Bandcamp recently announced, "music and audio that is generated wholly or in substantial part by AI is not permitted on Bandcamp." But what does that mean, and how will they enforce it? We dive in. In good news, we share a fundraising effort by Fender and Habitat for Humanity to raise money for housing in LA by auctioning custom guitars made from trees affected by last year's fires. Then we discuss a new global initiative by Universal Music Group to empower music education. Is it a good thing, or just another corporate cashgrab?

Stay to the end for this week's Take It Or Leave It advice, which has to do with doomscrolling.

• Keeping Bandcamp Human
• AI companies will fail. We can salvage something from the wreckage
  by Cory Doctorow for The Guardian
• Fender Is Turning Fire-Damaged Trees Into Custom Guitars To Help Rebuild Altadena After The Eaton Fire – Here’s How by Sarah Nash for Secret Los Angeles
• GiveButter - Altadena Telecaster
• Universal Music Group Launches 'Sound generation' Education Pilot in the UK
  by Rafaela Fornitani for Music Business Worldwide

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Recorded live at Secret Spot DTLA http://secretspotdtla.com

Cameron Ljungkull https://www.cameronljungkull.com

Augustus Watkins https://augustuswatkins.com

Cocaine Opera - Music PR https://cocaineopera.com/

We have roots in Minneapolis, and felt we couldn't have just a regular episode given the murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis at the hands of ICE agents. What can musicians do in times like this? We read Renee Good's wife's statement in its entirety, as a way of honoring her memory and life's work. Next: Spotify has said they're no longer running ICE ads but it's not because of a moral stance. We talk about how independent journalism is a form of resistance, and what lessons we can learn as musicians from the fracturing news media landscape—and what they could learn from us. In news, we look at one company (Bose) making some pro-consumer moves, discuss Elon's lawsuit against music publishers (how much money is enough for this guy?), and finally look at a class action lawsuit claiming that Ticketmaster is surveilling its customers illegally. This week's Take It Or Leave It advice has to do with how to set up your vocal chain when recording.

Note, we recorded this episode January 12, 2025 and the situation is rapidly unfolding in Minneapolis.

• Becca Good, Wife of Renee, Releases Statement: "We Had Whistles. They Had Guns" by Samantha Riedel for Them
• Spotify won’t say it’s done with ICE by Casey Epstein-Gross for Paste
• How independent journalism is a form of resistance: ‘I’m not answering to anyone’ by Mallory Carra for The Guardian
• Bose is open-sourcing its old smart speakers instead of bricking them by Stevie Bonifield for The Verge
• Elon Musk's X sues music publishers, alleges industry 'collusion'
  by Tim Ingham for Music Business Worldwide
• Ticketmaster faces lawsuit over allged website tracking and 'surveillance' tools by Mandy Dalugdug for Music Business Worldwide

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Recorded live at Secret Spot DTLA http://secretspotdtla.com

Cameron Ljungkull https://www.cameronljungkull.com

Augustus Watkins https://augustuswatkins.com

Cocaine Opera - Music PR https://cocaineopera.com/

We're back for 2026 with a look at the Grammy's. Are they still relevant? What's it take to get nominated? Is being part of the Grammy's something indie artists should aspire to? Next we look at how rap is embracing the visual art world. YouTube is set to stop reporting to Billboard because of a disagreement between the two organizations about how free streams should be counted. Finally, Spotify has been hacked! Who did it, what did they steal, and how can you get in on it?

Plus we're adding a brand new weekly segment called "Take It Or Leave It" where we drop some quick knowledge for you to take or leave as you please. Stick around to the end to hear it!

• The Data Behind The 2026 GRAMMY Awards by New Industry Focus
• 2026 GRAMMYS Nominations: Record Of The Year Nominees
• 21 Savage & Slawn
• Kid Cudi Reinvents Himself as Scotty Ramon, a Visual Artist
• A$AP Ferg Painted His Album Covers
• Art is Back on Album Covers in 2025
• YouTube removed from Billboard charts by Resident Advisor
• Pirate Activist Group Spotify Hack By Mitchell Peters for Billboard

Send us a text

Recorded live at Secret Spot DTLA http://secretspotdtla.com

Cameron Ljungkull https://www.cameronljungkull.com

Augustus Watkins https://augustuswatkins.com

Cocaine Opera - Music PR https://cocaineopera.com/