Music Biz Headlines: How Mulroney Boosted Bublé, A New Joni Mitchell Bio & More
Our weekly compendium of headlines from across Canada and beyond also includes stories on Jann Arden, Allison Russell, NorthSideBaby, jukebox musicals, Spotify and Drake.
How Brian Mulroney Helped Michael Bublé Land His Big Break
A chance meeting, led to a wedding invite that changed the course of Canadian crooner's career. - Mark Daniell, Postmedia
Jann Arden, Rick Mercer Plot 16-date Canadian Comedy and Storytelling Tour
The pair are joining forces for a spring tour. - David Friend, Canadian Press
How Dene Rapper NorthSideBaby Became the Voice For a New Generation of Indigenous Rap Fans
Dawson Pastion, a 24-year-old rap and R&B-inspired musician from Dene Tha’ First Nation, is on the verge of a major rise. - Jamin Mike, Toronto Star
Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival Will Continue... For Now
The annual Burnaby Blues & Roots Festival—which takes place each year at Deer Lake Park—was nearly on the chopping block this month. - Kristi Alexandra, Georgia Straight
What the Rise of the Jukebox Musical Says About the Future of Commercial Theatre
From “Mamma Mia!” and “Jersey Boys” to “Ain’t Too Proud” and “Moulin Rouge!” the jukebox musical has indelibly shaped the modern theatre canon. - Joshua Chong, Toronto Star
Music Books Round-up: A Riot Grrrl Memoir and a Much-Anticipated Joni Mitchell Biography
Author Ann Powers agreed to make Mitchell’s career “the centre of my world for awhile,” she writes in the introduction of the resulting book, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, to be published in June. - Brad Wheeler, Globe & Mail
Allison Russell Cancels, Postpones Shows After Getting Caught in Storm
Montreal folk singer Allison Russell has been forced to cancel or postpone some tour dates after being caught in stormy winter weather in Western Canada. - CP
Drake Pays Tribute to Mother & Daughter Killed After His Show
Laticha Bracero and Alyssa Cordova were leaving Drake and J. Cole's tour stop in St. Louis on Feb. 13 when they were hit by a speeding car. - Billboard
Can’t-miss Vancouver Concerts in March 2024
Has spring sprung? It’s hard to say. The beginning of bloom season is just around the corner, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet. Here are the concerts in Vancouver you can’t miss this month. - V. S. Wells, Georgia Straight
Concert Announcements: Kings of Leon Headed to Edmonton, Ice Cube Gets a Second Date
Edmonton’s concert slate is filling up for 2024 with several highly anticipated shows scheduled for the summer and fall months, including by Metallica, Pink Avril Lavigne and Bruce Springsteen. - Trevor Robb, Edmonton Journal
AI Has Come For Music. There's a Great Big Sea Between People and Algorithms
The production is slick, the drums are on point, and the vocals sound great, but a titan of Newfoundland's music scene hears something off about “It Could Be Worse" and "Tales of The Atlantic," two songs generated in less than a minute by a powerful algorithm. - Sarah Smellie, CP
Classical, Jazz and Blues Concert Round-Up: Isata Kanneh-Mason, Jon Batiste and More
10 recommended classical, jazz and blues concerts across the country in March include a Grammy winner’s debut headlining tour, a French orchestra’s long-awaited return to North America and a concert from a blues music legend. - Brad Wheeler, Globe & Mail
International
Only 19% of Artists on Spotify Had Over 1,000 Monthly Listeners in 2023
This means that, according to stats for Spotify for 2023, approximately 7.9 million artists on the streaming platform had fewer than 1,000 monthly listeners in 2023, while just over 1.8 million had more than 1,000 monthly listeners on the platform last year. - Murray Stassen, MBW
Layoffs Are Underway at Universal Music Group
Department heads in promotion and communications at Interscope and Def Jam are among those who have been let go. - Dan Rys & Billboard Staff, Billboard
Hangout FM and Beatdapp Join Forces to Combat Streaming Fraud
Hangout FM, a social music platform owned by Turntable Labs, has announced a partnership with Beatdapp, a blockchain-based music streaming fraud detection company, to combat streaming fraud. - Mandy Dalugdug, MBW
BRIT Awards: Raye Sets Record at Britain's Pop Music Honours
Singer-songwriter Raye was the big winner at the BRIT Awards, the biggest night in British music, on Saturday, setting a new record for most prizes in one night at the annual ceremony. - Marie-Louise Gumuchian, Reuters
‘Barbie’ Wins Big at 2024 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Full Winners List
Robbie Robertson was posthumously honored with the Icon Award. Allan Mason won the Legacy Award. - Paul Grein, Billboard
‘Barbie,’ ‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ Win at Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell take home Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film for their Oscar-nominated track, “What Was I Made For?” - Steve Pond, The Wrap
Two Men Convicted of Killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay 22 Years After Rap Star's Death
More than 20 years after Run-D.M.C. star Jam Master Jay was brazenly gunned down in his recording studio, two men close to him were convicted Tuesday of murder. - Jennifer Peltz and Cedar Attanasio, AP
Music Producer Latest to Accuse Sean 'Diddy' Combs of Sexual Misconduct
Sean “Diddy” Combs was sued last week by a music producer who accused the hip-hop mogul of sexually assaulting him and forcing him to have sex with prostitutes. - AP
