Music Biz Headlines: Oasis Mania Hits Toronto, Taylor Swift's Engagement Sets an Instagram Record
Stories making headlines this week: Great Big Sea's Bob Hallett now heads the East Coast Music Association, more debate over the Song of the Summer and Lil Nas X gets arrested.
This week, Oasis came to Toronto, beginning the North American leg of their blockbuster reunion tour. That caused plenty of headlines, but not as many as Taylor Swift, who had one of her biggest rollouts yet — not an album, but an engagement to famous football boyfriend Travis Kelce.
Read these stories and more in this week's collection of music biz headlines.
Canadian Music Biz Headlines
Noel & Liam Gallagher brought their reunion tour to Toronto's Rogers Stadium on Sunday (August 24) to kick off the North American leg of their highly-anticipated reunion tour. – Richard Trapunski, Billboard Canada
From heartfelt ballads to singalong anthems, these are the Oasis songs Canadian artists picked, with “Wonderwall” off the table. – Nick Krewen, Toronto Star
‘We welcome any and all beefs’: Toronto’s cheeky new Oasis cover band are serious about their fandom
Parklife's members are veterans of such indie-rock groups as Born Ruffians and Tokyo Police Club. – Stuart Berman, Toronto Star
“These concerts can be heard miles away, and we feel the venue operator can turn down the volume significantly and still offer a strong concert experience,” York Centre's James Pasternak said. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
The Hits You Think Deserve to be the Song of the Summer for 2025
If last year was “brat summer,” then this year is drat summer. Despite plenty of hot-weather hits designed to delight, none broke through the charts – or into our hearts – to unanimously claim the title of Song of the Summer. – Moira Wyton, Globe & Mail
Great Big Sea’s Bob Hallett Named Executive Director of East Coast Music Association
Hallett's new role was the result of "extensive consultation with members, artists, partners and industry representatives" following artist boycotts over the firing of previous CEO Blanche Israël. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
The Canada Black Music Archives Takes Over The Airwaves At CKUT In Montreal
Running from Aug. 21-24, the CBMA's The Takeover: Blk Music / Blk Montreal initiative explored that city's rich Black music history with more than 15 hours of original programming and live events. – Kerry Doole, Billboard Canada.
How South Korea turned culture into a booming export (and what Canada can learn from it) – Hannah Sung, Globe & Mail
Fans Push Back vs Ticketmaster’s Presale Model: ‘I Felt Like I'd Been Scammed'
Jonas Brothers and Blackpink fans say they spent big on concert tickets during fan presales, only to see those prices drop dramatically as the shows neared. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
At their Greetings From Your Hometown show, the sibling trio brought out Saxe after his vulnerable video about cancelling his tour, as well as Cara and collaborators DNCE and star producer Marshmello. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
Drake Calls for Tory Lanez’s Freedom While Renewing Feud With Music Journalist
Drizzy hopped into the comments of a resurfaced Genius clip of Lanez rapping a mixtape Lil Wayne song. – Michael Saponara, Billboard
Shubh Cancels North American Tour Due to Air Canada Strike
"My team and I have been working tirelessly for months to bring you an incredible show, and I'm truly disappointed we won't be able to share it with you at this time," the Brampton-based Punjabi star shares in a statement to Billboard Canada. – Richard Trapunski, Billboard Canada
International Music Biz Headlines
Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Engagement Announcement Breaks Instagram Record
The post reached the milestone in just six hours. – Hannah Dailey, Billboard
BMI Settles With Radio Stations to Resolve License Litigation: 'Historic Rate Increase'
The new deal, which will cover nearly 9000 radio stations across the country, comes after more than three years of litigation in federal court. – Bill Donahue, Billboard
Oasis Release Official Live Version of ‘Bring It On Down’ From Edinburgh Days Before Kicking Off North American Reunion Dates
The band have released live songs from each venue they've played so far on their get back outing. – Gil Kaufman, Billboard
‘The Beatles Anthology’ Projects to be Released This Fall
The famed 1995 “Anthology” music documentary, recounting the band’s journey beginning with its Liverpool roots through to its explosive stardom, has been restored and remastered, and will feature a new, ninth episode. It will stream on Disney+ beginning November 26. – Associated Press
For John Fogerty, Rerecording his Creedence Clearwater Revival Songs was a ‘Spiritual Statement’
After decades of stormy legal wrangling with Fantasy Records over rights to songs, the rain has finally stopped for John Fogerty. The American singer and guitarist finally owns the publishing rights to the catalogue and is about to release Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years, featuring rerecorded a collection of well-known CCR material. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Guitar Dealer to the Stars Norman Harris on George Harrison, Marty McFly and His Secret Stash
A new documentary reveals the man behind the unassuming shopfront, who sells instruments to the likes of Slash, Dave Grohl, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow. – Andy Welch, The Guardian
AI Isn't Coming for Hollywood, It's Already Arrived
n early winner in the generative AI wars was near collapse—then bet everything on a star-studded comeback. Can Stability AI beat the competition? – Zoe Schiffer, Wired
Looks like whoever called the cops on Lil Nas X last week wasn’t exaggerating when they reported the Grammy winner as a “nude man walking in the street.” – Los Angeles Times
One in Four UK Late-night Venues Have Closed Since 2020, Figures Show
Industry body calls for urgent tax cuts to save ‘cornerstones of community life’ and halt rise of ‘night-time deserts.’ – The Guardian
