Music Biz Headlines, Nov. 3, 2022

By Kerry Doole

Musicians like me can no longer afford to tour. Live music won’t survive unless the industry changes

“Bands don’t get in the tour van because they think they’re going to get rich—but lately most of us aren’t breaking even." – Rollie Pemberton, (Cadence Weapon),Toronto Life

Blinker The Star releases breakup-fueled single ahead of new LP

The Canadian rock auteur's new album ‘Love Oblast’ will be released Nov. 10. – Jonathan Cohen, Spin

Guelph band Bonnie Trash channels goth inspiration from Italian roots

Bonnie Trash released their first album “Malocchio” on Oct. 28. – Ben Rayner,  the Star

‘I don’t pull any punches’: Hamilton keyboardist locked himself in a cottage to finish song

‘Link’ is the first release from Golden Feather’s Gareth Inkster in a few years.–  Beatriz Baleeiro, Hamilton Spectator 

How TikTok led Canadian R&B performers Shawn Desman and Jully Black to a new generation of fans

Older artists are finding new audiences on the short-form video platform. – enna Benchetrit, CBC News · 

Singer/songwriter Adam Baldwin was ready to give up, then he had a chat with Martha Wainwright

Baldwin is touring and has released a rivetingly heartfelt new solo album, Concertos & Serenades. – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Sirius XM has dropped CBC Radio 3

The Canadian indie music scene is not happy about the move. – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

Sadies visit to Prince Rupert is both cathartic and raw for band members

Music is a healing drug says Travis Good, frontman of the Canadian rock band The Sadies. The group is continuing after the sudden death of his brother and bandmate Dallas Good from a coronary illness in February. – K-J MILLAR, Northern View

Sloan’s Jay Ferguson on the key to band harmony and longevity

Toronto band Sloan are marking 30 years together with the release of their 13th album “Steady.”  – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star

After a summer return of live music, Hamilton artists thank the venues that 'stuck around'

Musicians reflect on the pandemic's impact on the industry. – Juan Jose Zambrano Camargo,  CBC News

International

Universal generated nearly $1B from subscription streaming in Q3, Overall revenues grew 13.3% YOY

Over the summer, Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square predicted that UMG “can grow revenues at an annual rate of 10% or so for more than a decade”. Right now, Universal is meeting that challenge. UMG published its financial results for the three months to end of September on Oct. 27. The company posted Q3 revenues of EUR €2.664 billion (USD $2.68bn) across all of its divisions (including recorded music, publishing and more). – MBW

Sony generated $2.15BN from recorded music and publishing in Calendar Q3 - up 16.4%

Beyoncé's Renaissance was Sony Music's biggest-selling recorded music project in calendar Q3 2022. Sony’s global music rights operation – across recorded music and music publishing – generated USD $2.152 billion in the three months to end of September 2022. – Tim Ingham, MBW

Grainge on the dilution of the majors' music being streamed, Tiktok's future, and more

Speaking to analysts on Universal Music Group‘s earnings call last week, UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge pointed out that the publicly-traded firm achieved a significant milestone in Q3. – MBW

Why Spotify and Apple Music haven't pulled Kanye West's songs

Industry analysts say the decision to take down Ye's music is complicated by several factors, including contract requirements streamers may have with record labels and publishers. – Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times

Apple Music quietly pulls Kanye West Essentials Playlist from platform 

While West’s discography remains intact, a search for the platform-generated playlist — which features a comprehensive, career-spanning collection of an artist’s music — garners no results beyond a blank loading screen. – Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone

Need more news from the Kayne dumpster fire? Here you go

Kanye continues to make life difficult for himself. Here’s the latest. – Alan Cross, Journal of Musical Things

Road weary: Why some country acts are rethinking touring as costs, competition balloon

In a genre in which artists "overplay at every level," many are cutting back or skipping entire markets -- like all of Canada -- in order to trim costs. – Tom Roland, Billboard

This week In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc: David Leaf, writer, director, and producer.

This is the story of David Leaf. It is also a story of Brian Wilson. Los Angeles-based Leaf–a Peabody and WGAW award-winner–has spent almost five decades being around the legendary Beach Boys’ master tunesmith, writing about Brian and his music, thinking about Brian, talking about Brian, and telling us the inside story of Brian’s extraordinary life, and times. – Larry LeBlanc, Celebrity Access

The 25 Best Indie Pop Albums of the ’90s

While alternative rock raged in the 1990s, the softhearted sound of bands like Heavenly, Tiger Trap, and the Pastels welcomed listeners into their own secret world. – Pitchfork