Random music news for Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Is it too late to put in safety guardrails for AI? This researcher fears so. Now for some old-fashioned human-generated music news for January 6, 2026.

1. Shocking. The White House used music without permission again. This time, Linkin Park is pissed off. (Via Rick J)
2. Also shocking. Morrissey has canceled more shows. Just shocking, huh?
3. No shock here: Prince songs surge on streaming services after being featured in the Stranger Things finale.
4. Prince once explained why playing a real instrument is far superior than fiddling with a laptop. Wise stuff. (Rick J again)
5. This Will Smith sexual harassment lawsuit continues to develop.
6. This tool uses AI to copy podcasts and then strips out the ads and then selling them. Great. Just f**kin’ great.
7. Still with podcasts, some guests are willing to pay between US$10,000 and US$15,000 to appear on certain podcasts in India. That’s against Indian law.
8. In 2026, “streaming stops feeling infinite.” Here’s what that means.
9. Young people are drinking less. This is changing the club scene.
10. Billy Joel performed for the first time his the announcement of his brain ailment.
11. Here’s a classic radio station TV commercial from the 90s. Those were the days, huh? (Via Rob)
12. Meanwhile, this radio station has a new idea: A playlist derived from the most-streamed music locally.
13. Remember the Ringo Starr pizza commercial? (Via Brent)
14. There’s now a Rolling Stones turntable.
15. Love noise-cancelling headphones? There have been some developments.

More music news? Go here.

BONUS: If you’re a Star Trek fan…