| 1. PROTESTERS TO BOYCOTT AMAZON EVENTS AT SXSW: No Music For ICE, a collection of musicians protesting Amazon's licensing of software to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced it will picket events sponsored by the tech giant at South By Southwest in Austin. The protestors object to the federal agency’s policy of separating migrant families at the Southern border. The Fader: “In its statement, No Music For ICE encouraged ‘all artists, music fans, and supporters of basic human rights’ to join the boycott of Amazon's events. ‘Musicians should not provide credibility or cool points to a company that plays a direct role in the U.S. government’s brutal separation of families and cruel attacks on immigrant communities.’” 2. ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES 2020 HONOREES: Perhaps stretching the definition of “rock and roll” and definitely ignoring the fan vote—which went for Dave Matthews Band—the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2020 class on Wednesday. The artist inductees are: Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G., and T. Rex. Cleveland Magazine: “This year’s May 2 induction ceremony at Cleveland’s Public Auditorium marks the first time the ceremonies will be broadcast live. Fans can watch the festivities on HBO. ‘I believe that means it will be a slightly shorter show than it has been in the past, where its sometimes gone on I think about 5-6 hours’ says Leach, who notes the Rock Hall will start announcing presenters and performers in the months to come.” 3. SONY TO SKIP E3 CONVENTION: Sony announced it will not exhibit at the major gaming convention E3 in Los Angeles for the second year in a row, saying that "we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year.” The Verge: “Once the most important show for the game industry, E3’s impact has [been] dwindling for the past few years. As streaming has made it easier than ever to watch news from home, companies like Nintendo are opting to hold their own direct events online. Attendance fell last year, while Sony skipped the show for the first time in its 24-year history. In August, the Entertainment Software Association doxed thousands of attendees, including phone numbers and home addresses, through poor security." | 