Music Biz Headlines, Oct. 28, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Neil Young: The music icon on his 50 year career, making music and his new documentary

Neil Young talks about his latest album with his band Crazy Horse and the documentary that chronicles its making. – CBC

Drake turned 33 last week. Here's a look at some of his most lavish celebrations to date

Drake’s outrageous birthday parties have so far featured anything and everything, from exorbitantly elaborate themes to quirky birthday merchandise. As a tribute to the Canadian rapper’s big day, here are some of the most Drakesque ways the singer has celebrated. – Devika Desai, Star-Phoenix

Jaw-dropping collection of Toronto concert flyers captures history for local music fans

Daniel Tate's published archive of Toronto flyers is a treasure trove of history. – Ben Rayner, The Star

Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour is the Rocket Man’s final stage

For a man who has scheduled his disappearance, Elton John seems to be popping up everywhere – literally and sometimes more than once. On stage on Wednesday, the box-shaped 72-year-old gave a generous performance, typical of him. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail

Theatre: Segal Centre’s Mythic promises a hell of a time

Greek mythology provides the inspiration for this rock musical, in which "Hades and Persephone meet at a party and Aphrodite puts a love spell on them." – Jim Burke, Montreal Gazette

How the Mighty is rising 

The Polaris-winning rapper Haviah Mighty pushes boundaries with her every move. – Stephanie Johns, The Coast

Halloween music video countdown 2019: Gang Signs gets necromantic for "Prequel"

When you try to raise the dead, you do so at your own risk, and while we definitely do not endorse such endeavours, they do make for cool music videos, like this one from Vancouver's own Gang Signs. – John Lucas, Georgia Straight

Time-tested trio: Black Mastiff overcomes geographic obstacles on latest, Loser Delusions

For most bands, having a key member move away would mean either folding or reconfiguring. Not so for Edmonton’s Black Mastiff, who decided back in 2015 to keep choogling along as they were despite the fact that drummer and co-founder Allan Harding had left for Vancouver. – Tom Murray, Edmonton Journal

Review: Luminous Voices rises to the choral challenge

It was the world of nymphs, and love more generally, that inspired the music presented on this fascinating, beautifully sung program of Luminous Voices devoted almost entirely to contemporary choral music, music that on this occasion was accompanied not by the piano but by two harps. – Michelle Jarvie, Postmedia

International

US-based music video platform Triller raises $28M with sights set on TikTok

TikTok rival Triller has raised an eight-figure funding round led by Proxima Media – and also appears to have handed a stake in its business to all three major labels. – Murray Stassen, MBW

More than 800 artists sign open letter pledging to boycott Amazon live music events

Over 800 artists, including Deerhoof, Ted Leo, Immortal Technique, and Speedy Ortiz, have signed a pledge to boycott Amazon’s music festivals over the e-commerce giant’s contracts with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. – Ian Courtney, Celebrity Access

Music’s discovery problem persists

With so much music spread across so platforms and playlists, artists are able to experience short-term success but are finding it difficult to build a sustainable career. – James Shotwell, Hypebot 

Forgotten symphonies: the hidden giants of American music

Bernstein, Barber and buddies were terrific symphonists, but what about their lesser-known 20th-century compatriots? Gerard Schwarz flies the flag for music that deserves wider acclaim. –Gramophone

Public Enemy’s Chuck D awarded 2019 Woody Guthrie Prize

The honour is annually awarded to artists who advocate for people without a platform. Previous recipients include Pete Seeger, Mavis Staples, and Kris Kristofferson.– Pitchfork

'Britney Spears is a genius': Max Martin, the powerhouse of pure pop

The man behind two decades of hits for Britney, Ariana, Taylor and more is ‘thankful’ singers still put themselves out there. Now, 30 of his songs are getting a second life from Shakespeare. – Michael Cragg, The Guardian

Talking Heads' 'Stop Making Sense' changed concert films forever

It was no accident that Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads found each other. Demme, then an up-and-coming director, was actually a big fan. Meanwhile, the increasingly cinematic Talking Heads were on the brink of a big white suit-wearing breakthrough. It was a match made in movie heaven. – Nick DeRiso, Ultimate Classic Rock

Kanye West premieres ‘Jesus is King’ album and film

Kanye West’s latest stunt? Get this: A relatively well-run event that delivered on its billing. At the Forum— nearly a month after he blew the original release date of his new album — the rapper, singer, designer and veteran controversialist presented what he called the Jesus Is King Album & Film Experience. – Mikael Wood, LA Times

Prince’s anticipated, posthumous memoir to be released Tuesday

Panic, joy, shock: Dan Piepenbring felt them all when Prince plucked him to collaborate on his first memoir, followed by more shock and profound sadness at news of the superstar’s death while the book was in its early stages. – Leanne Italie, AP

Charlotte Gainsbourg: ‘Everything now is so politically correct. So boring’

The actor and singer grew up in her parents’ shadow, and starred in Lars Von Trier’s most extreme films. She talks about why she’s finally comfortable in her own skin. –  Arwa Mahdawi, The Guardian

Tool's sold out Staples Center shows challenge industry misconceptions

According to conventional wisdom, there’s no way Tool should be as incredibly popular as they are. We’re told that the music industry has changed so much that there’s no room for a band with Tool’s mentality. – LA Weekly

Nico: A meditation on death, beauty and artistry

(Christa Paffgen) was many things to many different people, including Andy Warhol, Lou Reed, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, Alain Delon and numerous other collaborators. But to performance artist Billy Hough, Nico was “the most underrated/overexposed tornado in the Holy Scriptures of Rock & Roll.” He explains why. – Please Kill Me