Sting will star in his own musical.
Mirvish Productions, a Canadian theatrical production company, has announced Sting will star in the Canadian premiere of his musical, The Last Ship. Based on the singer’s 1991 album The Soul Cages, the musical tells the story of a small town’s struggle for survival amidst the decline of the shipbuilding industry.
Still no answers about Radiohead’s fatal 2012 stage collapse.
Radiohead will perform at Toronto six years after the band’s drum technician, Scott Johnson, passed away following a stage collapse at Downsview Park. In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Radiohead’s drummer, Philip Selway, expressed his frustration over a court case’s indefinite delay.
“It’s very frustrating. The court case broke down on a technicality. So there have been no real answers. Without the answers we can’t ensure that an accident like this can’t happen again.”
Jay-Z slams Philadelphia’s mayor for changing his music festival’s location.
Jay-Z has lambasted Philadelphia’s mayor Jim Kenney for moving the location of his music festival, Made in America. Writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer, he wrote,
“Our question is: how do you think that tourism grew, Mayor Kenney? We are disappointed that the mayor would evict us from the heart of the city, through a media outlet, without a sit-down meeting, notice, dialogue or proper communication.”
Kenney pointed to an ‘unfortunate misunderstanding’.
The IFPI praises EU-Japan trade deal.
The IFPI has issued a statement welcoming the recent European Union-Japan bilateral free trade agreement. The deal will “eliminate nearly all tariffs on products traded between Japan and the EU.” According to IFPI CEO Francis Moore, the free trade agreement will support the continued growth of both music markets. It will also promote investment in culture in both regions.
“The agreement extends the term of protection for sound recordings in Japan to match the duration of protection in the EU. This is a mark of fairness as recording artists and producers should be protected equally well in both regions.”
Can blockchain beat ticket scalpers?
Former StubHub employees have unveiled Tracer, a blockchain-based solution to beat ticket scalpers. The company enables artists and promoters to track the ticket’s journey and decide whether they can be resold in the secondary ticket market as well as what happens to the profits. Tracer investors include LCD SoundSystem’s James Murphy, major record executives, managers, music industry insiders, and Pillar – a Boston-based venture capital firm.
Cat Stevens inks a broad-ranging deal with BMG.
Cat Stevens — aka Yusuf Islam — has inked an umbrella administrative agreement with BMG. In addition to a 50-year song catalog, the deal also encompasses a feature documentary and other audio-visual and literary content. Stevens is credited with more than 60 million album sales; he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Japanese lyrics animator Cotodama joins Abbey Road Red.
Japanese firm Cotodama has joined Abbey Road Red, a UK music startup incubator. The company will work with the incubator at Abbey Road Studios in London. Cotodama develops software to create visuals based on a song’s lyrics. Its Expression Engine algorithm uses song structure and mood data to animate lyrics.
Music Canada Live welcomes newly appointed Canadian Cultural Minister.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s Prime Minister, has named Pablo Rodriguez as Minister of Heritage and Multicultiralism, replacing Mélanie Joly. Music Canada Live has issued a statement welcoming the appointment. The association looks forward to working with Rodriguez to reinforce the Canadian live music industry’s economic, cultural, and social impacts and contributions.
Scottish Events Campus reports profit growth.
Scottish Events Campus Limited, Glasglow-based venue operator, has released its financial report. Turnover increased 1% to £29.1 million ($37.8 million). EBITDA increased 11% to £3.8 million ($4.9 million). Operating Profit increased by 19% to £1.3 million ($1.7 million).
Phil Rudd Band’s promotion company owes European concert promoters a lot of money.
Wave 365 Media, a UK marketing and promotion company that works closely with former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, reportedly owes several European promoters tens of thousands of euros. Led by Chairman/President Alan Bellman, Wave 365 Media hasn’t returned deposits to promoters after the Phil Rudd Band canceled several performances across the continent. In Spain alone, one concert promoter told IQ Mag the company holds €20,000 ($23,200) in non-refunded deposits from canceled performances there.
AEG acquires Firefly Music Festival.
AEG has bought Red Frog Events’ majority stake in Firefly Music Festival. Stephanie Mezzano, previously President of Operations at Red Frog Events, has joined AEG Presents.
Shawn Mendes will headline Rolling Stone ‘revival’ concert.
Shawn Mendes will headline Rolling Stone’s relaunch attempt concert. Five hundred music industry insiders, influencers, and a select group of fans will attend the event presented by YouTube Music.
Google unveils more YouTube Music features.
Google has announced several new features for its YouTube Music app, including better audio quality support, Sonos support, Android Auto support, SD card support for Android, and more shuffle vs. play-in-order options for playlists.
YouTube quietly rolls out hashtag search options.
YouTube has unveiled hashtags above videos that have them in their descriptions. The popular video platform will display the first three hashtags right above the title. Clicking on them will open a YouTube search showing videos with the same tags.
STAR appoints Richard Brundle as Chairman.
The Society of Ticketing Agents and Retailers (STAR) has appointed Richard Brundle as Chairman. He had previously worked as Managing Director of Edwards and Edwards, a ticketing agency.
LME announces two promotions and a new hire.
Logan Media Entertainment (LME), a UK-based music company, has promoted René Renner and Vikki Josephs to joint Managing Directors. They will oversee LME’s management, label, and publishing divisions. The company has also hired Sam Mumford as Head of A&R who will work across all creative areas.
BMI makes key appointment.
BMI has named Alex Flores as Senior Vice President of Creative. Based in Los Angeles, she’ll report to Mike Steinberg, Executive Vice President of Creative and Licensing.
Featured image by BMI.