Random Music News for Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Happy solstice. As of tomorrow, it’s all uphill to summer. At least the days will be getting longer. And now, some music news.

1. Lenny Kravitz runs a free dental clinic for the people of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. It got raided for a dumb reason.
2. Interesting: Billboard magazine has been sold to an investment banking house.
3. SoundCloud has signed a new licensing agreement. This could mean big things for the platform in 2016.
4. Radiohead’s producer plays a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He’s credited at Stormtropper FN-9330, making him a Stormtrooper in the First Order.
5. CBGB has been reincarnated as a restaurant at Newark Airport. No, really. (Via Tom)
6. Ed Sheeran just bought his parents the house across the street from his £9,000,000 pile. Their place is only £750,000, though.
7. It’s looking good for Justin Bieber to have the #1 song in Britain for Christmas–which, if you follow this sort of thing, is a genuine Big Deal in Britain.
8. Meet the anti-radicalization Muslim rapper of the UK.
9. If you have some time over the holidays, you probably should clean your keyboard. Here’s how.
10. A look back on some of the best-designed gadgets of the year.
11. Now that Rdio is going to disappear tonight, here’s something that may make you choose to go with Spotify.