Migos Tops the Charts This Week

Migos has the number one album this week:

Culture’s debut was driven by streams of its songs, as streaming equivalent album units accounted for 59 percent of the set’s first-week total (77,000 of 131,000). The album sold 44,000 in traditional album sales and earned 10,000 in track equivalent album units.

Technology Industry Teams Up for Amicus Brief

Legal

Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and 93 other technology companies have filed an amicus brief opposing Trump’s immigration ban. From The Washington Post:

On Sunday night, technology giants Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Twitter, Uber and many others filed a legal brief opposing the administration’s contentious entry ban, according to people familiar with the matter. The move represents a rare coordinated action across a broad swath of the industry — 97 companies in total— and demonstrates the depth of animosity toward the Trump ban.

The amicus brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which is expected to rule within a few days on an appeal by the administration after a federal judge in Seattle issued late Friday a temporary restraining order putting the entry ban on hold. The brief comes at the end of a week of nationwide protests against the plan — as well as a flurry of activity in Silicon Valley, a region that sees immigration as central to its identity as an innovation hub.

For those curious what an amicus brief is:

Amicus briefs are legal documents filed in appellate court cases by non-litigants with a strong interest in the subject matter. The briefs advise the court of relevant, additional information or arguments that the court might wish to consider. Briefs can also focus the court’s attention on the implications of a potential holding on an industry, group, or jurisdiction not represented by the parties.

All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth Talks Immigration Ban & ACLU T-Shirt Campaign

All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth talks with Billboard about the band releasing a t-shirt with the proceeds going to the ACLU and Trump’s immigration ban:

“But then Jack, our guitar player was born in Lebanon, born in the Middle East, which is even closer to this sweeping ban that is taking place. So it’s really close to home within the band,” he continues. “Jack’s parents both live in Lebanon, and it’s only a few degrees of separation between what is happening and directly affecting us. Then from there, we have friends and family who this is directly affecting who are devastated.”

It’s been great to see so many bands and artists speak up about this over the past week.

Bill Simmons Talks About the First Year of the Ringer

The Ringer

Recode sat down to talk with Bill Simmons about first year of The Ringer, ESPN, and his canceled HBO show:

We talked to Yahoo. We talked to Vice a little bit. But the thing about my ESPN experience — that I was terrified to replicate — was you align yourself with somebody — and really, you’re aligning yourself with one or two people — that just believes in you and your idea and what you do. If those people go away, or those people change, now you’re stuck with different people who might not believe in what you want to do. I just didn’t want to go through that again.

It sounds like his podcasting network, for the most part, is what’s bringing in the money while the website continues to find its footing. That fits my own habits: I don’t read the website at all, thought the TV show sucked, and listen to quite a few of the podcasts.1


  1. Although with the Patriots winning the Super Bowl that may make those unlistenable for a little while.