Music Biz Headlines, Oct. 27, 2022

By Kerry Doole

A Ticketmaster class-action lawsuit was filed in Canada 

Did you buy tickets to an event that was cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19? You could get a free gift card. – Narcity

‘No interest’: Vancouver fans want Arcade Fire refunds amid allegations against frontman 

Ticket holders to an Arcade Fire concert in Vancouver in November are upset that Ticketmaster won't give them refunds now that the lead singer faces sexual allegations, and two high-profile opening acts have pulled out of the tour. Aaron McArthur reports.– Global News

Alex Lifeson honors Tom Cochrane with SOCAN Cultural Impact Award

"Tom is an amazing artist and songwriter, and with 'Life Is a Highway,' he created the perfect analogy of what we all go through." – Karen Bliss, Billboard

Hamilton electronic pop duo Junior Boys release first album in six years

‘Waiting Game’ will be released Oct. 28, Graham Rockingham writes. It showcases a mellower JB sound. – Hamilton Spectator

Canadian songs played far less often on streaming platforms than on radio, warns royalties body

Canadian songs, especially those written or performed by Quebec artists, are being played far less often on streaming platforms than on radio, and the situation could get worse, the society that collects royalty payments in Canada warned a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. It predicted that Canada’s songwriters could see incomes plummet as more people turn to streaming services such as Spotify for their music – unless such platforms are forced by law to promote more Canadian songs. –  Marie Wolff, Globe and Mail

She sang Drinking in LA's iconic hook — but the record label erased her from the band for being Black

On Q, Bran Van 3000 singer Stéphane Moraille recalls "the day I found out what 'urban' meant." – CBC News

Play De Record was ground zero for Toronto vinyl lovers

Documentary “Drop the Needle” recounts Eugene Tam’s role in developing Canada’s hip-hop and dance music scene through his Toronto store Play De Record. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star

Smiling Joni Mitchell, 78, says she is excited to be 'alive'

The folk icon grabs lunch with pals after confirming first headlining concert in more than 23 years. –  Daily Mail

Michael Bublé guest judges Dancing with the Stars

The Grammy- and Juno-winning singer evaluated the 10 remaining duos who will dance to selections from his musical catalogue on Monday. – Noel Ransome, CP

Nickelback announces first shows in three years

The Canadian rockers will play three intimate shows next month to celebrate the release of their new album, "Get Rollin'". The first is at History in Toronto, Nov. 15. – Blabbermouth

Kid Koala’s high-concept project ‘The Storyville Mosquito’ is at the Bluma Appel Theatre

Montreal “turntablist” Eric San a.k.a. Kid Koala and his large entourage of puppeteers, camera operators, musicians and assorted technical wizards are touring the kid-friendly “theatrical cinema experience.” – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Hedley singer Jacob Hoggard sentenced to 5 years in prison, granted bail pending appeal

Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard was recently sentenced to five years behind bars in the sexual assault of an Ottawa woman, an offence the presiding judge called a “particularly degrading rape.” – Liam Casey, The Canadian Press 

In "Instant Cash for Gold", Jill Barber sends a message that playing music has its challenges

There’s perception, and then there’s reality, the latter playing an understated but significant role in Jill Barber’s new video for “Instant Cash for Gold.” – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

New song ‘Lustre Parfait’ offers sample of posthumous Gord Downie, Bob Rock album

Metallica producer Bob Rock is serving a taste of his collaborative album with Gord Downie. – David Friend, CP

Why playing film scores as a live orchestra is a herculean feat

The TSO is among the world’s best orchestras, and film music has become the thrilling, mainstream space for today’s symphonic music. – Jenna Simeonov, Globe and Mail

Zac Brown Band says Vancouver show cancelled after crew members turned away at border

The Zac Brown Band has issued an apology for cancelling its show in Vancouver, saying some crew members were turned away at the border. Brown says some crew members had charges from over a decade ago removed from their records and have entered Canada regularly over that time, including for two shows this year alone. – CP

Seven Canadian opera stars to watch

Singers are a vital element of opera on which audiences always have an opinion. They can elevate a production, detract from one, blend in with the scenery, or stand so outside of time and place as to be utterly singular. – Catherine Kustanczy, Globe and Mail

Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest album is pop perfection

Dating in the 21st century might be a lonely time, but Carly Rae Jepsen has found a way to make an album around those experiences that’s as bright and hopeful as it is grounded. – Ragan Clark, AP

International

Apple Music raised its sub price to $10.99 in the US. Will Spotify be next?

