Québec
Québecor acquiert la maison de production de Mario Pelchat (FR)
Québecor annonce son acquisition de la maison de production du chanteur Mario Pelchat, MP3 Disques.
-La Presse Canadienne
L’emblématique enseigne d’Archambault retirée (FR)
C’est une page d’histoire qui se tourne à Montréal : l’enseigne presque centenaire du magasin Archambault situé au coin des rues Sainte-Catherine Est et Berri, au centre-ville, a été retirée à l’aide de grues, lundi matin, devant les yeux étonnés de nombreux passants. Mais elle n’est pas perdue pour autant. Et le commerce, lui, demeure bien ouvert.
-Bernard Barbeau, Radio-Canada
La K-pop à la sauce québécoise (FR)
Mais comment deux Québécois de 35 ans ont-ils pu être retenus par une entreprise coréenne pour lancer une campagne mondiale (la pub est déjà diffusée en Chine et aux États-Unis)?
-Luc Boulanger, La Presse
Québec en scène, un nouveau concours de talents pour tous (FR)
Il a attiré pas moins de 612 participants. «Je ne suis pas surpris par ce nombre, dit l’instigateur de Québec en scène, William Plamondon. Je sais que les artistes ont besoin de visibilité et que c’est difficile pour eux de s’exprimer.»
-Josée Lapointe, La Presse
Ennio Morricone: quelques notes avant les adieux (FR)
La scène, son éducation musicale, la liberté d’inventer et… Sergio Leone, encore et toujours: Ennio Morricone, génie qui révolutionna la musique de films, se livre (un peu) à l’AFP, avant un passage à Paris pour une classe de maître à la Cinémathèque jeudi et un concert à Bercy vendredi dans le cadre de ses adieux.
-Nicolas Pratviel, Agence France-Presse
Des Beatles encore plus éblouissants (FR)
Cinq étoiles. Sur cinq, c’est le maximum. Ça en vaut dix, cent sur l’échelle de Richter de l’histoire du rock : ce coffret « super deluxe », qui célèbre les 50 ans de la sortie du disque double intitulé The Beatles (rebaptisé l’album blanc pour l’éternité), n’offre rien de moins que la version exponentielle d’un chef-d’oeuvre.
-Sylvain Cormier, Le Devoir
Jean-Michel Blais laments Mile End gentrification on Eviction Sessions (EN)
Jean-Michel Blais’s Eviction Sessions is many things. The mini-album is the latest example of the evocative magic the Montreal neoclassical musician creates on the piano. He likes to say it’s a live album that’s not a normal live album.
-Brendan Kelly, Montréal Gazette
L’année de la nouvelle Afrique musicale (FR)
La compilation du collectif Moonshine attendue vendredi prochain coiffe une année 2018 confirmant l’émergence d’une scène que l’on appellera celle des « musiques de club électroniques africaines », à défaut d’une meilleure étiquette. « En fait, j’aimerais bien qu’on appelle ça du Moonshine », blague le cofondateur du collectif, Pierre Kwenders, qui dresse avec le rappeur français MHD et le DJ Bonbon Kojak la cartographie de cette force sonore renvoyant au monde l’image d’une Afrique moderne, avant-gardiste et exemplaire dans son ouverture aux autres et à leurs influences musicales.
–Philippe Renaud, Le Devoir
Alain Brunet, l’anti-nostalgique (FR)
Le journaliste et critique Alain Brunet, qui écrit à La Presse depuis plus de trois décennies, est toujours resté à l’affût de ce qui se fait de mieux sur la «planète musique». Rencontre avec un anti-nostalgique.
-Alain Brunet et Marc Cassivi, La Presse
Canada
Brendan Kelly: Shania Twain hints at Shania-Céline dream team (EN)
Shania Twain has said she’d like to write a song for Céline Dion, creating an all-Canadian pop-music dream team.
-Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette
Le festival Jazz et blues d’Edmonton prépare son 25ème (FR)
Les organisateurs du festival Jazz et Blues d’Edmundston promettent une programmation des plus étoffée en 2019 à temps pour marquer son 25e anniversaire. “ Sans rien ne pouvoir dévoiler pour l’instant disons qu’il y aura assurément plein de surprises a promis la présidente du festival, Hélène Lévesque.
-Sébastien Lachance, Acadie Nouvelle
Is intellectual property the next big alternative asset? (EN)
Music rights and other intellectual properties are gaining traction as a standalone alternative asset class.
-Martha Porado, Benefits Canada
Everything we know about the future of the El Mocambo (EN)
There’s been lots of talk about the Stones and the sign, but now there are finally some details about the music that will be played at the soon-to-return venue.
-Richard Trapunski, Now Toronto
Radio Edit: Home stay options help ease harsh conditions of touring (EN)
In the past decade, Canadian independent musicians and fans began laying the groundwork for a sort of sharing economy for musicians. Fans would put up the band at their homes while the bands would play at the houses for house concerts, then share a home-cooked meal with their sponsors.
-Steve Marlow, Kamloops This Week
But wait, there’s more! K-Tel, the Spotify of the ’70s, is still going strong (EN)
The Veg-O-Matic, compilation albums and infomercials — we owe them all to K-Tel
-CBC Radio
‘Music fans deserve to know’: Danny Michel opens up about the terrifying reality of being a musician in 2018 (EN)
It’s no secret that being a musician in the age of streaming can be difficult, but very few musicians actually break down just how hard it can be to make a living. That’s why Canadian singer-songwriter Danny Michel took to Facebook this week to give people a « peek behind the curtain » of what’s really going on.
-Melody Lau, CBC Music
Local music industry players sound off on streaming woes (EN)
When Canadian singer-songwriter Danny Michel took to Facebook last week to illustrate how even some chart-topping musicians are suddenly seeing their incomes plummet, it struck a chord with fans and performers alike about the challenges of eking out a living in the age of digital streaming.
-CBC News Ottawa
Relaxing to records – in class (EN)
Bob Mersereau owns thousands of records and 45s, and the last time he counted, he had more than 3,000 CDs. Collecting albums has been a passion for the Fredericton native since his childhood. After 40 years in the music industry, he’s written multiple books including Top 100 Canadian Albums, a 2007 national bestseller, and Top 100 Canadian Singles.
-Caitlin Dutt, The Aquinian
Federal review of broadcasting and communications faces stiff headwinds (EN)
When expert witnesses appeared before a Senate committee in October to discuss changes to communications legislation, they did not expect to field a series of angry attacks on public broadcasting. That, however, is what happened.
-Karl Nerenberg, Rabble.ca
Canadian Brulee finds her sound via detour to Australia (EN)
By age 21, singer-songwriter Melanie Brulee had had enough of the cold Canadian winters. Looking for a change, as big a change as she could get, the native of Cornwall, Ontario, packed up and moved to Australia.
-Boston herald, Jed Gottlieb
International
Management speak: Why the artist-manager relationship is now the most important one in the biz (EN)
It wasn’t so very long ago that getting a record deal was the ultimate goal for every artist. But an incredibly busy couple of weeks for the UK biz has shown that nowadays, the most crucial relationship for an artist to get right is with their manager.
–Mark Sutherland, Music Week
Héritage de Johnny Hallyday: nouvelle audience sur les redevances (FR)
Nouvelle étape dans la bataille autour de la succession de Johnny Hallyday: la justice se penche mardi à Paris sur la demande de gel d’une partie des redevances liées aux albums du chanteur français dont le dernier, posthume, s’est écoulé à plus d’un million d’exemplaires.
-Agence France Presse, La Presse
Album de Johnny: 780 000 disques vendus en une semaine (FR)
L’album posthume du chanteur atteint des records de vente et pourrait devenir son plus gros succès commercial.
