By Kerry Doole
Visionary music executive Stan Klees fought to get Canadian songs onto the airwaves
“I’ll tell you a short story,” former music producer and label owner Stan Klees said to The Globe in 2004. “I’m in a radio station, and I’m promoting a record, and a guy opens the package, sees the name on the label, and says, ‘Oh, Canadian …’ and flings the record across the room. It hits the wall and shatters.” – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Alanis Morissette on her uncontainable live energy
Alanis Morissette knows her herky-jerky body movements in concert are unorthodox but says it's because she has so much pent-up energy in her body that she "can barely hold it." – David Friend, CP
Drake’s twice-delayed album For All the Dogs is worth the wait
“Things get kinky after 15 years of dominance,” Toronto’s Aubrey (Drake) Graham raps wearily on the soulful new single 8am in Charlotte. “That October sky is lookin’ ominous …” The track is off his eighth and latest album, the sprawling For All the Dogs, released on Friday. The LP has been long-promised and highly anticipated. Now it is judgment day – the ominous October. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Drake spreads the wealth — and the warmth — in a generous Toronto show
The star showered his personal generosity on certain crowd members he spotted during a two-hour set that lasted past midnight. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
Drake claps back after Joe Budden calls his album trash
Drake trashed Budden as a ‘quitter’ and ‘loser’. – Terry Shropshire, Rolling Out
Drake called out by the Pet Shop Boys for using one of their hits on new song without permission
Billboard launches Canada Edition with AP Dhillon as cover star
Canadian artists are redefining the global music scene. Speaking of their respective experiences in the music industry are Dhillon, Ikky, Aujla. – Rolling Stone, India
Toronto musicians discouraged by decline of local music scene
Erin Benjamin, the CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association (CLMA), which represents Canadian concert halls, discusses the crisis. – CBC News
Fans upset after SZA cancels Toronto show due to illness shortly before doors were set to open
The pop star joins a slew of artists that have cancelled and postponed concerts in Toronto. – Andy Takagi, Toronto Star
New Joni Mitchell box set documents the foundations of one of music’s epochal streaks
Against all odds, Archives, Vol. 3 reveals even more depth to an already-profound legacy. – Saby Reyes-Kulkarni, Paste
Joni Mitchell releases 1972 song featuring Neil Young ahead of album release
Demo recording is a teaser for Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975). – CP
Taylor Swift is the answer to Canada’s economic problems
So the PM, using words borrowed from Swift lyrics, urged her to pay attention to the wallflower Canucks. Talk about aiming low. In reaching out to the world’s biggest entertainment juggernaut, he should have been shooting for so much more. It’s an opportunity to reinvigorate the Canadian economy. And reinvent our industrial strategy. And boost Mr. Trudeau’s popularity. And transform his personal life. – Tony Keller, Globe and Mail
Mother Tongues, purveyors of dream-pop, take a bite out of the big time with their terrific new album
“Love in a Vicious Way” represents a step up for Lukas Cheung and Charise Aragoza, who just played the Garrison in Toronto. – Ben Rayner, The Star
North Preston R&B artist JupiterReign embraces her star turn
The 27-year-old is nominated for four African Nova Scotian Music Association Awards, including Artist of the Year. – Martin Bauman, The Coast
Bruce Cockburn takes us on a leisurely walk to the gates of heaven
Bruce Cockburn performs a solo show on Oct. 11 at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Concert Hall. – Graham Rockingham, Hamilton Spectator
Vivek Shraya makes a case for ‘anti-success stories’ as ‘How to Fail as a Pop Star’ debuts on CBC Gem
“It’s more ‘A Star Isn’t Born,’” Shraya jokes about the series. She also shares her pop music influences. – Briony Smith, Toronto Star
Culture shock
Tired Cossack takes listeners on a journey to Ukraine and beyond. Ben Waldman, Winnipeg Free Press
International
Hipgnosis Songs Fund shareholders reportedly ‘preparing to block’ $440M catalogs sale
Last month, Hipgnosis Songs Fund (LON: SONG) proposed a close to $500M selloff of multiple catalogs. Now, ahead of two high-stakes investor meetings later in October, major shareholders are reportedly preparing to block the transaction. – Dylan Smith, Digital Music News
Mavin Records set for potential sale with Universal Music Group and HYBE among bidders
Mavin Records, the Nigerian label owned by Michael Collins popularly known as Don Jazzy and home to music stars such as Rema, Ayra Starr, and Johnny Drille is seeking investment or eying a potential full sale with bidding coming from the Universal Music. – Business Day
Discogs’ vibrant vinyl community is shattering
A home for music diehards has been fractured by increased fees that are pushing sellers and shoppers to other platforms. – Natalie Weiner, The Verge
Deadmau5 manager, other industry veterans launch The Circuit Group
Music industry veterans from artist management firms Seven20 and AYITA have teamed up to establish The Circuit Group to acquire a 50% stake in artists’ IP portfolios. – Mandy Dalugdug, MBW
Tony! Toni! Toné! say reuniting after 25 years 'Feels Good' - and they're working on something new
D’Wayne Wiggins and Timothy Christian Riley didn’t realize that Raphael Saadiq was planting the seeds for a Tony! Toni! Toné! reunion when he arranged a photoshoot earlier this year. – Gary Gerard Hamilton, AP
On 'Come June,' Mitch Rowland, collaborator to Harry Styles, makes a pretty folk debut
He might not be immediately recognizable to the masses, but multi-instrumentalist Mitch Rowland is a household name to a certain cohort of music obsessives: Harry Styles fans. – Maria Sherman, AP
Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings win big at Bluegrass Awards as the IBMAs seek new home
Tuttle and her band Golden Highway represent a new class of bluegrass, which comes as the awards plan to say goodbye to Raleigh after next year. – GK Woodward, Rolling Stone
Maxwell is readying an album with teenage-era songs but first ‘NIGHT’ must fall
While fans are awaiting the release of his upcoming studio album, “blacksummers’NIGHT,” Maxwell revealed he’s working on a follow-up project that will include songs from his teenage years. – Gary Gerard Hamilton, AP
Theaters look to Taylor Swift to save the box office
Cultural juggernaut Taylor Swift is poised to lift the movie box office still trying to recover from the health crisis and Hollywood strikes. – Reuters
The Greatest Debut Albums of the 1960s
Let's explore the gems by everyone from Nick Drake to Loretta Lynn to The Who. – Paste
On smashing new album Hackney Diamonds, the Rolling Stones shine, recycle and rock
Angry, the hard-hitting single released this summer is the opening track to the forthcoming Hackney Diamonds, an album that leans on history with no shame at all. Indeed, the promotional video for Angry employs archival images of the surviving Stones (Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood) from their most glorious past. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
