[MUSIC] Five music links: Hampsterdance, HMV and music, R. Kelly, Lady Gaga,

[rfmcdonald]

• Leah Collins at CBC Arts tells the amazing and twisty story behind the ascent of the Hampsterdance from an obscure Geocities page in 1998 to global fame.


• Barbara Ellen at the Observer, looking at the collapse of HMV, notes the decline of the old music industry, which was at least capable of rewarding some creators appropriately. How will musicians now earn their living?


• Briana Younger at The New Yorker responds to the horrors being exposed in R. Kelly's abuse of women and asks about the moral responsibility of the fans in consuming Kelly's music.


• Lady Gaga has apologized for her collaboration with R. Kelly on the 2013 duet "Do What U Want", calling it an ill-thought reaction to her personal traumas of assault and pulling the song from streaming services.


• Owen Myers at The Fader wrote a fantastic essay about the meme-worthy video for the Dua Lipa hit "New Rules".