Music Biz Headlines, Aug. 26, 2021
The first Police Picnic (pictured) turns 40, Sarah McLachlan sells her Whistler retreat, and a big honour for Joni Mitchell. Also in the headlines are Drake, Mirvish Productions, Aerosmith, Warner Music Group, TuneCore, mandatory vaccinations, the Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, Sirius XM, Tom T. Hall, Holly Gleason, Pixies, Billie Eilish, Newport Jazz Festival, and Nirvana.
By Kerry Doole
Drake laughing after Kanye West shares address of his Bridle Path mansion in Toronto
Drake and Kanye West are actively feuding again, in full and conspicuous public view, as both artists get ready to drop highly-anticipated (and majorly-delayed) new albums. At least that's what I hope and assume is behind their latest social media beef, which incidentally just resulted in Ye publishing Drizzy's home address to Instagram.– BlogTO
The Weeknd buys $70-million mansion in priciest L.A. real estate deal this year
The nine-bedroom mansion features a music studio, movie theatre, steam spa and sauna, indoor pool and outdoor infinity pool with waterfall. – Colin McClelland, Financial Post
The Police Picnic turned the spotlight on Oakville 40 years ago
Forty years ago today, 25,000 young people and a bunch of musical upstarts came together in a wide-open Oakville field for one of the first festivals of a new kind of music. – Steve Pecar, InSauga
Joni Mitchell has been named MusiCares’ 2022 Person of the Year.
The beloved Canadian singer-songwriter will be toasted by the music industry at the Academy’s pre-Grammys charity event in LA on Jan. 29. The evening will be centred on her career with various artists paying tribute to Mitchell’s much-lauded songs, which have won eight Grammy Awards over the decades. A dinner, reception and silent auction will be held with proceeds going to MusiCares. – David Friend, CP
Mirvish Productions to relaunch in Dec.– with vaccination requirements for those on stage, backstage and in the audience
Mirvish Productions, Canada’s largest commercial theatre company, is set to launch a new season of live shows in its four Toronto venues starting in December – in which only fully vaccinated artists and workers will be allowed on stage and backstage. Audiences will, likewise, be required to be vaccinated. – JK Nestruck, Globe and Mail
Sweet surrender: after 7 years on and off market, Sarah McLachlan finally sells Whistler retreat for $11.5 million
Sarah McLachlan has finally sold her Whistler retreat. The "I Will Remember You" singer and songwriter let go of the 5476 Stonebridge Place property for $11.5 million in June The luxurious mountain estate has a 2021 B.C. Assessment valuation of $10,954,000. – Carlito Pablo, Georgia Straight
An exhibition celebrating The Rolling Stones’ impact on pop culture lands in Kitchener
If you consider yourself a die-hard Rolling Stones fan, or even a purveyor of pop culture, THEMUSEUM in Kitchener’s latest exhibit should pique your interest. – Rachel Moore, NOW
Amid Toronto’s rave renaissance, a DJ creates a solo dance floor
Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, aka DJ Me Time, stimulates dance-floor transcendence at SummerWorks. – Kevin Ritchie, NOW
International
Aerosmith inks deal to bring full catalog to Universal Music Group
Another week, another legendary artist announces a career-spanning global alliance with a major record company. This time, it’s Aerosmith and UMG jointly unveiling a new deal inked just ahead of the band’s 50th anniversary. As a result of the new partnership, UMG will become home to Aerosmith’s entire recorded music catalog in 2022, as well as future music releases, merchandise and audio-visual content.– Tim Ingham, MBW
Warner Music has changed leaders in 10 key international markets since an IPO. Why?
Warner Music Group has undergone a comprehensive leadership transformation since it floated on the Nasdaq in early June last year. The bulk of that transformation has taken place in markets outside of the UK and US. The replacement of Warner Music Canada head Steve Kane was announced this week. – MBW
China is banning music that 'insults or defames others' in its 50K karaoke venues
China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has just announced that, from October 1, any music that breaches a fresh set of government rules will be banned from being played within the country's near-50,000 karaoke venues. – MBW
For those about to vax: Why vaccination proof is the new standard for concert entry
Top execs from Live Nation and AEG (and influencer Jason Isbell) tell why the move to require more of concertgoers seemed abrupt but may have been inevitable. – Chris Willman, Variety
TuneCore names Andreea Gleason as new CEO
TuneCore, one of the world’s largest DIY music distribution platforms, has promoted Andreea Gleeson to the position of CEO. The company paid out over $400M to indie artists last year. Gleeson is the first CEO of TuneCore since Scott Ackerman, who exited the role in April last year. – Tim Ingham, MBW
Are Covid Delta variant fears killing the live concert comeback?
