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FYI

Music Biz Headlines, Feb. 5, 2018

The Spice Girls make mega-bucks for reuniting for public appearances, but David Byrne won't put Talking Heads back together. Those also in the headlines include Justin Timberlake, Dungarees, Elijah Will, EDM, Tona Tencreddi, Sheepdogs, Juno Cup, Rumours, and Adventure Club.

Music Biz Headlines, Feb. 5, 2018

By Kerry Doole

Don't call it a comeback: Spice Girls set to reunite – but won't perform or record

The members have reportedly accepted £10m each to promote a second greatest hits album, along with talent shows and endorsements – Laura Snapes, The Guardian


David Byrne on Trump, cultural appropriation and why he won't reunite Talking Heads

The art-rock legend also discusses his new 'American Utopia' LP and what it's like to be sampled by Selena Gomez  – Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone

Is the greatest hits album dead?

Something odd is happening to the music industry in the era of streaming. Age-old commercial strategies are being overturned as record companies big and small fight to adjust to the new technological reality – Robert Plummer, BBCNews.com

Justin Timberlake's stunning new video took 200 people, weeks of planning, and one single shot

Director Arturo Perez Jr. of La Blogothèque explains how he made the "Say Something" video –  Matt Miller, Forbes

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Edmonton band Dungarees enjoys unexpected success in Australia

It’s not every day that one of your songs comes in just ahead of Taylor Swift, and right behind Garth Brooks, on the country charts, but the Project WILD winners can stake that claim  – Tom Murray, Edmonton Journal

Becoming Elijah Will 

Classified’s R&B protege launched his new EP 3am  on Friday in Halifax – Tara Thorne, The Coast

In the streaming age, musicians scramble to redraw the touring map

Now that it's almost impossible to make money selling records, artists have to get creative on the road to sustain their careers – Eric R. Danton, Paste

Scarborough hip-hop artist Tona Tencreddi discusses the intersection of politics and culture impacts his work and the work of others

"Musicians who say nothing in times of turmoil will be forgotten – James Topham, warchild.ca

How electronic dance music took over the world

After four young Brits discovered Ibiza’s club scene in the 1980s, the rave culture became a multi-billion-dollar business – The Spectator

Contemporary operas evolve as composers reach for more singable music

Some composers are moving away from aggressively dissonant music. Recent production successes may mean this is the right path to take – William Littler, Toronto Star

Sheepdogs keep classic rock wagging in Changing Colours

Their new album doesn’t suggest the Saskatoon rockers have learned any new tricks. But the 17-song record most certainly presents the veteran band in more shades than any of its previous releases – Stuart Derdeyn, Calgary Herald

The Juno Cup: Canadian music greats to take on ex-Canucks in charity hockey clash

Jim Cuddy, Chad Brownlee and Dallas Smith are set to take on a group of ex-Canucks and other NHLers in a charity hockey game during Juno Week –  Patrick Johnson, Vancouver Sun

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Toronto musicians to watch in 2018: electronic edition

The city's underground scenes are rising fast, and these six artists are primed for impact  – Mark Streeter, NOW

Milky Chance goes swimming in the deep end

The German group recorded its debut album with no goal beyond having fun—then that YouTube thing happened –  Mike Usinger, Georgia Straight

Ted Dykstra taps Fleetwood Mac's Rumours for an unconventional live event

The production by Toronto's Coal Mine Theatre is shaping up to be a commercial hit  – Globe and Mail

Adventure Club, finding soul in remixing

In an electronic music scene full of slickly produced club anthems, rising young Montreal duo Adventure Club believes that heartfelt songwriting still has a place – Shaun Tandon, citizen.co

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Lay Bankz
Facebook/LayBankzMusic

Lay Bankz

Chart Beat

Viral Rapper Lay Bankz Debuts on Billboard Canadian Hot 100 With 'Tell Ur Girlfriend'

The 19-year-old rapper, singer and dancer is making moves onto the charts, boosted by a TikTok dance trend. LGBTQ+ pop singers Chappell Roan and JoJo Siwa also make their debuts this week.

Several artists are making a splash on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 this week, with three first-timers landing on the chart. Lay Bankz, Chappell Roan and JoJo Siwa all notched their first Hot 100 hits.

19-year-old Bankz is the youngest of the three and the strongest debut, arriving at No. 64 with her self-possessed single "Tell Ur Girlfriend." The track, co-written with hitmakers Johnny Goldstein and Atia Boggs, is a Timbaland-inspired throwback, with stuttering synths and vocal samples informed by tracks like Ginuwine's "Pony" and Justin Timberlake's "My Love."

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