Music News Digest, May 13, 2019
Gordon Lightfoot meets up with two old pals (pictured), the MVP Project recipients are announced, and Drake is flying in style. Also in the news: LulaWorld, CMW, Justin Timberlake, the Beatles, UK's richest musicians, W3APONS, Tenille Townes, and Anvil. Videos added for your enjoyment.
By Kerry Doole
Beloved troubadour Gordon Lightfoot is back in the news again via a new film documentary, If You Could Read My Mind. We had to share this great photo from Bernie Finkelstein's FB page taken backstage at a Lightfoot concert he and pal Bernie Fiedler attended in Belleville, ON, last month.
– RBC and the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (The Canadian Academy) has announced the nine grant recipients for Round 2 of The Music Video Production (MVP) Project. From Charlottetown to Vancouver, pop to electronic, recipients and applicants hailed from a diverse collection of regions and genres. The MVP initiative aims to promote and assist emerging Canadian recording artists, producers, and filmmakers in creating music video content. The nine recipients were selected from 380 submissions by a jury of industry professionals. Check the full list here.
– Drake is flying high these days with his latest purchase, a Boeing 767 cargo plane he has completely customized in luxurious style. He spread word of his multimillion-dollar purchase on Instagram Friday. The video shows the exterior of the jet, featuring an OVO owl symbol. According to Airways magazine, in 2017 the cost of a new Boeing 767-300F plane was $185M (US) million, excluding the cost of the rapper's customization. Source: Fox News
– The 14th edition of the LULAWORLD festival in Toronto features Latin, blues, soul, salsa, Brazilian forró, samba and more, with 30 shows and almost 150 artists. They include Kellylee Evans, Telmary, Tres, Friendly Rich, Dominic Mancuso, Mistysa, Tres, Maestro Claro, Liniker Barros, and The Soul Motivators. Shows are at Dundas West Fest and Lula Lounge, June 6-16. Full sked here
– Now one of the most important music industry figures in the world via his Hipgnosis Songs Fund, Canadian Merck Mercuriadis is one class act. His CMW interview was a conference highlight, and he concluded it by paying tribute to Bobby Gale, killed in a road accident last month.
– Justin Timberlake receives the Contemporary Icon Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s 50th annual induction gala, to be held June 13 at New York’s Marriott Marquis Hotel. The award recognizes “a songwriter-artist who has attained an iconic status in pop culture.” Timberlake has sold over 32M albums worldwide, scored eight Number One Billboard hits with songs he wrote or co-wrote, and has won 10 Grammys. He is the second artist to receive the recognition, following Lady Gaga in 2015.
– A John Lennon-owned copy of the Beatles’ infamous “butcher cover” version of Yesterday and Today, autographed by three members of the Fab Four, sold for US$234,000 at a Beatles-themed auction last week. The vinyl copy – autographed by Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr and featuring a back cover sketch drawn by Lennon – was the centerpiece of Julien’s Auctions’ The Beatles in Liverpool auction, which featured over 300 items of Fab Four memorabilia.
“This was a world record for a Beatles Butcher cover and the third highest price paid for a vinyl,” said company CEO/President Darren Julien, CEO/President of Julien’s Auctions, and he predicted the same record could fetch $500K within five years. Source: Rolling Stone
– The Sunday Times Rich List includes a ranking of the UK's wealthiest musicians. Music theatre legend Andrew Lloyd-Webber heads the latest list with a net worth of £820M, followed by Paul McCartney (£750M), and U2 (£583M). Calvin Harris comes in at 15, Ed Sheeran at 17, and Adele, 22.
Saskatoon rock trio W3APONS showcased at CMW last week as part of an Ontario tour. There are shows this week in Hamilton, Ottawa, Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie, and Thunder Bay. The band’s debut single, Off the Top of My Heart, is now out.
– Alberta-raised country singer/songwriter Tenille Townes continues to make a splash in Nashville. She is signed to Columbia Nashville, and trade mag Pollstar recently devoted a full page feature to her. Townes also duets with Donovan Woods on his new single, I Ain’t Ever Loved No One.
– Canadian metal veterans Anvil will start recording a new album in Germany in the fall, skedded for a 2020 release, Blabbermouth reports. The band, now a trio, has signed a new record deal, with details TBA. Anvil gained popularity and new fans with the 2008 theatrical documentary, Anvil: The Story Of Anvil, currently available on Netflix.
