DATA CENTER BACKLASH SITREP 8/5/26
Texas' data center backlash accelerates as Governor Abbott orders an audit, transmission politics intensify, and Willie Nelson brings the AI infrastructure debate into Texas culture.
Music Technology Policy
News from the Goolag Since 2006 ~ A survival guide to the creative apocalypse: We follow issues and opinion important to professional creators. Your data is their new oil.
Latest posts
A Little Free Advice to Don Passman: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over
A little free advice to Don Passman on what's next in AI litigation.
AI Music Governance Takes a Step Forward
The music industry is building practical AI governance through chart eligibility principles and standardized labeling, creating shared infrastructure for transparency, trust, and responsible innovation.
Nothing Focuses the Mind Like a CID: Fans Left Empty-Handed as Texas AG Launches StubHub Investigation
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating StubHub due to numerous fan complaints about undelivered or inferior World Cup tickets, highlighting broader issues of speculative ticketing in the secondary market.
The AI “License” That Isn’t: A Musician’s Checklist for Spotting a Covenant Not to Sue Censorship Trap in Disguise
Here's a checklist for potential pitfalls in generative AI licensing agreements, emphasizing the importance of understanding clauses that could undermine creators' rights and lead to unintended consequences.
National AI Data Center Backlash SITREP—July 13, 2026
The growing national opposition to hyperscale AI data centers encompasses various groups united by concerns over local control, transparency, and the impact on resources, leading to significant political mobilization.
Like Shadows on a Cave Wall, CRB Publishes Proposed Phonorecords V Settlement for Comment — Comments Due August 10
The Copyright Royalty Judges have initiated a public comment period for the proposed Phonorecords V settlement, due August 10, 2026, extending existing regulations in a new freeze.
AI Infrastructure Backlash Goes Political: Abbott’s Pivot, Rural Revolt, and the National Fight Over Data Centers National SITREP — July 6, 2026
America's AI infrastructure has become a political issue as rural voters oppose extensive projects affecting electricity, land, and water. Communities demand transparency and local control, viewing these developments as interconnected with broader governance concerns.
Notification Is Not Negotiation: A Question Raised by the Phonorecords V Settlement
The first PR V settlement preserves inflation protection but leaves unresolved whether statutory mechanical royalties should evolve with market value—or simply keep pace with CPI. Looks like another serving of more of the same.
Data Center Backlash SITREP — 6/26/26
Communities are increasingly challenging data-center projects over NDAs, shell companies, secrecy, transmission costs, and subsidies as a bipartisan backlash reshapes infrastructure politics nationwide.