Random music news for Saturday, December 29, 2018

That damn “Can you feel it?” jingle from the Amazon commercial keeps going through my head. And now it’s going through yours. Sorry about that. Try and purge it by concentrating on music news for December 29, 2019.

1. An armed standoff in Pennsylvania was ended when a member of the SWAT team sang a Christmas carol to the suspect. (Via Tom)
2. It turns out that much of the Internet is fake. Shocking.
3. These are the 25 most-downloaded songs of 2018. (Note that paid downloads in the US accounted for no more than 12% of music revenue. That’s down from 37% in 2014.)
4. If you post stuff on social media, take heed of this heat map on the best times for posting.
5. People who got an Alexa smart speaker are being duped by a fake set-up app. Do not be fooled!
6. Yesterday was apparently National Download Day in the US.
7. Here are Barack Obama’s favorite songs of 2018. (Via Fred)
8. Even if you can’t stand Bono, you should probably read this.
9. Music writers (and especially wannabe writers) should read this.
10. This might be the coolest new turntable of the last decade. It levitates!
11. Exploring the boundaries of fame and music in 2018.
12. Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason has been made a Commander of the British Empire.