Random music news for Thursday, August 20, 2026

Would you like to mess with Elon Musk? Here’s a fantastic opportunity called the “Elon Musk is a sad little bitch with no friends monument design committee.” As you think about joining up, here’s music news for August 21, 2026.

1. Producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Pet Shop Boys, Pulp, Florence + the Machine) is talking about his battle with leukemia.
2. Who will profit from AI music? That’s a growing question. (Via Andrew)
3. On that topic, it appears someone is committing song fraud against I Mother Earth on Spotify. Check it out. (I’ve informed the band.)
4. Kanye is going to play shows in Russia because of course he is. It’s Kanye,
5. You know what the big up-and-coming digital music format is? Paper. Yes, paper.
6. Yungblud broke his leg in a motorcycle crash. Like Dave Grohl, he will tour anyway.
7. Musicians have been selling their souls to the devil for centuries. Here’s a quick history of that.
8. Clubs in Berlin aren’t making enough money just by selling drinks. They’re now selling tickets.
9. If you’re a podcaster, Spotify now has unskippable ads. HOWEVER, the terms and conditions say that they could skip your ads automatically.
10. If you’re following the production of the Beatles biopics, there was an important shoot the other day.
11. It became official this week: Sid Wilson is no longer in Slipknot.
12. Phoebe Bridgers has resurrected the idea of the hidden track on the CD and vinyl versions of her new album, Lost Weekend.
13. For some reason, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age is posting videos with tips about shopping at Bass Pro Shops. Dave Grohl is involved, too.
14. Korn’s Jonathan Davis is doing well with his “Freak on a Leash” pet supplies brand. He’s expanded into cats.
15. Meanwhile, remember Liam Gallagher’s defunct Pretty Green clothing line? He says it was “stolen by vultures.”

More music news? Go here.

BONUS: If you haven’t seen this yet, you must sit want watch it. (Via Sean)