Random Music News for Saturday, January 7, 2016

I’m in Fredericton NB for the Canadian University Press conference where I’m going to deliver a talk called “Long Live Radio.” I’m also supposed to go get a drink from the city’s legendary ultra-grumpy bartender. In music news…

1. Statistically, we should only have a celebrity death year like 2016 once every 200 years.
2. Even dead people won’t perform for Donald Trump’s inauguration.
3. Wait: David Bowie didn’t know he was dying when he made the Blackstar album?
4. The major crime unit has been called in to probe the death of George Michael.
5. There was another big push and a series of endorsements for Hi-Res Audio at CES this year. As someone who loves high fidelity music, I hope this works.
6. Guitarists, raise a pint to this: It was 50 years ago that the wah-wah pedal was invented.
7. Lots of IPOs coming. Spotify?
8. “Kanye West’s Year of Breaking Bad.” Interesting article from the New York Times.
9. There were lots of stars at the memorial for Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.
10. There will be a new Foo Fighters album by the end of the year. That’s what it looks like, anyway.
11. AEG, the owner of Coachella, has a real PR problem on their hands.
12. I had no idea there was still one living location of Sam the Record Man.
13. Canada’s newest vinyl production plant is almost ready to go online.
14. Here’s an interesting theory about how radio could become more important in connected cars.
15. After conquering Madison Square Garden, Billy Joel is moving to Dodger Stadium.
16. There will soon be a new course in Dylanology at Cambridge.