Random music news for Thursday, March 12, 2020

When The Price is Right starts taping shows without a studio audience like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy are doing, you know we’re screwed. (Then again, you really can’t have The Price is Right without an audience…) Oh, and late night TV shows are banning audiences, too. Just a thought before we get into music news for March 12, 2020.

1. Coronavirus update 1: A Tasmanian music festival has been canceled.
2. Coronavirus update 2: Want a refund on your SXSW tickets? Too bad.
3. Coronavirus update 3: Bikini Kill has canceled some shows.
4. Coronavirus update 4: Buck up. Even though all sorts of music events have been canceled, the music will continue.
5. Coronavirus update 5: Live Nation stock crashed over 15% when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic.
6. Coronavirus update 6: Related to above, the concert industry is being decimated by the pandemic.
7. Coronavirus update 7: Spotify has ordered that employees in Sweden work from home.
8. Coronavirus update 8: Guns N’Roses canceled a gig in Costa Rica. By government order, too.
9. Coronavirus update 9: The city of Berlin has canceled all live music events.
10. A strange newly-discovered insect with odd sex organs has been named after Lady Gaga. Uh, thanks?
11. Wither Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols? Still doing his radio show and doing well, thank you.
12. Timesuck: A Bernie Sanders video game.
13. This explains why indie bands are releasing music at a faster and faster rate.
14. Facebook has some new creative music tools for Canadians.
15. Bob Geldof has a prediction for Donald Trump’s re-election chances.
16. Would someone PLEASE implement something to stop spam phone calls on our mobiles?
17. Cardi B has a problem with the Securities and Exchange Commission over her Instagram account.
18. Peter Jackson–yes, the New Zealand director of The Lord of the Rings–will have his Beatles documentary in theatres later this year.