Music Biz Headlines: The Punjabi Wave Continues, Black Musicians Snubbed at Canadian Blues Awards
Our weekly compendium of stories from across Canada and beyond also features Joni Mitchell, Celine Dion, festival news, Triumph and the Rock Hall, Elton John honours and more.
AP Dhillon
With Karan Aujla's history-making Junos win this week, Canadian media is catching on to the Punjabi Wave as featured on Billboard's first Canadian digital cover story last October. Read on for stories on Punjabi-Canadian musicians' success story, as well as stories on global music revenues, Vancouver festival news and much more.
Five Canadian Songs to Hear From the Rising Punjabi Music Scene
With Punjabi-Canadian musicians like AP Dhillon growing in popularity on a global scale, there's already a storied history of how the genre went from a relative niche to a formidable streaming force. – David Friend, Canadian Press
Punjabi Music is Taking the World by Storm and Its New Sound is Based in Canada
Ikwinder Singh is too young to remember the last time Punjabi music was on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream in Canada. – David Friend, CP
Artists Call for Change After Black Musicians Snubbed at Canadian Blues Awards
The low number of Black award recipients has been a long simmering issue within the country’s blues community and now it has come to a head. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Joni Mitchell’s Classic Catalog Back on Spotify After Neil Young’s Return to Service
Mitchell pulled her music from the streamer in solidarity with Young in 2022 in protest vs Joe Rogan's COVID-19 misinformation on his podcast. – Gil Kaufman, Billboard
Vancouver's PNE Announces its 2024 Dates
After that, the annual PNE Fair, which includes trade shows, concerts, and entertainment events like SuperDogs, will keep the party going from August 17 until the end of Labour Day long weekend (September 2). – Georgia Straight
Jill Barber heads a powerful line-up of women songwriters at Vancouver's SongBird North
SongBird North—the long-running songwriters’ showcase that has called the Roundhouse home since 2005—is back for its 28th season, showcasing an all-women lineup of some of Canada’s best singer-songwriters on April 4. – V. S. Wells, Georgia Straight
NXNE Announces First 150 Bands for 2024 Music Festival
Artists from Morocco, Mexico, Norway, Australia and more join strong Canadian lineup. – NEXT MAGAZINE
Stratford Festival Reports Surplus and Higher Attendance in 2023
They came for Shakespeare and stayed to donate: Stratford shows off impressive numbers. –JK Nestruck, Globe & Mail
Rik Emmett: Triumph Won't Make Rock Hall Due to "Huge Prejudice"
He points a finger at exiled Hall co-founder Jann Wenner. – Ultimate Classic Rock
We caught up with Omega Mighty, Bambii, Smalltown DJs and Zoon to discuss the importance of the biggest award show in Canadian music. – Richie Assaly, Toronto Star
Celine Dion Reads Starting Lineup for the Boston Bruins, To the Dismay of Canadian Hockey Fans
The singer, diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022, has made a number of recent public appearances. – Andy Takagi, Toronto Star
Rod Stewart, Offspring, Andrew Dice Clay Coming to Niagara Casinos
New shows announced for OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino and Seneca Niagara Casino. – Niagara Falls Review
International
IFPI Global Report 2024: Music Revenues Climb 10% to $28.6 Billion
The total figure is the highest mark since 1999, not counting for inflation, while the number of paid streaming subscriptions passed 500 million for the first time. – Richard Smirke, Billboard
After a Stabilizing Decade, Record Labels Grapple with TikTok, AI and Moderating Growth
Since the rise of Napster, the recorded-music industry’s financial health has been tied, for better or worse, to technological change. New insights from its global lobbying group Thursday show that the industry is still struggling to define what success looks like. – Josh O'Kane, Globe and Mail
Danish Man Found Guilty of Fraudulently Profiting from Music Streaming Royalties
Unnamed 53-year-old made at least £230,000 from artificially generated plays of hundreds of tracks. – The Guardian
Elton John and Bernie Taupin Honoured With Prestigious Library of Congress Gershwin Prize
Sir Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin won the honor, making a point to underscore that their musical legacy is in harmony with their philanthropy, especially the Elton John AIDS Foundation. – John Carucci, The AssociatedPress
‘Don’t Say: What if We Did This Reggae Style?’ The Huge yet Humble Lives of Unofficial Band Members
From Manic Street Preachers to Simple Minds, few bands are complete without their full-time touring players. They discuss the peaks and practicalities of life on the sidelines. The Guardian
Tired of Inflated Ticket Prices, Yungblud is Launching His Own Affordable Music Festival
Bludfest takes place on Aug. 11 in the iconic Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of London. Yungblud (Dom Harrison) thinks that currently festivals are “unrepresentative of people” — so he’s fixing the price point of Bludfest at 49.50 pounds (around $63). – Sian Watson , AP
