Music News Digest, July 22, 2019

By Kerry Doole

Jack White's love of vinyl and record stores is well-known, and it was in evidence in Vancouver over the weekend. His rock band, The Raconteurs, thrilled fans with a free afternoon in-store performance at downtown store Neptoon Records on Saturday. The store posted this message on Instagram: "The fact that a band like The Raconteurs are still contacting small shops like us and wanting to do something cool like this is absolutely mind-blowing. This was a dream come true and I don’t think any of us will ever forget this day."

– Beginning in 2017, Across The Board conducted a study across 30 Canadian music industry boards, finding that women only held 19% of the seats. In an aim to achieve 50:50 gender parity on the boards of directors of Canadian music industry associations and organizations by 2020, Across The Board now announces it is 10% away from accomplishing this goal. Last December, ATB distributed a survey to compile information on the progress of this initiative. The results showed that the participation of women on boards of directors had more than doubled to 40% by 2018's year-end.

– Billboard has released its list of the Highest Paid Musicians of 2018. Topping the list is Taylor Swift, with a hefty US$90.5M million in touring income in 2018 -- almost twice that of this year’s runner-up, Bruce Springsteen. Drake comes in at No. 3, thanks to hs status as the No. 1 streaming artist. The $17.1M he generated from 11.3 billion streams in 2018 was a hair short of doubling his $8.6 million take in 2017. He was also No. 1 in total recorded-music royalties: $21.8 million.

– L.A./Toronto combo MonkeyHouse's fifth full-length, Friday, comes out on ALMA Records this Friday (July 27), and is preceded by a rare Toronto show, at Hugh's Room Live tonight (July 22). Led by singer/songwriter/keyboardist/composer Don Breithaupt, the band has played together for 25 years. The MH sound will appeal to lovers of sophisticated and witty pop, a la Steely Dan.

– On The Grand's Reggae Fest on July 27 at Bingemans Centre in Kitchener sports a strong lineup that includes Konshens, Gyptian, Kranium, Luciano and Stylo G. Tix here

– Jaap Nico Hamburger has been named Mécénat Musica's Composer in Residence 2019-2020. The appointment was announced by Jean Dupré, President and Director General of the Orchestre Métropolitain, at the rehearsal for the recording of Hamburger's Piano Concerto with the Orchestre Métropolitain, at Montréal's Maison Symphonique. Mécénat Musica has had a Composer in Residence program since 2014. Mécénat Musica Compositions' scores and notes are provided to emerging Montreal, Québec, and Canadian artists, without royalties, in perpetuity. Source: Broadway World

A song and video from a Vietnamese-American composer who was inspired by the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong has gone viral among both Vietnamese and Hong Kong netizens. Truc Ho, a well-known musician and composer among the Vietnamese community overseas, described on Facebook how he was inspired to write the song, "Sea of Black." Ho had travelled to Hong Kong n 2014 to support the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement, and recent mass protests there inspired the new song. Source: Global Voices. 

– Music BC has announced two new hires: Jimmy Leitch as Program Manager, and Jaeden Froese as Program Coordinator. 

–The trendy Ossington Avenue Strip between Dundas Street West and Queen Street West in Toronto hosts the fourth annual OssFest on July 27. The free all-day event has a musical lineup that features The Reposadists, The Saul Torres Band, Evan Redsky, Ariana Gillis, Geoff Marshall & The Mail Order Cowboys, Brainfudge, Brutus Begins, Common Deer, and Menage.

– The second weekend of the TD Niagara Jazz Festival runs July 27-28. Events include Jazz in The Park in Simcoe Park, Old Town Niagara-on-the-Lake, on July 27, and on July 28, a Dixieland Jazz Brunch at Ravine Vineyards, followed at the same venue by a tribute to Nat King Cole from award-winning jazz vocalist Ori Dagan.

– Music publisher and rights management company CCS Rights Management held its Summer Event in Toronto last Thursday. Two of the acts on its roster, Laurent Bourque and Yukon Blonde performed for industry attendees.

– Creative Manitoba is presenting a course entitled The Art of Managing Your Career – Indigenous Perspectives,  an overview of the practical skills you need to grow your career as an artist and creator. The course features eight sessions in October and November, and the instructor is Yvette Hawkes (Métis), a Winnipeg-based freelance Visual Artist. Register here

– Music BC's sixth and final Let's Hear It Live Concert is on July 25 at The Fox Cabaret in Vancouver, featuring Teon Gibbs, COTIS, and Prado. Tix here

– MusicOntario presents a private showcase room at Folk Music Ontario (FMO), Sept. 27-29, at Hilton Airport – Mississauga. Applications are being accepted until Aug. 16 here