Music Biz Headlines, Sept. 1, 2022
Avril Lavigne (pictured) enters Hollywood Walk of Fame, Win Butler comes under serious fire, and a battle at the merch table. Also in the headlines are Talli Osborne, Supercrawl, Metric, Avery Raquel, Blondie, Denman Island, Kobalt, Triller, Sony Music, Paul Kelly, NFTs, Taylor Swift, YouTube, Ozzy Osbourne, Rachel Nagy, Britney, Gulsen, and Jimmy Cliff.
By Kerry Doole
Avril Lavigne on 20 Years of ‘Let Go,’ being a ‘real-ass bitch’ and earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Lavigne’s first time visiting the Hollywood WoF came in 2001, when the then-16-year-old had traveled to LA to work on what would become her seven-times platinum debut album, “Let Go.” She stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel, which is on the famed boulevard, and ventured out to take a stroll amongst the stars. She earned her own star on the Walk of Fame on Aug. 31. – Ellise Shafer, Variety
Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler accused of sexual misconduct
Butler denied the sexual misconduct allegations, saying that he had had “consensual relationships outside of my marriage,” according to statements he provided to Pitchfork. – Stacy Perman, LA Times
Arcade Fire singer Win Butler denies multiple allegations of sexual misconduct
The lead singer of Montreal-based band Arcade Fire has responded to a media report that includes multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. The accusations against Win Butler are outlined in a report from entertainment news site Pitchfork, which published a story containing allegations of inappropriate sexual interactions with three women and one person who identifies as gender fluid. – CP
Canadian punk legend Talli Osborne picked as face of new Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas
'I could give Joan Jett a tour of the Punk Rock Museum.... That will literally blow my mind,' said Osborne. – Cara Nickerson, CBC News
It’s Supercrawl, y’all!
Regular scheduled programming is back at Hamilton's Supercrawl, and the result is sure to be an end-of-summer highlight featuring a huge lineup of Canadian artists in a wide range of genres. – Kerry Doole, Hamilton City Magazine
After almost 25 years as a band, Metric feels free to ‘do whatever we want’
The Canadian-American indie rock quartet doubled down on being Metric after the pandemic hit. – Ben Rayner, Toronto Star
Avery Raquel is stretching jazz into alternative soul
Raquel decided on a career in music when most kids are still trying to learn how to ride a bicycle without training wheels. – Graham Rockingham, Hamilton Spectator
Denman Island’s ‘Occupied’ with music
Denman Island has almost 1,400 residents, according to the latest census. It turns out more than a few of them are musicians, as a number of them have banded together to put out a compilation CD, Occupied Denman. – Comox Valley Record
Savannah Ré, Skip Marley, RealestK and RAYE: Here are 8 new tracks you need to hear
Plus new music from FRVRFRIDAY, Ari Lennox and NIKI. – Staff, Toronto Star
It’s back to tradition for the Burlington Concert Band
During the concert, the BCB will be remembering those that they’ve recently lost. One such is the late trumpeter-conductor-arranger Bobby Herriot, a musical icon and former BCB member who passed away last Dec. 19 in Burlington. – Leonard Turnevicius, Hamilton Spectator
International
Kobalt in talks to sell majority stake to Francisco Partners
Last year was a big year for Kobalt Music Group. The company celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021, while selling AWAL to Sony Music – a deal which left Kobalt clear to focus on its core music publishing business, plus digital collection society AMRA .Sources tell us that US-headquartered Francisco Partners is currently in advanced talks to acquire a majority stake in KMG with the possibility of a deal being signed soon. – Tim Ingham, MBW
Music Publishers, Streaming Services Avoid Another Battle Royale by Setting Royalty Rates for Next Four Years
After a grueling, hard-fought and ultimately victorious legal battle over streaming rates for the years 2018-22, the National Music Publishers’ Association, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and the Digital Media Association have announced a settlement with streaming services for certain mechanical streaming rates in the U.S. for the years 2023-2027: 15.35%. – Jem Aswad, Variety
