Believe Digital on the block

At least two of the three major label groups have expressed strong interest. Other possible buyers include BMG, Concord and several private equity firms —  Hypebot

Midem in a nutshell

Some 4,200 delegates from all over the world were in attendance for the annual in the south of France. Among the highlights: keynote Q&As by Def Jam CEO Steve Bartels, Deezer chief executive Hans Holger Albrecht, Tencent Music Entertainment Group VP Andy Ng, First Access Entertainment’s Sarah Stennett, a conversation with Latin superstar Daddy Yankee —  Variety

Here’s what Entertainment’s 1% earned last year

Drake places 2^nd, more than doubling his 2016 total to $94M, thanks to relentless touring, plus endorsements with the likes of Apple, Nike and Sprite —  Forbes

Sony/AT boss Martin Bandier calls for songwriting credits on streaming services

“I’ve always believed that songwriters are not getting proper recognition. This is even more prevalent today on the leading music streaming services” —  MBW

Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit cancelled after 30 years

Young, 71, said he is dropping the concert for “personal reasons,” and did not elaborate —  HuffPo

YouTube, ASCAP strike data sharing deal

The companies will combine their data in order to better identify and pay royalties on ASCAP members’ works performed on the platform —  Variety

Inside Eventbrite's $200M purchase of Ticketfly

Pandora ultimately accepted the Eventbrite bid that included $150M in cash and a $50M note payable to Pandora, with the sale expected to close in Q3 —  Billboard

Simon Cowell announces plans for charity single in aid of Grenfell Tower fire victims

The Syco boss and X Factor head honcho has confirmed that he’s in the process of enlisting stars to appear on the record and will be announcing the full details sometime today – Evening Standard UK

Yoko to receive songwriting credit on “Imagine” 48 years later

The decision was announced by the National Music Publishers Association, but it’s not a done deal…yet – NPR

CRTC tells Telcos to unlock cell phones for free

The new code also gives consumers 15 days to cancel contracts and offers a few other perks for big data users – Canadian Press

Judge overturns verdict in Jersey Boys copyright infringement case

The judge explains that before the musical's debut, the biography “had no market value.” To the extent that the novel “may be profitable today, it is almost certainly only because of the [musical]” – Playbill

The Polaris Music Prize 2017 longlist, by the numbers

Michael Barclay breaks down the diverse list, one featuring both newcomers and veterans  — Maclean's

Steve Earle: "My wife left me for a younger, skinnier, less talented singer"

After seven marriages and a near fatal heroin habit, the great singer-songwriter is now single, sober and interested only in caring for his autistic son. He talks about death threats, blowing $1,000 a day on drugs – and being an incorrigible romantic —  Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian

Why Anita Pallenberg, Rolling Stones muse, was Queen of the Underground

"She was a rock & roll legend in herself, a style icon, a crucial part of the Stones' mystique"  —  Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone

Katy Perry woke up. She wants to tell you all about it

Ms. Perry, who has a new album, “Witness,” says she no longer wants to be the frothy pop star she once was. And she intends to reveal her true self — Caryn Ganz, New York Times

Metric's Emily Haines discusses new solo album

Singer-musician talks essence of femininity, identity and her first solo album in more than a decade — Althea Legasby, Rolling Stone

Remembering legendary music executive Nigel Grainge

Cameron Carpenter offers fond reminiscences of an old friend — canadaindieweek.com

Maya Kodes is a new kind of virtual pop star

You may not have heard of Maya Kodes, but over the past year, the slender blond singer has released a dance pop song on iTunes, recorded an EP set for release in June, performed 30 concerts and amassed 5,500 Facebook followers. Pretty impressive for a hologram —  Nick Krewen, Toronto Star

Four Toronto music curators fill a void with TONE Festival

There's a lack of adventurous experimental music getting booked at summer fests, they say —  Carla Gillis, NOW