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Today’s Music News: Now you can 3D-print your own Daft Punk helmet

by Staff

September 08, 2014

You've heard that 3D printers are becoming more affordable—you might even have one yourself, or you might have one at work. If so, put it to good use and print your very own Daft Punk robot helmet! Here's a how-to video, thanks to "DIY electronics" purveyors Adafruit Industries.

Bruce Springsteen will make a cameo in the next season of Lillyhammer, the Netflix series starring E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt—who's also known for his role in The Sopranos. Springsteen will play a mortuary owner; the series is about a former mobster (Van Zandt) who's relocated to Norway under the auspices of the Witness Protection Program. (Billboard)

Speaking of Springsteen, he's a Lorde fan—he's covered "Royals" in concert—and on the Boss's recommendation, Lorde recently recorded a song for the new Hunger Games movie at a studio in Asbury Park, New Jersey. (Billboard)

On Sept. 28, an all-star lineup of musicians will take the stage to pay tribute to George Harrison in a benefit for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, which provides aid to musicians in need of medical care or financial assistance. Among those set to participate are Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys; Britt Daniel of Spoon; Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips; George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison; and "Weird Al" Yankovic, who in 1988 parodied George Harrison's chart-topping hit "Got My Mind Set On You" as "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long." (Billboard)

Consequences continue to mount for CeeLo Green in the wake of his controversial tweets about rape: he's been dropped from the lineups of a concert sponsored by the U.S. Navy and a Louisiana music festival.

The latest musician (following Dr. Dre and Neil Young) to launch his own digital music service with the aim of revolutionizing the industry is Garth Brooks, whose GhostTunes will sell DRM-free digital music files that can be played on any platform—or streamed from the service online. Brooks is currently selling his entire back catalog via the site for what he calls the "crazy low price" of $29.99. (Consequence of Sound)

Rod Stewart has been hit with a $2.5 million lawsuit by photographer Bonnie Schiffman, who says Stewart's license to use Schiffman's photo of the back of his head on the cover of a 1989 box set didn't include the right to use the image to promote a concert tour 25 years later—which he did. (Billboard)

Rod Stewart Storyteller

Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa has donated his entire vinyl collection—all 42,000 albums—to the Hip Hop Collection at Cornell University. On Thursday, DJ Shadow and DJ Cut Chemist took the collection for a spin, thrilling a New York audience with a set of tunes played directly from Bambaataa's historic discs. (Rolling Stone)

"Queen of Disco" Sylvester has been honored with a spot on the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco's Castro District. Sylvester, who died of AIDS in 1988 at the age of 41, is the subject of a new musical that opened Friday in New York. (Billboard)

Gustavo Cerati, a rocker famous in his native Argentina, has died at age 55 in the wake of a stroke. (Consequence of Sound)

Meghan Trainor joined Jimmy Fallon and the Roots to perform her hit song "All About That Bass" on classroom instruments. Previously, the Roots have given the toy-instrument treatment to songs including Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe," and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines."

http://youtu.be/lc9MzCcmNCU

You can now watch Paul McCartney jam with Johnny Depp and several blues musicians. McCartney just "happened to ring Johnny Depp," he told Rolling Stone about the session that provided footage for his "Early Days" video.

"Rock is finally dead," says Gene Simmons of KISS—and it was file-sharing that did the deed. (Rolling Stone)

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.