How much would you pay for this? NFT market in the dumps after exploding in popularity last year
NFT market in the dumps after exploding in popularity last year Is there a future for NFTs, or is it another example of a pandemic-fuelled boom gone bust? –Joe Castaldo, Globe and Mail
Live music's latest battle isn’t onstage. It’s at the merch booth
"I was seething, livid,” one merch vendor says of a employer taking some of their tip earnings from a recent concert. – Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone
Triller is being sued by Sony Music for non-payment of "millions of dollars"
August 29 was supposed to be a celebratory day for short-form video platform Triller. Then Sony Music spoiled the party. US-based TikTok rival Triller announced in the past 24 hours that it had completed a “substantial” pre-public financing round in the form of debt and equity. Triller, though, faces a new lawsuit from Sony Music Entertainment (SME), filed in the US on Aug. 29. – MBW
Robert Kyncl is leaving YouTube
Expect the 'is THIS the new CEO of Warner Music Group?' rumor mill to gather pace. There was a time in recent history when Robert Kyncl was the sole senior figure at YouTube tasked with most frequently interacting with the music industry. – MBW
Rappers’ lyrics are putting them in jail. Now the music biz is fighting back
The indictments of Young Thug and Gunna this year rallied executives, lawyers and artists to support legislation on the state and federal levels. – Brian Welk, The Wrap
Taylor Swift announces new album ‘Midnights’
The new album lands Oct. 21, Swift announced at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards, earning deafening cheers from the crowd in Newark, New Jersey. – Patrick Ryan, USA Today
Blondie opens vaults for a hefty box set celebrating cool
It’s a 17-pound box set with 124 tracks and 36 previously unissued recordings, demos, outtakes and remixed versions of Blondie’s initial six studio albums. Mark Kennedy, AP
Tea with Ozzy Osbourne: ‘I’ve sung that song for 55 years. I’m not going to forget the words’
When he stole the show at the Commonwealth Games, fans were delighted to see the Prince of Darkness back. Here, Ozzy Osbourne pours out his soul about overcoming illness, coming home – and why he owes it all to Sharon. – Craig McLean, The Guardian
Detroit Cobras singer Rachel Nagy remembered, celebrated Sunday in Detroit
Fans, friends and band mates of late Detroit Cobras singer Rachel Nagy will celebrate her life and talent at a memorial concert Sunday at the Magic Stick in Detroit. – Melody Baetens, The Detroit News
Britney Spears gets a beautiful boost from Elton John, healer of musicians’ souls
The song ‘Hold Me Closer’ might not be so terrific, writes Vinay Menon. But it represents just the latest act of generosity from the patron saint of high-profile victims of the music business. – Toronto Star
Paul Kelly to headline Red Hot Summer 2023 season
Paul Kelly will headline the 2023 season for Duane McDonald’s Red Hot Summer with Bernard Fanning, Missy Higgins, Mark Seymour, Vika & Linda and Ian Moss & Troy Cassar-Daly also heading around Australia in the new year. – Paul Cashmere, Noise11
Reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff: ‘In England we had to fight to get any kind of recognition’
The musician on his early struggles in London, the enduring appeal of his song Many Rivers to Cross, auditioning Bob Marley, and the problem with Jamaican independence. – Killian Fox, The Guardian
Rock musical with ‘mind-bending’ cinematic effects comes to London
Avatars of human beings that are indistinguishable from the real thing have been created for a new “rock musical” with groundbreaking technology that could revolutionise live theatre. The show, titled Cages, uses “mind-bending” special effects. – The Guardian
Turkish pop star Gulsen placed on house arrest over joke about country’s religious schools
The 46-year-old singer and songwriter, whose full name is Gulsen Colakoglu, was taken away from her home in Istanbul for questioning and formally arrested late Thursday. She was then taken to a prison pending trial. – AP