-L’Express
Tencent Music IPO could be pushed back to 2019 – Report (EN)
The music industry’s latest multi-billion-dollar IPO was supposed to arrive last month. […] Now, with a week-and-a-half left of November, another development: it looks likely that TME’s flotation in the US might be pushed back again into next year.
–Music Business Worldwide
Le concert à l’âge industriel (FR)
Menacés par les multinationales, les organisateurs indépendants de concerts et de festivals s’inquiètent de la possible émergence d’un «Google du spectacle vivant». Et misent sur l’artistique et l’innovation pour continuer d’exister.
-Olivier Richard, Libération
So You Really Wanna Launch In India, Spotify? (EN)
Ahead of its upcoming launch in India, Spotify faces major obstacles in its quest to gain subscribers, including a potentially limited song catalog.
-Daniel Sanchez, Digital Music News
Comment adapter les instruments de musique aux femmes? (FR)
J’ai demandé à quatre musiciennes comment je pourrais améliorer leurs instruments et les rendre « women friendly ».
–Le Jeanbart, Vice
Why do LPs sound so good? The LP boom shows no signs of slowing, and no one really knows why. (EN)
The continuing audiophile fascination with LPs is a mystery, LPs are ancient tech, records can be noisy, they’re fragile, expensive and they take up a lot of space. The best turntables, high quality phono cartridges, and preamps can cost a fortune. Even so, a lot of audiophiles still favor LPs, I know I do.
-Steve Guttenberg, CNET
European Music Societies Slam YouTube’s ‘Fact Free Fear-Mongering’ (EN)
YouTube has long been considered by many to be the big bad wolf of the music industry, largely because of the comparatively low royalties it pays on music streamed on its free platform, and because of the “safe harbor” laws that exempt it from policing unlicensed music on its site.
-Jen Aswad, Variety
Will article 13 really kill youtube ? Read it for yourself – It’s only 240 words long. (EN)
There’s been no more fiery a topic in the global music business this month than Article 13.
This is the provision within the new European Copyright Directive which seeks to make user-upload services like YouTube legally liable for all copyright-infringing content on their platforms.
Music Business Worldwide
Down the YouTube?: The real ‘unintended consequences’ of the renewed Article 13 row (EN)
A good maxim for life in the music business has always been that, when you’re in a hole, stop digging. YouTube, however, has decided to buy a bigger shovel.
– Mark Sutherland, Music Week
Dubbed the ‘Mecca’ of Streaming by Spotify, Mexico Emerges as a Top Global Piracy Consumption Hub (EN)
Despite the streaming music giant’s success in the country, don’t expect Spotify to obliterate – or even make a dent in – rampant music piracy in the region.
-Daniel Sanchez, Digital Music News
Mexico city has more spotify listeners than London, New York or Paris (EN)
Spotify adds that Mexico’s capital has become a top-streaming market for the likes of Adele, Diplo, Metallica, Harry Styles, Radiohead, New Order, Bruno Mars, Madonna among others and that ‘artists from all over the world are hitting home’ with the multicultural city’s nearly 22 million residents.
-Music Business Worldwide
Songwriter for Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, and Logic Shares His ‘Shocking’ Streaming Royalty Payments (EN)
Once again, don’t expect to earn money from streaming — even if you work with major artists.As a songwriter, Sam Barsh has achieved notable success in the music industry. His credits include songs for Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, and Logic, among many others. And he also works on the production side.
-Daniel Sanchez, Digital Music News
The Facebook Era is Over (EN)
The same viral loop that catapulted Facebook into every corner of Earth is now slowly turning the other way towards its unwinding
-Gina Bianchini
Academy adjusts membership rules (EN)
The Recording Academy has taken another step to better represent the current music industry in its membership rolls, creating a community-driven and peer-reviewed membership model.
