Random Music News for Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Time for Canadian Music Week. No sleep ’til Sunday. And now, the music news for April 18.

1. The music sales numbers for the week are out. Total album sales are down about 12% from this point last year while digital albums are 22% weaker and vinyl sales have ticked up 5% (that should get tweaked this weekend with record store day). And if we look at music streams, they are up 96% from this time in 2016,
2. Confused about who to see during Canadian Music Week? Here are some picks from occasional contributor Gilles LeBlanc.
3. Apple Music now says it has 32 million paying users. Spotify broke through 50 million a while back, but the gap is narrowing.
4. Kanye dressed up as the Easter Bunny. Seriously.
5. Here’s a brilliant idea: Put a five-year moratorium on inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
6. Half a million rare recordings are slowly disintegrating in the UK.
7. Fascinating: How North Koreans communicate digitally in a highly repressive society.
8. Where can one find the best-sounding radio in the world? Here are some opinions.
9. Anne Murray: “The CIA’s Deadliest Assassin.” (Not really, but it’s fun to contemplate, right?) (Via Andrew)
10. These eight companies are doing their best to mash together AI and music.
11. Can anyone stop Ed Sheeran in America? Or anywhere else, for that matter?
12. You can now get university credit for studying the life of Dolly Parton.
13. Some guy stole over 100 cell phones during the first weekend of Coachella.
14. How neuroscience might be used to create the ultimate personalized playlist.
15. This guy lost a bet regarding the new Kendrick Lamar album. He had to drink a milkshake made of a vinyl record.