Music Biz Headlines, May 12, 2022

By Kerry Doole

Universal Music Group pays huge sum to re-sign Drake

The actual amount Drake has received for resigning with Universal has not been revealed but it is believed to be on a par with the sort of deal a basketball superstar would command in the US. Some estimated it at $400M (US). – Proactive Investors

A complicated past and a beautiful future: The busy world of Tom Wilson

Wilson has plenty on the go, a new documentary, two new albums, an Indigenous scholarship program and more, Graham Rockingham writes. – Hamilton Spectator

Sweet-voiced pop singer Susan Jacks asked Which Way You Goin’ Billy?

The lovestruck, melancholic saccharine-pop classic written by her husband Terry Jacks became the first million-selling record by a Vancouver act. It reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, kept from the top spot by chart-toppers Everything Is Beautiful by Ray Stevens and The Long and Winding Road by the Beatles. – Brad Wheeler,  Globe and Mail

Scenes from aftermath of Kentucky tornado featured in new Three Days Grace video

The hard rock band from Norwood, Ontario travelled to Mayfield to help after disaster that was somewhat overlooked because of other world events. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star

Crown alleges Jacob Hoggard violently raped teen girl, woman in 2016 incidents

Prosecutors allege the Hedley frontman repeatedly and violently raped a teen girl and a young woman in two separate incidents months apart, leaving each of them bleeding, bruised and sore as they left his Toronto-area hotel. In an opening statement to jurors last week, Crown attorney Kelly Slate laid out the evidence prosecutors expect will emerge in the singer’s trial over the next few weeks. – CP

Loved ones asking Vancouverites to be on lookout for missing gear belonging to the late Ziggy Sigmund

Those who were close to Ziggy Sigmund are asking for help locating guitars, amps, and other gear missing since his passing. An integral member of iconic Vancouver acts like Slow, the Scramblers, and Econoline Crush, Sigmund’s death was reported on March 8.  Now his loved ones are trying to piece together what happened to some of the Vancouver punk legend’s most prized personal belongings. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

A broken foot, a broken-down tour bus, an ‘electrocuted’ opening act — nothing will deter Lights 

The 905-bred, Vancouver-based electro-pop Queen of the Geeks played Toronto’s History May 7 as part of the Baby I’m Back road show. – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Les Claypool of Primus looks forward to playing Rush on the Massey Hall stage

The band co-founder talks the “Farewell to Kings” tour, new song “Conspiranoia” and paying tribute to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star

'This is going to be a party': Garth Brooks excited to return to Edmonton for stadium show

Country music star Garth Brooks sold out his June concert at Commonwealth Stadium in less than an hour last, leaving fans to share both stories of excitement and disappointment. Brooks promised a "party" when he appeared on CTV Morning Live, but stopped short of saying more shows will be added if sales go swift. Brooks sold out nine shows in 2017, earning him a banner at Rogers Place. – Sean Amato, CTV News Edmonton

Nilüfer Yanya’s ‘PAINLESS’ marks an impressive milestone in the women-led revival of rock music

The English singer-songwriter and guitarist plays the Axis Club in Toronto on Tuesday. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star

Toronto hip-hop artist Akintoye on his TikTok hit about being ‘sad with pizzazz’

Are you OK?” the TikTok commenter asked. “Like really?” It was a reasonable question. Since joining TikTok in the early days of the Covid crisis, Toronto hip-hop artist Akintoye Asalu has built a name for himself on TikTok with his candid songs about dealing with anxiety and depression. When Asalu saw this expression of concern in his comments, he heard the opening lines of a song. – Adina Bresge, CP

Industrial mall-pop’ and ‘villainous’ slam poetry: Dan Bejar deconstructs Destroyer’s unhinged new album

The Vancouver band  played the Phoenix Concert Theatre on Tuesday. Frontman Dan Bejar told the Star that the songs from “Labyrinthitis” work “shockingly well” onstage. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star

Juno nominee Jayli Wolf risked it all to leave the past behind and find herself

Wolf has lived many lives. Her current one is as a singer-songwriter whose searing reflection on her family’s roots earned a contemporary Indigenous artist or group of the year nomination at the Juno Awards this weekend.  – David Friend, CP

International

Record labels and publishers ink major settlement re US mechanical royalties on physical sales