Apple is increasing the pricing for Apple TV+, Apple One, and Apple Music worldwide. In the US, starting from Monday (October 24), an individual Apple Music subscription will go up by $1, from the current $9.99 price point to $10.99 per month. – Murray Stassen, MBW

TikTok to launch songwriting platform for creators with Simon Cowell, UMG & Samsung

StemDrop will give TikTok's more than 1 billion monthly users the chance to create their own songs using music "stems" from an exclusive new track written by Max Martin, Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami. – Richard Smirke, Billboard

Adidas terminates Kanye West partnership, CAA drops him as a client

Sports apparel giant Adidas has become the latest company to cut ties with Kanye West, prompted by recent antisemitic statements made by the artist. In a press release issued on Tuesday, Adidas said that it has ended its partnership with the rapper immediately, noting that it “does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech”. –  Mandy Dalugdug, MBW

There’s so much batsh*t Kanye stuff happening we need a post to summarizie

Kanye West has no one but himself to blame for his current predicaments thanks to his crazy and scary and unhinged comments and actions. He keeps doubling down on his antisemitic views. Here are the latest developments and ravings. – Alan Cross, A Journal of Musical Things

Adidas finally drops Kanye West

The company had come under enormous pressure over the past weeks to respond to West’s ongoing erratic behaviors and dangerous, antisemitic comments. The embattled rapper has also been dropped by CAA and other brands he was linked with. – Rolling Stone

SoundExchange reports $238.9M Q3 2022 distribution, elevating yearly total past $700M

SoundExchange has announced that it distributed $238.9 million during 2022’s third quarter – a slight decrease from the same three-month stretch in 2021. The 19-year-old entity just recently shed light upon its financials for July, August, and September of 2022. The figure represents an approximately seven percent decline from Q3 2021’s roughly $256M figure. – Dylan Smith, Digital Music News

Forget the music – here’s how pop stars really make their money

It’s a long time since the modest band T-shirt. Today, no tour or album is complete without a vast array of ingenious, lucrative ‘swag’. – James Hall, The Telegraph

Sony Music Publishing has signed a worldwide deal with the estate of legendary bluesman Muddy Waters

SMP will administer its complete catalog of songs. Known to many as the father of Chicago blues, McKinley ‘Muddy Waters’ Morganfield is considered to be one of the most influential figures in blues and rock-and-roll in the US and globally. – MBW

Who are the heroes in Spotify’s origin story?

In the early 2000s, when illegal downloading sites were causing music industry chaos, Swedish software engineer Daniel Ek pitched the concept of Spotify to dubious record company executives, telling them he had come up with a business model that “works." The sharp new Netflix miniseries The Playlist explores the fictionalized origin story of the music streaming service. – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

The live music industry is in big trouble. Here’s why

Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber, Santigold, Lindsey Buckingham, Sam Fender, Wet Leg, Lady A, Disclosure, and Arlo Parks have all cancelled tours, all citing burnout and mental health issues. – Alan Cross, Global

Buddy Guy announces 2023 Damn Right Farewell tour dates

When it comes to blues guitarists, few have had a career like Buddy Guy. The six-string player who blends blues and rock in a whirlwind of sound is one of the all-timers. The 86-year-old Guy will head out on the road for his Damn Right Farewell later next year, beginning in February with a swath of dates and more that will soon be added. He's at Massey Hall, March 30-31. – American Songwriter

‘My dream had died’: XTC’s Andy Partridge on mental illness, battling the music industry and losing his muse

Forty years ago, XTC were riding high when Partridge had a breakdown and quit touring. As he releases a new archival EP, he discusses the troubled childhood and addiction that triggered it, finding refuge in the studio – and why he’s stopped writing songs. – Fergal Kinney, The Guardian

The 1975’s Matty Healy on his Rage Against The Machine comments at Leeds Festival

“We fucking love Rage so much. If I’d have slagged Rage off then I would have leaned into it and had a bit ready." – Sam Moore, NME

Robert Fripp: ‘My videos with Toyah upset some King Crimson fans’

Today, a King Crimson documentary four years in the making is released in cinemas. The band’s meticulous overlord reveals its tricky. – The Telegraph 

A Punk Rock Museum is coming to Las Vegas

Thousands of instruments, set lists, flyers and other ephemera will tell the genre’s story. – Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian

Meghan Trainor's album is a therapy session for all

Meghan Trainor is back with that doo-wop style of music that made her famous, but this time adding a twist to it. –  Martina Inchingolo, AP

All the records Taylor Swift's Midnights broke in its first days of release

When the singer said, "Meet me at midnight," the world listened. In the days since the tenth studio album, Midnights, was released, the album has continued to break records. – Lauren Huff, EW

Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ sparkles with self-reflection and synth

“Midnights” is Swift at her coolest and most confident, and she’s without a doubt grown up since the country-pop battle cries which framed her early work. – Aisling Murphy,Toronto Star

Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights is impeccably produced pop with an unseen depth

In Midnights, Taylor Swift delivers what she knows will keep her fan base eagerly picking at the bones for further meat. But the album also relies on foreknowledge of the deep lore to solidify the narrative. – Niko Stratis, Globe and Mail

Artists’ rights groups urge Grammy consideration for dissident Iranian composer

"That he actually managed to...come out with an album of that kind of quality - I am totally impressed," says one of the activists who wrote to the Recording Academy's CEO about Mehdi Rajabian. – Frank DiGiacomo, Billboard

Daniel Radcliffe talks learning to play accordion and ‘the weirdest scene’ in Al Yankovic movie

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” premiered at TIFF and will debut Nov. 4 on the Roku Channel. – Marriska Fernandes, Toronto Star