Music Biz Headlines, June 22, 2018

By Kerry Doole

Lyor Cohen: "I've always had the gift of being self-assured"

It’s not hyperbole to suggest the YouTube head is one of the most-talked-about – and fiercely debated – music executives in history. The thing is, he knows exactly what you say about him. The good and the bad – Tim Ingham, MBW

Pride 2018: The future of music is queer

With big pop stars letting their queer flags fly, music is basking in the LGBTQ+ rainbow like never before. Artists like Toronto's Witch Prophet are succeeding on their own terms, but the industry needs to realize queerness is more than a trend  – Chris Rattan, NOW

My dinner with Drake

A little over eight years ago, I had dinner with Drake. It was the first and the last time that would ever happen. These days, getting to Drake involves traversing rings of head of state-like protection  – Amos Barshad, Pitchfork

Best albums of 2018 so far

Lily Allen dished on her divorce, Arctic Monkeys found their inner crooners, Cardi B earned her stripes, Pusha T teamed up with Kanye West and the Vaccines made an unexpected classic  –  Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian

Reeperbahn Festival is breaking down barriers and crossing borders

The German fest is a showcase focused on innovation, gender equality, and international music discovery  –  Randall Colburn, CoS

YouTube faces paying billions to music stars after copyright vote

Platforms could have to seek licences for videos after European parliament action  –  Mark Sweney, The Guardian

Caesars Windsor entertainment director credits 'support in the industry' for strike recovery

Former record label exec Tim Trombley is responsible for bringing some of the world's biggest acts to Caesars Windsor  –  CBC News

XXXTentacion: The nasty, brutish and short life of the gunned-down, chart-topping rapper

As he mounted the hip-hop hierarchy, the rapper brawled with concertgoers and tossed verbal barbs at megastar Drake. He allegedly turned his fists on his girlfriend for nothing more than humming another rapper’s track  –  Kyle Swenson, Washington Post

National Indigenous Peoples Day: five artists making change with music (video)

In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day, here's our list of five Canadian Indigenous artists to check out if you want to honour the struggles faced by the country’s Indigenous people  –  Meaghan Brackenbury, rootsmusiccanada

A sneak preview of a Scottish pop exhibition

For a small country, Scotland's contribution to music is long and illustrious; it's scene very diverse  –  Marianne Taylor, heraldscotland.com

'Why women are scared to come forward': Coeur de pirate takes on French critic

"As if I ever saw speaking about an experience that destroyed me as a way to get people talking about me," Béatrice Martin responded  –   Montreal Gazette

The secret soul legacy of Toronto's Cameron House

In the early 90s, it was a platform for some of today’s most talented musicians, artists and poets. Twenty-five years later, Queen West has never been the same  –  Kwame Younge, NOW

Five reasons to see Carly Rae Jepsen with the VSO

The concert will include some of the singer’s most popular songs, including many from 2015’s E•MO•TION and its little sister, 2016’s E•MO•TION Side B  –  Shawn Conner, Vancouver Sun

Rock star Bono’s daughter is on a roll with new film Paper Year

Paper Year, out today, is a Canadian film in which Eve Hewson and Avan Jogia (Tut) play newlyweds enduring a rocky first year of marriage –  Debra Yeo, Toronto Star

Fans grieve as detectives search for XXXTentacion’s killers

For hours, the fans came in a steady stream to mourn and pay their respects at the spot where rapper XXXTentacion was gunned down, some leaving behind expressions of sympathy along a fence and on the sidewalk  –  Terry Spencer and Curt Anderson, AP