Gord Downie, a distinctly Canadian rock star, dies at 53

In an interview last year, Mr. Downie expressed frustration with not being able to remember names and lyrics because of his illness, but he also showed that he could joke about it. He said that both he and the Hip were still working on new material and had some in the can.

“So we could hear more from the Hip?” he was asked.

“Yeah,” he said, “to the point where it would be like, ‘Jesus, is that guy not dead yet?’ Canadians can be funny” –  Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

The legacy of Gord Downie

The Hip certainly did tour other regions, but the group’s bread and butter was Canada. From the 164 Canadian shows we have reports on, the band moved more than 1.4 million tickets and grossed more than $67 million. The group was averaging nearly 9,000 tickets in those reported shows – Francisco Rendon, Pollstar

Billboard charts to adjust streaming weighting in 2018

Beginning in 2018, plays occurring on paid subscription-based services (such as Amazon Music and Apple Music) or on the paid subscription tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported platforms (such as SoundCloud and Spotify) will be given more weight in chart calculations than those plays on pure ad-supported services (such as YouTube) or on the non-paid tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported services – Billboard

Neil Young, Drake remember Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie

Young and Drake follow Feist, another Canadian artist who paid tribute to Downie on Wednesday with a cover of his song "The Stranger." "I admired so much his honest way of communicating what he saw and the courage and conviction he searched with," she wrote on Twitter – Elias Leight, Rolling Stone

Live music acts are mostly male-only. What's holding women back?

An analysis of the UK’s live music line-ups shows just how male-dominated the music industry is. Laura Marling and Emmy the Great discuss the many barriers blocking women’s progress  — The Guardian

Is the tide turning on how the music industry handles sexual assault?

Several indie musicians are facing various accusations in the wake of Weinstein, but for once the problem doesn't seem insurmountable —  Peyton Thomas, NOW

Terrorism insurance in demand for concerts following Las Vegas attack

"If it's a big tour and you're a high-profile artist, and you gather tens of thousands of people per show, you have to have it," says an attorney who represents Britney Spears and Steven Tyler   Ashley Cullins, Hollywood Reporter

Halifax Pop Explosion turns 25 with broad mix of pop and punk

Metz and Ria Mae are amongst the major acts featured this week  — Stephen Cooke, Chronicle-Herald

Jackie Shane, a transgender soul pioneer, re-emerges after four decades

Her electric performances in the 1960s made her an elusive cult heroine. A Numero Group boxed set unravels her real story for the first time —  Reggie Ugwu, New York Times

Is Toronto finally ready for Jackie Shane?

Nearly five decades after she left Toronto, the trailblazing transgender soul singer ponders a return following a new compilation  —  Rob Bowman, NOW

These days Canadian roots artist Dustin Bentall is living a charmed life

The son of Barney, he is forging his own path as a singer/songwriter  —  Mary-Lynn Wardle, The YY Scene

Maureen Forrester, Canadian opera legend, gets vocal tribute at Roy Thomson Hall

Performers set to salute legendary singer Maureen Forrester at Roy Thomson Hall on Oct. 20 — and not just for what she did onstage — Catherine Kustanczy, Toronto Star

From Folk to Acid Rock, how Marty Balin launched the San Francisco music scene

In 1965, Balin undertook two inextricably linked projects that together changed rock-music history—he helped open a small but highly influential club called the Matrix, and he founded a new band, Jefferson Airplane, which played its first gig on his club’s opening night  — Ben Marks, collectorsweekly.com

Writer David McPherson on the legacy of the Horseshoe Tavern

The walls of the joint can't talk, but others can and did to David McPherson, author of The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern: A Complete History, a colourful and meticulous account of the iconic Toronto venue —  Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail

Jann Wenner and his biographer have a falling out

The founder of Rolling Stone commissioned a biography in 2013, and it is about to be published —  Joe Coscarelli, New York Times

10 things to do in Edmonton this week

A plethora of choices include Just For Laughs, Flogging Molly, Alberta Baroque Ensemble and Roger Waters  — Tom Murray, Edmonton Journal

The Grammy Museum's X exhibit celebrates 40 years of uncompromising rock

The new show, 40 Years of Punk in Los Angeles, which opened last Friday, will be on display through March 2018 —  Lina Lecaro, LA Weekly

Red Bull music fest mixes flavours well

Corporate sponsor is helping usher in the next generation of Toronto artists of prominence —  Ben Rayner, Toronto Star