Music Biz Headlines, Nov. 28, 2018
Montreal's famed Archambault sign needs a new home, Shawn Mendes makes the cover of Rolling Stone (pictured), and Drake opens a new store and boosts a Toronto gym. Also in the headlines are Madonna, Stiff Little Fingers, Craig Cardiff, Spotify, Anderson. Paak, Pro Coro, 50 Cent, Ted Joseph, Mick Jagger, Canadian Brass, Diddy, Bring Me The Horizon, Aretha, Chris Brown, Rihanna, and The National.
By Kerry Doole
Malvern rec centre gets fresh look with assist from Raptors, Drake
The Toronto gym is one of four projects sponsored by The Raptors and Drake's OVO. – Bruce Demara, Toronto Star
Iconic 90-year-old Archambault sign in downtown Montreal removed
City in talks to find a new home for the music store's neon sign, building owner Québecor says it never wanted sign gone. – Colin Harris, CBC News
Madonna buys work from Montreal ‘vandal’ artist, shows it off on Instagram
The Montreal street artist MissMe has sold one of her works, a self-portrait from her series “Portrait of a Vandal,” to Madonna. It is a six-foot-high canvas, which depicts the artist in her trademark Mickey Mouse-eared balaclava, lifting her shirt to expose her naked body. – JP Angers, CP
'Ageless, ceaselessly moving wonder': Stiff Little Fingers rocks the Starlite Room
The Belfast, Northern Ireland legends easily turned a sold out venue into a sweaty, moving mass of people grooving to their ’77 style punk/reggae rock stylings. – Tom Murray, Calgary Herald
Local music industry players sound off on streaming woes
Singer-songwriter Danny Michel struck a nerve last week with a piece about plummeting income. Arnprior-based Craig Cardiff says he's built a large following on the streaming platform Spotify. – CBC News Ottawa
Now you don’t have to go all the way to Toronto to get clothes from the famous homegrown rapper’s clothing and lifestyle brand. – Ashley Newport, Insauga
Return to the era of rule-making
Amidst calls for regulation and enforcement, governments worldwide are reforming their copyright legislation to address the growing impact of digital-based services like Spotify and internet platforms like YouTube. – Debora Spar, Hill Times
Review: Anderson .Paak breaks out of his comfortable groove on Oxnard
The album is less cohesive and introspective than his modern day classic Malibu, but it's still a freewheeling and occasionally exhilarating ride. – Del F. Cowie, NOW
Review: Pro Coro choir pushes the cutting edge of new music
Of all of Edmonton’s larger-scale performing groups, it is Pro Coro, the city's premiere choir, who is most likely to give audiences a glimpse into what is happening globally in contemporary classical music. – Mark Morris, Edmonton Journal
This week in petty: 50 Cent bought 200 Ja Rule concert tickets in order to leave the show sad and empty
–National Post
International
Vuuzle Media Corp. hires music industry legend Ted Joseph to unfold its secret technology
Ted Joseph, as the new C.E.O of Vuuzle, will set up marketing and distribution, unleashing the secret technology and its 2-way streaming platform in tandem with its live streaming application early in 2019. – Markets Insider
Spotify is securing rights to booming Indian music market
Spotify plans to rely heavily on its free tier to lure new customers and then convert them to paid subscriptions, a strategy that has worked in other markets. Now it is India's turn. – Live Mint
Kanye, Grammys, Timberlake, more musical moments that haven’t lived up to hype
Not every major musical moment of 2018 has hit its mark. Here are some of the bigger misses. – Maeve McDermott, USA Today
Talent and touring
Mick Jagger on new Stones tour, Aretha, acting and Grammys
Mick Jagger likes a buzz. A natural buzz. The Rolling Stones frontman, who will tour America next spring with his iconic band, says live shows give him a rush that can’t be matched and is the reason that at 75, he still loves touring. – Mesfin Fekadu, AP
Brassed off: Morristown's Mayo PAC hosts Canadian Brass musicians
The Intelligence and Security Committee, which investigated five terror attacks that took place in 2017, said there were problems with the handling of the case of 22-year-old suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who killed 22 people attending an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. – AP
Diddy shares heartfelt message about late ex-girlfriend Kim Porter on day of her funeral
On the day of her funeral, Kim Porter was remembered by former boyfriend Diddy on Twitter. The rapper tweeted a heartfelt message about the late model, actress and mother of three of his children on Saturday. – Sara Moniuszko USA Today
Bring Me the Horizon review – boyband headbangers help vent teenage angst
Ahead of their forthcoming sixth album, the Sheffield pop-metal band provide catharsis but stop short of being true spokesmen for a troubled generation. – Dave Simpson, The Guardian
Aretha Franklin's Detroit mansion sells for $300,000
The 1927 home is one of several belonging to the soul singer, who died in August. – Amy Walker, The Guardian
Chris Brown comments on Rihanna Instagram posts draw reaction from her fans
Her ex-boyfriend, convicted of assaulting her in 2009, Brown commented on two sexy Instagram photos she posted. – Frank Lovce, Newsday
Minimum Gauge: Indie rock giants The National continue their mission to become Thanksgiving music icons with their new song
Compared to the holidays that bookend it — Halloween and Christmas — Thanksgiving doesn’t seem to generate much song material, but The National are an exception. – City Beat
WWE Superstar’s new song hits a milestone on Spotify
R-Truth's expansion into the world of music has been well documented, and it appears to be paying off. WWE has announced that Truth’s new single ‘That’z Endurance’ has hit 100,000 streams on Spotify and continues to grow. – Wrestle Zone