The groups representing songwriters, music publishers and record labels have now reached an agreement to settle their mechanical royalty rates negotiation. Since 2006, the mechanical rate paid to publishers/songwriters for music purchased on a physical disc (or a download) has been set at 9.1c per track. Last week’s settlement proposes a 32% increase to that current royalty rate, to 12c per track. – Murray Stassen, MBW

Last week, Daniel Ek bought $50m in Spotify stock. Spotify's share price then sunk to an all-time low

Spotify's share price on the New York Stock Exchange closed down 9.78% , hitting an all-time low at USD $94.44. That share price was down by 61% vs the price that Spotify closed on the first trading day of 2022 ($244.16), and was close to a quarter of its peak ($364.59) in Feb. last year. In the 15 months from that peak moment, February 19, 2021, Spotify's market cap valuation has sunk by just over $51B. – MBW

Bob Dylan museum opens in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Elvis Costello, Patti Smith and Mavis Staples were among the dignitaries in Tulsa, Oklahoma, lastweekend for the opening of the Bob Dylan Center, the museum and archive celebrating the Nobel laureate’s work. – David Bauder,AP

Bob Dylan Center: Exhibiting the voice of a generation

Dylan's fans have been trying to pin him down since his first album 60 years ago. He has fled from classification — changing styles and personas whenever they tried to put him in a box. So, it's no surprise that when Dylan played in Tulsa last month, he didn't walk the few blocks down the street to visit the largest effort ever to classify his career: the Bob Dylan Center. The former paper warehouse now holds 100K items from the artist's long-rumored archives. – CBS News

Primary Wave buys Bob Dylan’s share of The Traveling Wilburys

Primary Wave Music has acquired Bob Dylan’s share of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. Included in the deal, according to a media statement, are Dylan’s master royalties and neighboring rights royalties for both Traveling Wilburys albums, as well as the 2007 box set. – MBW

U2’s Bono gives ‘freedom’ concert in Kyiv metro

U2's frontman Bono and his bandmate The Edge performed a 40-minute concert in a metro station in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday and praised Ukrainians fighting for their freedom from Russia. "The people of Ukraine are not just fighting for your own freedom, you're fighting for all of us who love freedom," Bono told a crowd of up to 100. – Reuters

After nearly a decade-long break, Yeah Yeah Yeahs return with a new album, label, and tour dates

This morning brings news that, nearly a decade after its last full-length Mosquito, Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a new album landing in record stores this fall. As yet untitled, the record will see the trio of singer Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase move to much-respected indie heavyweight Secretly Canadian. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

Kendrick Lamar’s 20 greatest songs – ranked!

Prior to his new album, Mr Morale & the Big Steppers, his first since the Pulitzer-winning Damn in 2017, we rate the best of an MC who has a claim to be hip-hop’s greatest. – Alexis Petridis, The Guardian

Paul Kelly song How to Make Gravy to be adapted into a Christmas film

International film rights to the beloved ballad have been acquired by Warner Bros Australia and Megan Washington’s Speech & Drama Pictures. –The Guardian

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical to set up shop in Las Vegas and London

‘Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical’, featuring the music of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, will begin a Las Vegas residency in September and be housed also in London from February 2023.–  Paul Cashmere, Noise11

Rage Against The Machine, MC5, New York Dolls won't enter Rock Hall of Fame this year

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has unveiled its class of 2022. Among those nominated are Eminem and Duran Duran, while those snubbed include proto-punk progenitors MC5 and alt-metallers Rage Against The Machine. A notable presence on the nominees list is Dolly Parton, who had initially said she would decline as to not take the space of someone more deserving. – Cillian Breathnach, Guitar.com

Bob Dylan and Columbia celebrate 60 Years with new “Subterranean Homesick Blues” Video 

In celebration of Bob Dylan’s 60th-Anniversary with Columbia Records, a new music video for his iconic 1965 song “Subterranean Homesick Blues” has been released. The “Subterranean Homesick Blues 2022” video features a collage of kinetic visuals delivered via Interactive Augmented Reality Filter. – Jambands

Duran Duran will reunite with Andy Taylor for Rock Hall induction

Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon said his band was “definitely” planning to reunite with former guitarist Andy Taylor for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction performance. “I’ve already had a definite yes from Andy. He’s definitely up for it,” Le Bon revealed to Rolling Stone, adding that Warren Cuccurullo, who was an official member of the group from 1989 to 2001, would also likely be involved. – Corey Irwin, Ultimate Classic Rock

Here’s the story behind the White House’s secret vinyl collection

It's in storage now, but the Carter administration had thousands of records in the White House. – CoS