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FYI

Music Biz Headlines, Aug. 13, 2018

Cannabis sponsorship of music events raises eyebrows, festivals are pressed to combat groping, and the Elvis Presley Foundation is broke. Others in the headlines are Nap Eyes, Android, Britney Spears, Jennifer Castle, Billy Talent, Vancouver rap, Sumner Redstone, Tash Sultana, Neil Finn, Sass Jordan, Prime Boys, Mamma Mia!, Paul Reddick, and Ry Cooder.

Music Biz Headlines, Aug. 13, 2018

By Kerry Doole

How legal are the cannabis sponsorships at Canadian music festivals?

Corporate weed brands are forging ahead with grey area sponsorships at live music events despite warnings from Health Canada. – Samantha Edwards, NOW


Artists, fans push music festivals to tackle sex harassment 

Fans and artists are asking the live music industry to make cultural changes to address sexual harassment and groping in the wake of the #MeToo movement. – AP

Nap Eyes’ subjective science 

The band’s Halifax-based leader Nigel Chapman ruminates on his concrete, visible sound objects. –  Brennan McCracken, The Coast 

Elvis Presley Foundation, like Lisa Marie, is broke: Just $38K in assets 41 years after star’s death

Lisa Marie Presley isn’t the only member of her extended world who’s broke. So is the Elvis Presley Foundation. On the eve of the 41st anniversary of the star’s death, his legacy for being charitable is pretty much in shreds. – Roger Friedman, showbiz411.com

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Millions of Android devices are vulnerable right out of the box

 Security meltdowns on your smartphone are often self-inflicted: You clicked the wrong link, or installed the wrong app. But for millions of Android devices, the vulnerabilities have been baked in ahead of time, deep in the firmware, just waiting to be exploited.  – Brian Barrett, Wired

‘It was a bit of a blur’: Britney Spears on the making of ...Baby One More Time

As the smash hit that changed the musical landscape turns 20, Britney, along with her collaborators, discuss the creation of a pop masterpiece.  – Michael Cragg, The Guardian

Billy Talent fans glad to show support after shootings with Danforth benefit concert

The fundraiser was held in the same neighbourhood where 18-year-old Reese Fallon and 10-year-old Julianna Kozis were killed and 13 others were injured on July 22, when a gunman fired into crowded restaurants and patios. – Olivia Bowden, CP

Singer-songwriter Jennifer Castle on finding balance through her work as a doula

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So Loki promotes Vancouver rap alongside international artists at Safe & Sound Festival

So Loki—rapper Sam Lucia and producer Geoffrey Millar—argues that the Vancouver rap scene needs a thriving ecosystem to compete with Toronto.  – Kate Wilson, Georgia Straight

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Courtroom battle over control of CBS reignites questions about Sumner Redstone's capacity

As CBS Corp. grapples with an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by its chief executive, the company’s high-stakes legal battle against its controlling shareholder family took center stage Wednesday in a Delaware courtroom. –  Meg James, LA Times

Rising one-person psychedelic rock band Tash Sultana: ‘It didn’t happen from me sitting on my arse’: Q&A

As a one-person band used to juggling myriad instruments and loops and pieces of gear at the same time, Sultana is remarkably adept at reacting to adverse situations as they materialize. –Ben Rayner, Toronto Star

Neil Finn on his new album with son Liam, and joining Fleetwood Mac

It’s often said that belonging to a band is akin to being in a family. It’s an analogy that New Zealand popmeister Neil Finn has taken to heart over the years.  Randy Lewis, LA Times

Kitchener Blues Festival displayed plenty of ‘Sass’

August festival featured artists from across the blues-rock spectrum. – Joel Rubinoff, Waterloo Region Record 

 

Prime Boys drive travelling pop-up shop across Toronto

The hip-hop trio's exclusive merch truck takes a tour of the group's hometown. –  Olivia Bednar, NOW

Mamma Mia! still gets audience seat-dancing 18 years after its Toronto debut

The return of Mamma Mia! to Toronto, where it received its North American premiere in 2000 and subsequently ran for five years, is exquisitely timed, given that  Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, the Hollywood sequel that expands the story of the stage version and its film adaptation, is in theatres now. – Carly Maga, Toronto Star

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The music of 'The Handmaid's Tale' provides 'ironic counterpoint' to show's dark themes

The second season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” was brought to a close with a moment of cathartic violence. But one could argue the star of the scene wasn’t Alexis Biedel’s handmaid Emily but instead a voice offscreen: Annie Lennox.  – Erin Ben-Moche, LA Times

Paul Reddick a poet of the blues

 

To Paul Reddick, the blues has always been a beautiful landscape. The Toronto-based bluesman began cultivating the "entire gamut" of this melodic soil at the age of 12.  – Coral Andrews,  Waterloo Region Record

Guitar legend and American roots-music champion Ry Cooder is elated. Here's why.

Ry Cooder has a new lease on life, musically speaking, and the legendary guitarist and roots-music champion couldn’t be more delighted about his first album in six years and his first concert tour in a decade. –  George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune

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Papi Jay, rising R&B and kompa musician who works with Maison Kanda
Via Maison Kanda

Papi Jay, rising R&B and kompa musician who works with Maison Kanda

Awards

Quebec's ADISQ Awards is Adding Its First Award for French R&B and Soul

Developed with ADVANCE, the addition marks the first time in its 45-year history that the awards program will officially recognize the genres, and marks a major win for Francophone R&B, soul and gospel artists.

Quebec's ADISQ awards are making a rare major change this year: adding a new prize for Best R&B/Soul album.

The provincial Association of the Record, Show and Video Industry (ADISQ) awards its coveted Félix trophies every year at a series of galas. ADISQ already presents 18 album of the year awards, in categories such as Rock, Folk, Country, Rap, and World Music. This year, the association will present a new award for R&B/Soul album of the year.

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