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FYI

Music Biz Headlines, Sept. 28, 2018

The remarkable career of Buffy Sainte-Marie (pictured), Drake's extravagant Toronto mansion, and Ticketmaster’s ‘TradeDesk’ scalper tool explained. Others in the headlines include Borns. the Beatles, Elton John, Polaris Prize, Venus Fest, Planets suite, Metric, Keith Urban, La Force, Prince, Regina Symphony Orchestra, WSO, Alejandro Escovedo, and Gordon Bintner.

Music Biz Headlines, Sept. 28, 2018

By Kerry Doole

Buffy Sainte-Marie’s merriment and perseverance shine through in new biography

At just 22, she was boarding and disembarking flights across North America, performing in not-yet legendary folk coffee houses of the sixties, when she made a preternatural decision. In her purse she began carrying with her, recorded on cassettes, the voices of then-unknowns: Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. – Maggie Rahr, Globe and Mail


Drake’s new house in Toronto is totally in touch with normal life

You already knew about the basketball court, but did you know about the wine and champagne bar? The "snack lounge"? – Maija Kappler, Huffington Post

Ticketmaster’s ‘TradeDesk’ scalper tool explained

Days after two senior U.S. senators asked the world’s biggest entertainment monopoly to answer pointed questions about its role in the mass scalping of tickets – in response to a Toronto Star/CBC investigation – Ticketmaster’s president has provided the first public mea culpa to the “explosive” revelations. – Robert Cribb and Marco Oved, Toronto Star

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Pop singer Børns accused of sexual misconduct

Garrett Clark Borns, 26, describes allegations of manipulation, grooming and sexual aggression as ‘disturbing and false’. – Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian

The Beatles' best album gets the deluxe box-set treatment

I've always felt that The White Album was the best Beatles album ever, for the simple reason that it was their only double album--and therefore twice as good as everything else! –  Steve Newton, Georgia Straight

Concert Review: Elton John bids his farewell to Yellow Brick Road and T.O.

The Rocket Man, now 71, played the first of two consecutive shows at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night as part the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and I was fortunate enough to be sitting very close to him on the floor. It was one classy, fun, incredibly moving night of music and even downright spiritual at times.  –Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sun

Polaris Prize founder touts Community Development Program as way to boost diversity

 'It was a very white event for years"  -- Steve Jordan. – Karen Bliss, Billboard

Venus Voices: people at Venus Fest tell us what representation means to them

Portraits and live photos of fans and artists at the community-focused celebration of women and non-binary artists in music in Toronto. –  Kate Killet, NOW

Not Impossible Labs, Zappos hope to make concerts more accessible for the deaf .. and cooler for everyone 

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I’m about to try out Not Impossible’s latest attempt to solve a perceived absurdity — in this case, the gap between how the deaf and hearing communities experience live music. – Andy Hermann, BizBash

Cosmic composers: how scientists helped reinvent Holst's Planets suite

Picnics on Mars, sunsets on Uranus, sculptures on Venus … 100 years after Holst unveiled his epic masterpiece, musicians are reimagining it using the latest scientific discoveries. – Tim Jonze, The Guardian

Review: Metric go back to the beginning to sound new again on Art of Doubt

On their seventh album, the long-running modern rock band shows familiarity doesn't have to be a curse. – Sarah MacDonald, NOW

Concert review: Country superstar Keith Urban keeps summer vibes flowing

Opening with the loose-limbed twang-funk of Never Comin’ Down, the country superstar went into full party mode for the 40th show on his Graffiti U world tour, packing over twenty songs into a two-hour set. – Tom Murray, Calgary Herald

Ariel Engle is La Force to be reckoned with

You know her as a singer with indie-rock kingpins Broken Social Scene, as one half of the poetic electro-rock duo AroarA (with husband Andrew Whiteman) and as a member of the seven-headed supergroup Hydra. Then again, you really don’t know Engle at all. That’s due to change with the arrival of La Force, the synth-pop solo project of the Montreal musician and vocalist. –Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

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Regina Symphony Orchestra, Tracy Dahl sparkle during season-opening concert

While each selection told vivid stories, the concert's two-hour journey included a deep variety of styles and moments for both guest performer and orchestra to sparkle. – Joe Couture, Leader-Post

University of Minnesota awards honorary degree to Prince

The honour recognizes his influence on music and his role in shaping his hometown of Minneapolis. – AP

A fiery autumn brings a red-hot classical music lineup

There’s a rich bounty of concerts from which to pick and choose. Here are a few that have caught my eye from now until New Year’s, listed in (roughly) chronological order. The WSO's Mahler’s Titan symphony is a likely highlight. – Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press

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Alejandro Escovedo’s return to the border

Preparing to perform his new album, “The Crossing,” the singer-songwriter and son of Texas takes a sentimental journey backward through time, from Dallas down to old Mexico. – Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker

Gordon Bintner aims for decency in title role in Canadian Opera Company’s Eugene Onegin

Since graduating from the faculty of music at Montreal’s McGill University in 2010, the bass-baritone's career has been on a steady rise. He is now back in Toronto to sing a title role in a major opera, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. – John Terauds, Toronto Star

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Olivia Rodrigo performs at the Olivia Rodrigo "GUTS" World Tour at the Intuit Dome on August 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Christopher Polk

Olivia Rodrigo performs at the Olivia Rodrigo "GUTS" World Tour at the Intuit Dome on August 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Music News

Olivia Rodrigo Donates All Ticket Profits From First Concert in the Philippines to Women’s Health Charity

"It was the most special show and the most meaningful trip," the star wrote.

Olivia Rodrigo‘s first-ever concert in the Philippines was anything but sour on Saturday (Oct. 5), especially after the 21-year-old pop star donated all the net profits from her ticket sales to a charity supporting women’s health.

Shortly after the Guts World Tour stop in Bocaue’s Philippine Arena concluded, Rodrigo — who is half Filipina — announced her partnership with Jhpiego on Instagram. “been dreaming of this show for a whileeeee,” the “Vampire” singer wrote, sharing a video of herself waving to her fans on stage at the show. “my first time in the Philippines and also my biggest venue ever!!!!! thank you to everyone Manila for welcoming me so generously and making me feel so loved.”

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