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Today’s Music News: Willie Nelson and friends announce Farm Aid 30 in Chicago

by Staff

July 28, 2015

Willie NelsonNeil YoungJohn Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews will welcome an all-star lineup to Farm Aid's 30th anniversary concert on Sept. 19 in Chicago. Among the other big names: Imagine DragonsJack JohnsonOld Crow Medicine Show, and Mavis Staples. (Billboard)

On Sunday, police in Renville County, Minnesota, arrested Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin after he forced them to give chase at speeds of approximately 100 miles per hour. Scantlin, in town for a Friday night performance at Halfway Jam in Royalton, was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.31 and was arrested on felony charges of drunken driving and fleeing police. Scantlin later posted bail, and the band's manager says he'll make all the band's appearances as scheduled. (City Pages)

Keith Richards: Under the Influence, a new documentary about the Rolling Stones guitarist, will debut on Netflix on Sept. 18. The film's director, Morgan Neville, won an Oscar for his film 20 Feet from Stardom. (Rolling Stone)

On July 30, bids for Michael Jackson's white sequined glove will be taken—with $20,000 the minimum. Note, though, that this is just a Michael Jackson glove. The Michael Jackson glove—the one he wore for his legendary moonwalk debut while performing "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25th anniversary show—sold in 2009 for $420,000. (Billboard)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d17ggav1Lto

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered house-to-house searches intended to root out banned CDs and tapes that he regards as a threat to his regime. Inspectors won't be joking around, a source tells South Korean news outlet Daily WK: "If even one song from the banned list is discovered [in a collection], they incinerate the whole thing." (Billboard)

Plaintiffs in the "Happy Birthday" lawsuit have uncovered what they call a "smoking gun" proving that the song moved into the public domain in the 1920s—thus rendering Warner/Chappell's more recent copyright registration invalid. In a songbook published in 1922, the song appears without any copyright notice. If the judge agrees that "Happy Birthday" is in the public domain, the publishers who claim to own its copyright will reportedly lose $2 million per year in license fees paid for the song's use. (Billboard)

Next week, Mariah Carey will become the 2,556th person to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In addition to being the 17th best-selling music artist of all time (and third best-selling female artist, after only Madonna and Barbra Streisand), Carey has earned praise for her acting in films including Precious and The Butler. (Billboard)

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