Random music news for Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Time for some good news. When the Sun goes nova, Earth will not be swallowed up. Hey, let’s take our victories where we can get them. As for music news for July 8, 2026…

1. I missed this. After Belgium beat the USA 4-1 at the World Cup, the Belgian players did a version of Trump’s double jerk-off dance on the sidelines.
2. Foreign artists (including Canadians) are really pissed about the impact of getting a US artist visa. Here’s the situation. It’s not good.
3. Gotobeat is an interesting AI project. It helps sell tickets to gigs by human indie artists.
4. It looks like that in addition to a residency, Oasis will embark on a European tour in 2027.
5. If you’re an Ozzy/Sabbath fan, you will want this book–if you can get one.
6. Interesting stat: On Spotify, 13% of the top 50 tracks are labeled “explicit.” On Apple Music, it’s almost 40%.
7. Is “everyone” leaving Spotify? That’s the argument here.
8. Morrissey is whining about…something again. Diversity seems to bug him.
9. You’ve heard the official FIFA World Cup theme song. A metal band called Mutoid Man would like a word with the writers because it sounds a little familiar to them.
10. Tay-Tay won a plagiarism case filed by a Florida poet who contended Taylor lifted lines from her poems. “Nope,” said a judge.
11. On that note, let’s talk about trademark registration issues faced by artists.
12. Korn goes classical. Sort of.
13. Wanna be a K-pop producer? Apply now!
14. If you’re ever in Atlanta, you can find a memorial where ex-Mastodon vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds died in a motorcycle accident.
15. This may or may not be real, but it’s funny. A woman swallowed a harmonica and… (via Tom)

BONUS: This is clever. (Via Pete)