Random music news for Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Here’s what you need to start your day: A mashup of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with the Teletubbies. You’re welcome. And now music news for August 19, 2020.

1. Coronavirus update 1: Livestreaming during the pandemic has become insanely popular.
2. Coronavirus update 2: When live gigs do come back, expect productions to be scaled down.
3. Coronavirus update 3: Melissa Etheridge is raking it in with livestreams.
4. Apple has rebranded Beats 1 and launched two new global radio stations. I wonder how many people actually listen?
5. Neil Young vs. Donald Trump, round…whatever it is.
6. Check out this new weird musical instrument…
7. Don’t sell bootleg CDs on Amazon or eBay. Or else.
8. I had no idea that Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” was originally an instrumental.
9. Spotify is getting into sports commentary.
10. Meanwhile, here’s how much Spotify is now paying per stream.
11. Here’s a list of musicians with advanced degrees. Some will surprise you.
12. Barack Obama’s summer playlist is out. It includes a track from Saskatchewan’s Andy Shauf.
13. Here’s another copyright infringement suit we need to watch.
14. Sobering: “How we’ll forget John Lennon.”
15. Handy. Very handy.
16. Brandon Flowers of The Killers evaluates his band’s songs.