As 2026 gets under way, the headlines are emerging, including the demise (and grassroots resurrection) of MTV, potential legal action by Ashley MacIsaac against Google and some interesting moves by Universal Music Group.
Read these stories and more in this week's roundup of music biz headlines of the week from Canada and beyond.
On New Year's Day, the Brampton, Ontario-based artist closed out the oath ceremony with his hit “Gaddi Red Challenger,” changing the lyrics, originally about the GTA, to mention New York. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
The acclaimed fiddler says lawyers have reached out to him after his show was cancelled due to a Google search linking him to another person with the same last name. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug wrote I’ll Believe in Anything in the early 2000s. Now it's a hit thanks to the song's use on Crave's Heated Rivalry. – Josh O'Kane, Globe & Mail
From ongoing debates around the Online Streaming Act to label layoffs to the continual threat of A.I., these stories will continue to shape policy into the new year. – Kerry Doole, Billboard Canada
The Canadian-born singer-songwriter brought a 12-piece choir for his five-song set, focused on songs from his 2025 album, Son of Spergy. – Heather Taylor-Singh, Billboard Canada
Killjoys mainman Mike Trebilcock is a Hamilton musician with more than six dozen horror movie scores under his belt (and even a few Christmas movies). – The Spectator
Anka seems to be from nowhere. He’s perfectly content with where he’s arrived but it’s nowhere too. The intense emotions he writes about are strangely abstract. – Rick Salutin, Toronto Star
Few artists on the Canadian folk-roots scene can claim the longevity and consistency of the winner of the 2025 Penguin Eggs Roots Music Canada Critics’ Poll. Stephen Fearing has earned the honour for his phenomenal 14th solo album, The Empathist. – Roots Music Canada
The move came after the once-influential network shuttered its remaining 24/7 music channels across a number of European and overseas territories in December. – Gil Kaufman, Billboard
The collaboration will allow fans and artists to go in-depth on the music they love and create an artist incubator to explore AI in human creation. – Dan Rys, Billboard
Packed with incredible scenes, this heartbreaking anniversary documentary can’t help but offer up a huge serving of nostalgic bliss. – Rhik Samadder, The Guardian
