said this broke its rules. – Travis Andrews, Washington Post

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Sukha
YouTube

Sukha

Chart Beat

'8 Asle' By Punjabi-Canadian Artists Sukha & Chani Nattan Among YouTube's Most Popular Songs in Canada in 2024

The sleek track, which features Gurlez Akhtar, caps off a list that also features Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, and Kendrick Lamar's Drake diss "Not Like Us."

YouTube has revealed the biggest songs of the year in Canada on the platform, and for the second year in a row, Punjabi music is leading the way for Canadians on the list.

"8 Asle" by Toronto-based Punjabi artist Sukha comes in at No. 10 on the list, with 104 million views. The track features singer Gurlez Akhtar and was written by Punjabi-Canadian lyricist Chani Nattan. Nattan signed with 91 North earlier this year, the joint venture between Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India to support South Asian artists, which is clearly showing results.

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