Random music news for Thursday, June 27, 2018

School’s out. Anyone want to bet on when we’ll see the first back to school commercials? I say three weeks. Distract yourself from that with a browse through music news for June 27, 2018.

1. Another interesting coincidence: Pot becomes legal in Canada on October 17, 2018. Gord Downie died on October 17, 2017. The front cover of the Hip’s World Container album features the release date October 17, 2006. Just sayin’. (Via MrBlonde716)
2. It’s official: Glamour magazine has run out of things to write about. Here’s what I mean.
3. The British think they might have come up with a paperless way to fight scalpers.
4. Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine had just lost a $25 million lawsuit over Beats headphones.
5. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a new technology coming next year that could make all headphones obsolete. And it’s pretty freakin’ cool, too.
6. This could be interesting: an anti-racism event in Manchester will happen at the same time as a Morrissey concert.
7. US Route 66 is now on a list of endangered things. Cue all the versions of “Route 66.”
8. Remember the Canadian choir of Syrian kids that was too scared to travel to the US because of the Trump travel ban? That’s been fixed.
9. Another music venue is under threat of closure. London, Ontario’s Call the Office could use some grassroots help.
10. The power of audio: audiobooks can be more emotionally powerful than movies.
11. Like WTF rap like Die Antwoord and ICP? Look at this.
12. This new BBC app looks pretty cool because it mixes music, radio broadcasts, and podcasts. I wonder if any other radio groups will follow suit?
13. Are hip hop albums getting shorter? It’s starting to feel like it.
14. What the hell is happening here? JEEZUS!
15. Are you a musician who likes to record on the go? This new device will turn your smartphone into a digital audio workstation.
16. Prince’s estate has a new deal with Sony to re-release 35 of his albums.
17. Metallica’s Kirk Hammett is concerned about the future of the electric guitar.
18. An interesting contemplation on the death of rapper XXXtenacion.
19. Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars has landed yet another acting gig.
20. This is a lot of fun: the evolution of recorded audio formats over the last 100 years or so.