Random music news for Friday, May 31, 2019

Today is World No Tobacco Day. Remember when everybody smoked? Now on to music news for May 31, 2019.

1. RIP Leon Redbone.
2. If you’re going to name your video game “Ion Maiden,” be prepared for a call from the lawyers representing Iron Maiden.
3. There’s yet another speaker in the Amazon Alexa line.
4. The battle between Tom Petty’s widow and Tom’s daughters over his estate is getting really ugly.
5. CDs are not dead, thanks largely to classical music fans.
6. Here’s an interesting artist success story when it comes to Spotify. Learn about YONAKA here.
7. If you’re a fan of Soundgarden, check this out. “L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound?” Cool. (Via Michael)
8. This new model of Bose noise-canceling headphones has eight microphones and two voice assistants.
9. The backlash over Moby’s story about dating Nathalie Portman has caused him to cancel the rest of his book tour.
10. Another book is coming from Iggy Pop.
11. Deborah Harry: the autobiography.
12. Boy George: the biopic.
13. This band had a “poo roadie.” But it’s actually not as gross as you might think. In fact, it’s rather fascinating from a nutritional point of view.
14. This study shows how music can help the brains of premature babies.
15. A radio station in Wasaga Beach, Ontario, 97.7 MAX-FM, is promising to change its name to 97.7 Kawhi FM if Kawhi Leonard re-signs with the Toronto Raptors.
16. Why rappers should be skeptical of the whole esports phenomenon: discuss.