Music Biz Headlines, May 11, 2020

By FYI Staff

"It's impossible to imagine": Behind the scenes as the Canadian music industry copes with an unprecedented crisis

In late April, Canadian Musician spoke with five prominent people in different segments of the Canadian music industry – an artist and advocate, a manager, an agent, an association head, and a label executive – to get a behind-the-scenes snapshot of the crisis. – Michael Raine, Canadian Musician 

Fast Track: Calgary teen Tate McRae's music career is exploding, but she still has to do her homework

The pandemic has been an unwelcome force in everybody’s life. But for McRae, it has temporarily derailed a career that was moving at breakneck speed up until a few months ago. In January, she released her debut EP, All the Things I Never Said, for RCA Records. It has since been streamed a remarkable 130 million times. – Eric Volmers, Calgary Herald

Michael Bublé gifts grandfather’s Vancouver home to caregiver from the Philippines

Not only did Bublé give grandfather Demetrio Santanga’s home to Minette, a Filipino woman, but, with the help of home designers Drew and Jonathan Scott of the HGTV show Property Brothers, Bublé also renovated the property while the caregiver was in the Philippines for a family visit. – Carlito Pablo Georgia Straight

Playlist: Eight new Canadian songs that scream to be streamed

From Drake to the TSO, some tunes for your consideration. – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

Nav speaks on ‘crazy’ racism he endures in music industry.

The Canadian rapper Nav opened up on the ‘crazy’ racism he endures in the music industry, discussing ‘an element of a race wall.’ – Metro UK

Are "fan pods" the future of concerts?

Live Nation's first post-quarantine concert is Travis McCready in Arkansas – and an extensive list of COVID-19 protocols will be in place. – Richard Trapunski, NOW

Music reviews: Drake flounders on a surprise mixtape of leaks and demos

EVERYSEEKER Festival moves online, continues melting your mind with offbeat art

Over 35 free, streamable pieces of programming means the head trip can't stop/won't stop at the Halifax fest. – Morgan Mullin, The Coast

Covid-19: 9910's beer and merch push supports gig-devastated local musicians

Chug some beers; score some merch; listen to the music. Funny how the simplest components of a live show sound so appealing during the Great Pause of covid-19 — but a downtown bar has found a smart way to simulate and stimulate the local music scene: selling albums and T-shirts, along with beer and cider — most of it local. – Fish Griwkowsky, Edmonton Journal

The curtain will rise for Hamilton at Mirvish, but some ticketholders are still frustrated

You’d think the news this week that producers of Hamilton hoped to resume the hit musical’s Toronto engagement in the next 18 months – at the “earliest opportunity” – would have had theatre-goers cheering. But a communications faux pas led to Toronto’s biggest commercial producer being booed by many ticket buyers on social media. – J.K. Nestruck, the Globe and Mail

London musician reaches out to isolated seniors with video

Playing old-time songs for seniors a few times a month isn’t exactly the dream of many musicians. But for Jonathan Mayorov, it’s food for his soul that has been starving since the pandemic has closed those facilities to visitors, just as the bars and other venues are dark for other musicians. He has made a special video for them too. – Joe Belanger, London Free Press

International

Coronavirus might kill the music industry. Maybe it needed to die

Venues, festivals and musicians face a precarious future, but could Covid-19 be a catalyst for reform in an industry that seriously undervalues its artists? – William Ralston, Esquire

The coronavirus means curtains for artists

The loss of revenue from live events is only the start of this particular disaster. William Deresiewicz, The Nation

Live Nation is planning for crowdless shows and drive-in concerts

On Live Nation’s investor earnings call, company head Michael Rapino said the company would test crowdless broadcasted shows along with drive-in concerts and reduced capacity festival shows over the summer. – Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone 

Superstar manager Scooter Braun gets a writing credit on the new Justin and  Ariana single

Scooter Braun on the future of the music industry post-coronavirus

Debbie Harry, Alice Cooper appear in Suzi Quatro documentary

Suzi Q chronicles the life of pioneering female rocker Suzi Quatro. – Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone

The hard-won liberation of Hayley Williams: ‘It wasn’t beautiful. It was painful’

Like so many, right now, the Paramore singer struggles with the loneliness of isolation, except she has a potentially career-defining album about to drop whose fate has been made impossibly uncertain by the coronavirus. – Ilana Kaplan, LA Times

There was anger underneath Little Richard's surface—It was real, and justified

The music legend didn't just build rock and roll, he was rock and roll. – Dave Holmes, Esquire

Pat Boone remembers Little Richard: ‘He knew he had to be different’

The singer recorded milder, yet more successful, covers of the rock architect’s music and looks back on one of the more controversial relationships in rock history –  David Browne, Rolling Stone

Jagger, Dylan, Quincy Jones react to the death of Little Richard

Music superstars reactions to the death of rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Little Richard, who died Saturday at 87. – AP

Amy Madden just wanted to play bass. That life is gone

It was always hard making a living as a musician in New York City. The quarantine has made it impossible. – Ginia Bellafante, New York Times 

Soundgarden members accuse Chris Cornell’s widow of withholding funds from 2019 benefit concert

The Seattle rock icons filed a countersuit Wednesday accusing Vicky Cornell of withholding money raised through a star-studded benefit concert held last year in the late singer’s honour, instead using it for personal purposes — an accusation Cornell denies. – Michael Rietmulder, The Seattle Times