-Hits Daily Double
La famille de Chris Cornell accuse son médecin d’avoir facilité son suicide (FR)
Il aurait prescrit «de manière négligente et répétée» des substances dangereuses qui aurait altéré l’état cognitif du chanteur…
-La Presse Canadienne, Huffington Post
The World’s Highest-Paid Women In Music 2018 (EN)
Back in 2015, when Katy Perry appeared on the cover of Forbes after earning $135 million in a single year, she knew she’d secured her place in the pop star firmament—and wouldn’t ever have to worry about fading into oblivion. « I don’t feel like my career is a ticking time bomb, » she said. « I don’t feel like I’ll always have to be feeding the meter of show business. I got my spot, yo. »
-Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Forbes
UK Security Services Missed Chances to Prevent Manchester Arena Bombing, Report Says (EN)
A major British parliamentary report found Thursday (Nov. 22) that shortcomings by security services led to missed opportunities to possibly prevent last year’s lethal extremist attack at Manchester Arena.
-Associated Press, BillboardBiz
Why spotify needs to up its game outside of Europe and the Americas (and is making big bets to do so) (EN)
The MBW Review offers our take on some of the music biz’s biggest recent goings-on. This time, we think over the possibilities for Spotify outside of its core territories of Latin America, Europe and North America. The MBW Review is supported by Instrumental.
-Tim Ingham, Music Business Worldwide
Apple’s 30 Percent Transaction Fee For In-App Subscriptions Might Disappear. What Would That Mean For Music Streaming? (EN)
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to allow an antitrust lawsuit to move forward that could force Apple to cut its 30 percent transaction fee it charges software developers who sell apps through iTunes and its App Store. The final ruling could potentially impact the music and media streaming landscape as we know it — and endanger Apple’s future plans to expand its services business.
-Cherry Hu, Billboard Biz
Is Your Song Being Played on the Radio? Here’s a Detailed Breakdown of Radio Monitoring Companies (EN)
Radio, in all its modern forms, remains a huge platform for playing music throughout the world. Here’s a quick guide to figuring out if your music is playing somewhere out there in radio-land, anywhere in the world — and what to do about it.
-Paul Resnikoff, Digital Music News
Big Radio Payments To Artists, Producers, Labels Are Overdue (EN)
While radio stations have provided compensation to songwriters and music publishers, they have never never paid record labels, artists, or producers, something which, Richard James Burgess of A2IM believes, it’s high time to change.
-Richard James Burgess, Hypebot
Our Latest Podcast: Latin America Has 640 Million People. Why Are Fewer Than 5% of Them Paying for Streaming? (EN)
Streaming music subscriptions are exploding in regions like North America and Western Europe. But why isn’t the same thing happening in musical hotbeds like Latin America?
-Paul Resnikoff, Digital Music News
SXSW Announces Second Wave of 2019 Performers (EN)
South by Southwest announced its second wave of 2019 music performers on Wednesday (Nov. 28), unveiling nearly 250 new acts set to take the stage during the annual event’s 33rd installment March 11-17 in Austin, Texas.
-Josh Glicksman,Billboard Biz
Amidst Dismal Numbers, YouTube Dials Back Its Premium Service (EN)
At its peak last year, YouTube’s former premium video service – YouTube Red – had around 1.5 million subscribers. Google Play Music had around 7 million.Then, the video platform decided to try a new strategy.
-Daniel Sanchez, Digital Music News
Euro Orgs condemn youtube, Cohen (EN)
While Americans were stuffing themselves on Thanksgiving, five European trade organizations, including the IFPI and IMPALA, issued a joint statement titled “YouTube’s Fact-Free Fear Mongering” in response to Lyor Cohen’s typically spurious attack on Article 13 of the Copyright Directive.
-Hits Daily Double
YouTube Launches Half-Price Student Plans for YouTube Music and YouTube Premium (EN)
Google has announced new student plans for both YouTube Music and YouTube Premium. The discounted pricing strategy comes against rumored problems attracting paying subscribers.
-Ashley King, Digital Music News
Sound Royalties and Adrev team up to pay advances to youtube creators (EN)
Music financing company Sound Royalties has entered into a ‘strategic marketing partnership’ with YouTube monetisation service AdRev.
–Music Business Worldwide
