Music Biz Headlines: Oct. 16, 2019

By Kerry Doole

My manifesto: Merck Mercuriadis

Was anyone in the industry talking about Merck Mercuriadis a couple of years ago? Well, yes, of course, they were, albeit in a comparatively genteel, low-level kind of way. Now, the modern set of Soho/Shoreditch industry gossip-mongers are more likely to observe: “There goes Merck Mercuriadis, the man who keeps buying bloody everything in sight.” – Dave Roberts, MBW

How millennial Inuits sparked a musical movement

The children of Nunavut, now in their twenties and thirties, refuse to be defined by sorrow or oppression. Young musicians have established Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital, as a cultural hotspot, where they perform songs marked by a spirit of self-determination and new, modern takes on Inuit life. – Brian Barth, National Geographic

The Dead South's musicianship shines on 'Sugar & Joy' album

On a triumphant third studio album, the Regina, Saskatchewan-based band channels traditional country and bluegrass instrumentation with their combination of cello, mandolin, guitar and banjo on each track alongside stirring four-part harmonies. – Annie Reuter, Billboard

Stephen Harper joins advisory board of music royalty app Beatdapp

A Vancouver blockchain startup is adding Stephen Harper to its advisory board, hoping the former prime minister can give it a little help with its expansion plans. Canada’s 22nd prime minister was announced on Tuesday as a member of the advisory board of Beatdapp Software Inc. – Josh O'Kane, Globe and Mail

David Foster produced Celine and Whitney, but what he really wants is an EGOT

For all the accolades showered on David Foster throughout his career -- 16 Grammys and an Emmy among them -- the Canadian music producer is still thirsty for more. The 69-year-old is still missing half of the elusive bragging right, bestowed on an entertainer who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. – CP

Caribou returns with first new music in 5 years

Caribou, the project of Canadian songwriter and producer Dan Snaith, has shared "Home," his first new music in over five years. Caribou last released the tropical, house-influenced full-length Our Love in 2014.Home" is warm, soulful and full of sweet longing. – NPR

See ‘Jagged Little Pill’ cast adapt Alanis Morissette’s ‘Head Over Feet’

Morissette talks breaking into theater, tailoring her best-selling album for the stage. – Suzy Exposito, Rolling Stone

 How ‘Jagged Little Pill’ will rock Broadway

“Jagged Little Pill” wasn’t originally written with Broadway in mind — but the songs on Alanis Morissette’s smash-hit 1995 album do exactly what good musical theater songs should do, according to the upcoming show’s creators and producers. – Gordon Cox, Variety

For the classical Artemis Musicians’ Society, membership has a key requirement

If you attend a performance by the Artemis Musicians’ Society in Vancouver, you will know that all of the people onstage have been victims of sexual assault. That is the point. – Marsha Lederman, Globe and Mail

Toronto slang on the rise thanks to city's growing pop culture relevance

Phrases like 'mans' and 'waste yute' have been around for years, new study says, but Derek Denis says Toronto's growing pop culture profile means the city's local lingo is being adopted by Torontonians of all stripes. – CP

Maple Ridge father/daughter team nominated for five B.C. Country Music awards

Tom and Carly McKillip are up for multiple awards at the 43rd Annual B.C. Country Music Awards (BCCMA). Tom is up for the Best All Star Band – Special Instrument award for his saxophone playing as well as Producer of the Year alongside his daughter. – Ryan Uytdewilligen, Maple Ridge News

Central Nova: Country star George Canyon seeks to unseat Liberal incumbent in Tory stronghold

Country music star George Canyon is a rookie Tory candidate campaigning for votes in rural Nova Scotia and hoping to unseat the Liberal incumbent. – Michael MacDonald, CP

Drake, famous for keeping quiet about his son, makes rare post about him on Instagram

Drake has made a rare post about his first-born. The rapper, who is known for keeping mostly silent about his son Adonis, took to Instagram to wish his kid a happy birthday Friday. – Charles Trepany, USA Today

From Adele to Ol’ Dirty Bastard: 17 cover songs that are so wrong, they’re right

We’re all well acquainted with the dreadful cover version, slightly less so with the cover version that does something so truly magical with the source material that it’s actually better than the original. Here, then, is a playlist of totally-wrong-but-totally-right gems for your listening pleasure. – Ben Rayner, The Star

Summerside musician Alli Walker releases debut CD after 10 years of creating it

Alli Walker is riding a wave of success. After crashing onto the Canadian music scene at the Cavendish Beach Music Festival this summer, the P.E.I. singer-songwriter is celebrating the release of her debut album, The Basement Sessions: What I’ve Learned So Far. –  Sally Cole, The Guardian.pe

People are coming to the realization that streaming is hurting music: Alan Cross

"Earlier this year, I was invited to present something on the subject at a TEDx event in Winnipeg. I called it “Streaming Is Killing Music.” – Alan Cross, Global News

