Music Biz Headlines, June 5, 2019
Toronto faces a festival drought (pictured: Field Trip), NXNE turns 25, and a Boy George biopic is in the wings. Also in the headlines are Devontée, Fallen Tree Records, Carrie Underwood, Rory Gallagher, Napster, Governors Ball, Stereolab, Tom Petty, and iTunes.
By Kerry Doole
Big music fests avoid Toronto as financial risk grows too high
Where have all the festivals gone? Toronto’s dream of hatching its own omnivorous, all-things-to-all-people version of Montreal’s Osheaga, Chicago’s Lollapalooza or California’s Coachella remains just that: a dream. – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
Devontée is the secret bridge between the Toronto Raptors and the Warriors
We caught up with the Toronto rapper to talk about the city's energy during the NBA Finals, working with his cousin Steph Curry and his upcoming EP Sun Of Dawn. – Richard Trapunski, NOW
OBEY XII: Nick Schofield
Like so many creative rabbit holes, the idea behind Nick Schofield's first ambient record, Water Sine, presented itself after dark. Schofield says the album emerged out of a series of sleepless nights. – Brennan McCracken, The Coast
18 Toronto concerts we're looking forward to in June 2019
Billie Eilish, PUP, U.S. Girls and more – here are the shows to catch this month. – Staff, NOW
Meet the founder of Canada’s newest folk/roots record label
Former Stony Plain Records operations manager Peter Chapman has struck out on his own with Fallen Tree Records, whose initial roster includes veteran performers Jon Brooks and 100 Mile House. – Heather Kitching, Roots Music Canada
NXNE turns 25: Michael Hollett on his evolving fest, embracing Esports and missed opportunities on cannabis
NXNE, which kicks off in Toronto this weekend (June 7) and runs until the 16th, is celebrating its 25th year, and much has changed since Hollett, founder of alternative weekly Now magazine, launched the summer music event as a Canadian version of Austin's SXSW. – Karen Bliss, Billboard
On Our Radar: Vancouver's Tanglers spin a "Tallboy" story for your long-suffering, inner economy class frequent flyer
We're going out on a limb here and suggesting that Vancouver's Tanglers are mildly guilty of cultural appropriation in the video for their deliciously languid Tallboy. – Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight
Review: Carrie Underwood charms SaskTel Centre
The US country star dazzled with her vocal power and stage presence, complete with fireworks, glitter, and numerous projector screens. – Alexa Lawlor, Star-Phoenix
Rory Gallagher's new Blues collection is a guitar freak's wet dream
It would be nice to see him in the RRHOF. And anyone who hears the new Blues collection would be hard-pressed to deny that the Irish guitar hero is deserving of induction. – Steve Newton, Georgia Straight
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Oversharing: how Napster nearly killed the music industry
Twenty years ago, the idea of free music was so compelling that up to 80m users downloaded Napster and broke the law. The aftershocks are still being felt today. – Eamonn Forde, The Guardian
Thom Yorke mocks Donald Trump’s terrible approval ratings as protest against President’s UK visit gathers steam
Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and 'Trainspotting' author Irvine Welsh have also spoken out against Trump. – Nick Levine, NME
Rain-delayed Governors Ball evacuated over weather danger on final night
Rain-soaked concertgoers demanded refunds as they evacuated the Governors Ball music festival on Randalls Island after forecasters warned of severe thunderstorms Sunday night. The Strokes never got to play. – Clayton Guse and John Annese, NY Daily News
The end of the iTunes era: The life and death of Apple's curator-in-chief
Over his four decades at Rhino Records and Apple, Gary Stewart left his mark as one of the greatest curators the music business had ever known, cataloging, packaging and recontextualizing forgotten and overlooked swaths of rock history, much as legendary anthropologists Harry Smith and Alan Lomax had done for folk and blues. – Randall Roberts, LA Times
Stereolab played their first proper gig in a decade at Primavera’s grand brutalist amphitheatre
The group played an hour of their most-loved songs, performed with grace and steely intent. – Sam Walton, Loud and Quiet
Tom Petty’s family at war over the singer’s assets and legacy
it looks like Petty’s litigious legacy has been passed on well. Adria Petty and Annakim Violette — Petty’s daughters from his first marriage — recently sued his widow Dana Petty for at least $5 million in damages. The duo believes that Dana set up a new LLC as a way to deprive them of their father’s assets. – Ashley King, Digital Music News
iTunes is dead. Let us pay our respects
After 18 years as Apple's digital hub, iTunes is no more. The company will replace it with dedicated apps for Music, Television, and Podcasts. – Wired
Learning to listen, in a Los Angeles cafe built for vinyl
Japanese-style listening bars, where D.J.’s spin carefully selected records for a hushed audience, are arriving in America. But truly appreciating them can take a little practice. – Ben Ratliff, New York Times
Profit didn’t disappear, it just moved
One of the recurring themes in analysis of tech businesses is the role of profit, and most often, the apparent lack of it – or at the very least, the way in which it plays second fiddle to growth. – Music Industry Blog
Boy George’s life to get a movie treatment
MGM will produce a feature film based on the life of the iconic Culture Club singer with Sacha Gervasi (My Dinner with Herve, Anvil: The Story of Anvil) set to write and direct. – Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline
