Music Biz Headlines, March 16, 2020
COVID-19 concerns are wreaking havoc, Rose Cousins (pictured) dances solo, and Shania’s fashion sense. Also in the headlines are Caribou, a famed console, Diego Gomes, Lucian Grainge, Orchid Ensemble, Apple Music, BPI, Blondie, and Mick Jagger.
By FYI Staff
Coronavirus-related cancellations sweep across Canadian cultural scene
Scuttled arts and cultural happenings are worldwide in scope. After New York Governor Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the lights went out on Broadway, where performances have been shuttered until mid-April. Carnegie Hall has also gone dark. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
COVID-19 concerns leading to cancellations of concerts at the Vancouver club level
Already wreaking havoc on international music festivals and tours, the COVID-19 crisis has now begun impacting smaller-scale shows on the Vancouver music scene. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
'Saskatoon has rallied:' Local businesses affected by Junos see community support
Despite the event cancellation, people lined up to buy Juno merchandise on Saturday morning. – Amanda Short, Star-Phoenix
Caribou’s ‘traumas and losses’ and happy times fuel new album
For Dan Snaith, coming back to Ontario is a homecoming. The electronic musician who records and tours as Caribou has been working for the past five years on his latest album, “Suddenly,” which he whittled down to 12 tracks from over 900 pieces of music. – Raju Mudhar, Toronto Star
Rose Cousins is dancing on her own
The singer-songwriter’s new album explains the difference between loneliness and being alone. – Jade Nauss, The Coast
Shania Twain on her best fashion moments, from Leopard Prints to Canadian Tuxedos
Since bursting onto the music scene in the 1990s, the star has served up a number of memorable performance looks on the stage—and she's revisiting. – Vogue
‘The ghost in the machine is the purity’: Legendary console finds an unlikely home in Toronto
Perhaps it’s fitting that, in the era of bedroom hi-fi, the console that Eddie Van Halen used to revolutionize recording resides not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or even The National Music Centre, but rather a coach house tucked quietly behind a Victorian home in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood. – Jonathan Dekel, Globe and Mail
He was supposed to be the next Bieber. By 15, Diego Gomes was forgotten
YTV's 'The Next Star' launched successful music careers but left some to struggle with alcohol, drugs, and self-image. – Nathan Sing, Vice
High culture and temperatures alike await snowbirds bound for South Florida
Orchid Ensemble embraces interculturalism on From a Dream
You’ll want to hear this because it’s beautiful—and also because it’s music that deftly encapsulates the Vancouver experience. – Alexander Varty, Georgia Straight
International
Universal Music Chief Lucian Grainge hospitalized with Coronavirus
Universal Music Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge has been hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus. The 60-year-old is currently receiving treatment at Los Angeles’ UCLA Medical Center, sources said. – Matt Donnelly and Jem Aswad, Variety
Want to show your support for artists hit by widespread gig and festival cancellations? Here are a few practical ways that you can help out, according to artists and insiders. – NME
“Every musician I know is now facing bankruptcy” – the impact of coronavirus cancellations on classical artists
As the coronavirus pandemic impacts all parts of life, society, and the economy, musicians are left to feel the profound financial, artistic and emotional impacts. Concert halls are closed, gatherings cancelled, and large sectors of the economy are paralysed. Many members of the classical audience are self-isolating or just staying home. – Kyle Macdonald, Classic FM
Universal Music’s Los Angeles offices closed after employee contracts Coronavirus
Universal Music Group’s home offices in Santa Monica were evacuated Friday after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus. All staffers were directed to leave the buildings “in an orderly manner,” although the discovery was made toward the end of the day and a source tells Variety that most of the staff had either left for the weekend or were already working from home. – Jem Aswad, Variety
Ticketholders seek refunds as Coronavirus prompts mass cancellations
For many events, it’s not too late to get your money back. – The New York Times
To combat coronavirus, turn handwashing into karaoke with this site
Washyourlyrics.com generates a how-to handwashing poster tailored to song lyrics of the user’s choosing. – Christi Carras, LA Times
Apple Music signs new licensing deals with Majors
Apple Music has inked new, multi-year licenses with the three major music companies — Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Warner Music Group — in recent months, according to the FT, although the deals do not extend to the company’s planned bundles with Apple TV or Apple Arcade. – Jem Aswad, Variety
Highlights from the State of the Hot 100 Top 10: 2019 in Review
Every year, Hit Songs Deconstructed publishes its year-end trend report, which takes an in-depth look at compositional and industry-related trends for the previous year's Billboard Hot 100 Top 10. In 2019, there were 58 songs, 57 credited performing artists, 236 credited songwriters, 90 credited producers, and 14 record labels that landed in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. – Hit Songs Deconstructed
BPI sends 500 millionth URL takedown request to Google
The number of piracy links the BPI has asked Google to remove from its search engine has passed 500 million. – MusicWeek
Metropolitan Opera, after shutting its doors, will offer free live streams in HD
The New York institution is one of several in the city—Broadway included—to cancel performances in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. – Ryan McPhee, Playbill
Why James Bond rejected Blondie's version of 'For Your Eyes Only'
Somebody in the production team saw Blondie as a perfect match for the new direction: a band with humor, wit and intelligence all its own, and in the spotlight at the correct moment. Things didn’t go the band’s way though. – Martin Kielty, UCR
The secret history of Motown’s greatest hits
Motown songwriters Brian and Eddie Holland tell-all about the making of their classic hits. – Rolling Stone
Mick Jagger, 76, joins his son Gabriel, 22, at the launch of his new media platform in London
He recently made a return to the world of acting with a role in the recently released film The Burnt Orange Heresy. And Mick Jagger looked in good spirits as he joined his son Gabriel at the launch of his new positive media platform why now at the Petersham Nurseries in London on Thursday. – Sean O'Grady, Daily Mail
Stranger Things to Uncut Gems: a golden age of electronic soundtracks
Leftfield electronica producers have become cinema’s go-to composers, blurring the boundaries between the dancefloor and the visual arts. – Joe Muggs, The Guardian
