Random music news for Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Carrie Underwood’s Trump inauguration gig did not go well. Same with Billy Ray Cyrus. Sad. Music news for January 22, 2025, should be just fine.

1. Tataloo is an Iranian pop star. He’s reportedly been sentenced to death for “blasphemy.”
2. RIP guitarist John Sykes. He played guitar for Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake.
3. TikTok was offline for an unbearable and apocalyptic twelve hours over the weekend. Now that it’s back, what will one million Americans do with their new Rednote accounts?
4. Shocking: Bluesky, Instagram, and X are working on getting some TikTok-like features up and running.
5. Suno is an AI music generator. It’s being sued for US$500 million by GEMA, the German copyright agency, for using its members music to train its models without permission.
6. But can AI and the music business ever live peacefully side by side? Maybe not.
7. Johnny Lydon is in a legal battle over who owns the logo for Public Image Ltd, a design that was created 45 years ago.
8. Concert ticket prices keep going up. Where does the money go?
9. Rumour: Amazon and Spotify are both looking at buying Sonos.
10. Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics for “Mr. Tambourine Man” sold at auction for US$508,000.
11. Taylor Swift made millions by writing hit songs about her exes. Now she’s about to get a taste of her own medicine.
12. Remember the guy who went on a stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the UK? He’s pleaded guilty.
13. DROP EVERYTHING: Taylor is renovating her kitchen!
14. Legendary Toronto club Lee’s Palace is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. There’s a celebration.

More music news? Go here.

BONUS: Do we really need an iPhone this thin?