The Halifax Queer Ensemble is here to play

The new ensemble—which is the inaugural artist-in-residence at the Maritime Conservatory—makes space for queer folks in the classical music world. –  Brandon Young, The Coast

New TSO maestro Gustavo Gimeno brings assured baton to the podium

The youthful, Spanish-born maestro led an eclectic program of French and Russian music, augmented by Beatrice Rana. This was the up-and-coming Italian pianist’s debut performance with the TSO, and we can only hope that she will be back. – John Terauds, The Star

A family's quest to find the right home for dad's 8,000 country music records

Amanda Jackson is selling the collection it took her dad 6 decades to amass — but she won't break it up. She's asking $5K for it. – Emma Smith, CBC News · 

Entertainment One quarterly loss widens as film, TV, music unit revenue drops

The entertainment company that has agreed to be acquired by toy giant Hasbro for $4 billion, on Friday reported a widened quarterly loss as revenue in its film, TV and music unit dropped 7.6 percent. eOne's pre-tax loss for its first fiscal quarter widened to 43.9 million pounds ($54.7 million) from 6.8 million pounds in the year-ago period. The latest financial results come before an annual and special shareholders meeting for eOne next week in Toronto where investors will be asked to vote on the Hasbro takeover.– Hollywood Reporter

International 

Billie Eilish, Blink-182, The Black Keys & more set for 3rd Annual iHeartRadio ALTer Ego concert

Hosted by Woody of iHeartRadio ALT 98.7’s The Woody Show, the one-day event will take place at The Forum in Los Angeles on January 18, 2020, and feature additional performances by The Lumineers, Rex Orange County and Shaed.– Celebrity Access

Trading in music’s futures: How to cash in on the industry’s gold rush (guest column)

"There is wealth to be had in this new era, and it’s time to get a piece of it," writes Nick Jarjour. – Variety

Will convicted pedophile Gary Glitter make a fortune from a ‘Joker’ song?

When an artist’s repugnant or illegal past behavior is increasingly likely to attract rebuke, filmmakers and their music supervisors have to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of including songs by controversial or disgraced performers. – Steve Appleford. LA Times

5 rappers dropped from New York music festival at police request

The performers were removed from last weekend’s Rolling Loud festival at Citi Field after the N.Y.P.D. said they had “been affiliated with recent acts of violence citywide.” – New York Times 

Remembering the Muffs’ Kim Shattuck: ‘She is the bravest person I’ll ever know’

On Oct. 18, longtime Los Angeles punk band the Muffs will release their final album, “No Holiday.” Tragically, it will arrive just weeks after singer-guitarist Kim Shattuck, the band’s guiding light and main songwriter, died on Oct. 2, after a two-year struggle with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. She was 56. – Roy McDonald, LA Times

APRA AMCOS reports double-digit growth for members

The Australian pro is on a roll, recording double-digit growth in digital, audio streaming and live music that has seen APRA AMCOS hit a record $471.8 million in revenue the 2018/9 financial year – a 12.3% rise from the previous period. – The Music Network

Cut your own vinyl records with this $1,100 machine

The Phonocut is an analog vinyl lathe, the first consumer device capable of making custom records immediately, right there in your home (assuming you’re willing to pay US $1,100 for the privilege). – Boone Ashworth, Wired

Radio 2 reveals the best-selling albums of the 21st Century

Adele's 21 is the UK's best-selling album of the 21st Century, selling more than five million copies since 2011. The record is more than a million copies ahead of the second biggest-seller, Amy Winehouse's Back To Black. Michael Buble's Crazy Love places eighth. – Mark Savage, BBC 

Prince estate slams Trump use of 'Purple Rain'

The estate of musical legend Prince is objecting to President Donald Trump's use of a Prince song before a campaign rally in Minneapolis Thursday night. The Trump campaign played Prince's "Purple Rain" as the audience at the rally waited for the president to begin speaking.– AP

Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ to be dissected in new documentary

Focusing on the 1980 film, ‘Still Working 9 to 5’ will also explore the social impact of the movie’s iconic theme song. – Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone

Elton John royalty row put mentor Dick James in early grave says the late record boss' heartbroken son

Stephen James, 72, claimed his father - who died aged 65 from a heart attack in 1986 - 'couldn't live with the fact Elton had turned on him' –  Daily Mail

Bedbound and ‘bored stiff’ Ozzy Osbourne cancels European tour dates

Ozzy Osbourne says he’s going off the rails on a crazy train while stuck at home with health woes, but plans to be back on track soon. Osbourne says in a video posted to Twitter last week that in a “bad fall” early this year he “screwed up all the vertebrae” in his neck. – AP

Trace Adkins just got married, and Blake Shelton was the officiant

Country music star Trace Adkins and Canadian actress Victoria Pratt got married on Saturday, the "You're Gonna Miss This" singer announced on Instagram. Blake Shelton, who sang on "Hell Right" with Adkins, was the wedding officiant. This is Adkins' fourth marriage and the second for Pratt. – Daniel Levine,  Pop Culture