Just before the July 4th weekend, the music industry was hailing a post-pandemic comeback, predicting the live concert business would bounce back to pre-Covi levels as early as August. But in the last few weeks, as infections and hospitalizations from variants have risen in many parts of the world, top acts like Garth Brooks, BTS, Nine Inch Nails, Stevie Nicks and Michael Bublé have canceled upcoming tour dates. – Diane Haithman, The Wrap
'It’s All Over Now'? — Lessons from the Rolling Stones school of business
Will the death of Charlie Watts bring an end to a touring business worth billions? – Colin McClelland, Financial Post
The major record labels now pull down $2.5 million an hour
Hypebot reports: “While many artists continue to struggle financially in the new streaming economy, many major labels appear to be doing just fine, bringing in more than $20 billion in global revenue over the past year.” – Digital Media Wire
Fintech veteran gears neobank toward musicians
Kasasa executive John Waupsh decided to launch Nerve after noticing musicians, struggling to access business accounts, often rely on personal checking accounts for business deposits and expenses. – Banking Dive
Sex Pistols win legal fight against Johnny Rotten over songs
High court judge rules that Paul Cook and Steve Jones are entitled to use material in Pistol TV series. – The Guardian
SiriusXM wins appeal In Turtles/Flo & Eddie pre-1972 royalty lawsuit
Sirius XM Radio has won its appeal of the partial summary judgment awarded Flo & Eddie Inc., the company formed by Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, in the class action case seeking royalties from the satellite and streaming service for broadcasting pre-1972 music. The case follows rulings in favor of Sirius in Florida and New York. – Perry Michael Simon, All Access
Independent Music NZ cancels Going Global Music Summit
Upon the return of Covid-19 and alert level 4 restrictions for Aotearoa (NZ), IMNZ and the NZ Music Commission have made the decision to cancel this year's Going Global Music Summit, originally to take place in September. Full refunds for ticket-holders are currently being processed. – Scoop
Remembering Tom T. Hall: That's How He Got to Nashville (1936-2021)
Hall, who died Friday at age 85, was a deceptively simple man. He looked like a banker and sang in the plainest of baritones. But he had 30 top-20 country singles, including six #1’s, and he wrote nearly as many hits for other artists. The only explanation for this paradox is the power of his songwriting. – Geoffrey Himes, Paste
Music writer Jessica Hopper’s collection of criticism offers a female perspective in a male-dominated genre
Journalist Jessica Hopper's acclaimed 2015 book, the cheekily titled The First Collection of Criticism By A Living Female Rock Critic, was recently re-released in an expanded edition. Nearly double the length of its first incarnation, it includes more of Hopper’s incisive features, profiles and reviews from the last few years, as well as a deeply personal afterword and a new foreword by comedian Samantha Irby. – Tabassum Siddiqui, Globe and Mail
Pixies cancel US tour due to Covid-19: “This is the right decision for our fans and crew members’ safety”
The band were due to hit the road next month. – Rhian Daly, NME
This week In the Hot Seat with Larry LeBlanc: Holly Gleason, artist development consultant and music critic.
The brash, wildly talented Nashville-based journalist, author, and artist development consultant Holly Gleason was presented with the CMA Media Achievement Award in 2019. Gleason’s formidable knowledge of American country music, and rock and roll allows her to write from a place of deep knowledge. – Larry LeBlanc, Celebrity Access
Reflections on the 2021 Newport Jazz Festival
This week is a first for the column: coverage of the venerable Newport Jazz Festival. Established in 1954, the fest remains one of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world. It has been the site of quite a few significant moments in jazz, many live recordings, and a superb film of the 1958 fest, Jazz on a Summer’s Day. – No Depression
Billie Eilish concert film is a partly animated ‘love letter to Los Angeles’
Eilish will partner with director Robert Rodriguez and Oscar-winning animator Patrick Osborne for a Hollywood Bowl concert film that is also a partly animated “love letter to Los Angeles.” The special will include animation and concert footage to take fans “on a dreamlike journey through Billie’s hometown of Los Angeles and its most iconic backdrops,” according to Disney+, which will air the special on Sept. 3. – Tim Molloy MovieMaker
The baby on Nirvana’s Nevermind album cover sues band for child sexual exploitation
Spencer Elden claims that the image is child pornography, and that consent to use it was never formally granted. – Consequence
