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.
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
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
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
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
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
