Random Music News for Friday, September 8, 2017

As I write this, I’m somewhere between Toronto and Tapei, heading for a music conference in Singapore. I’ll report back. Promise. And now, the music news from 35,000 feet on September 8, 2017.

1. Here’s a Foo Fighters teaser for an animated film called The Making of Concrete and Gold. The whole thing will be out next Friday along with the album.
2. The BBC is working on an “interactive drama” that will involve using Google Home and Alexa smart speakers.
3. Want more Facebook followers? Be more opinionated.
4. Here’s another prediction that blockchain technology is going to disrupt the music business very, very soon.
5. Apple Music now pays 55% of its revenues to music licensing deals.
6. Smiths fans: Here’s an unreleased live song recorded in Boston.
7. Liam Gallagher has run into some major fan problems with ticket touts.
8. Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas has co-written a sci-fi book called WaR: Wizards and Robots. It’ll be out in January.
9. Interesting: Spotify has partnered with Hulu in the US. What could this mean?
10. U2 went out for a slice of pizza in NY and caused a bit of a scene.
11. Some people in Detroit want a Kid Rock shows canceled. Here’s why.
12. If you’ve ever picked up an electric guitar, you’re probably want to see this film honouring Les Paul.
13. Sinead O’Connor will be on Dr. Phil next week.
14. Are you a red-haired man having more sex lately? You can thank Ed Sheeran, apparently.
15. Here’s a wild fact: The seventh season of Game of Thrones has been pirated over a billion times. That means one-seventh of the planet stole the show.
16. A British millionaire is having a feud with his lesbian neighbours over a noisy rooster, so he keeps blasting songs about men at them. If you want to unpack that story for jokes, go right ahead.