The original version of "OLD TOWN ROAD" was recorded a year ago next Monday and released a year ago next Tuesday, which, besides being a random reminder of the gloriously WTF moment in pop that we're living in, is a reminder that this all-time wonderful thing, this strange little song of freedom and wanderlust and identity and beauty (and WRANGLER jeans and GUCCI cowboy hats), didn't exist a year ago today. I'm thankful this week for the regenerative soul of pop, for its neverending ability to renew itself and surprise all of us, over and over again. I'm thankful for the new versions of freedom and wanderlust and identity and beauty by artists like MEGAN THEE STALLION and the HIGHWOMEN and YOLA and BRANDEE YOUNGER and BLACKS' MYTHS and BILLIE EILISH that were added to my consciousness and my playlists in the past year. And I'm thankful for the even newer ones to come in the year ahead. The world's a mess but music's holding up just fine. MusicREDEF will be off for the rest of this holiday week; we'll be back Monday. Wishing you a peaceful and delicious and musical Thanksgiving... In the meantime: It will take a while to understand how this blockbuster deal in the secondary ticketing market is going to affect the live music business. But one thing I take for granted about a deal that reunites VIAGOGO CEO ERIC BAKER with his old company: The primary ticketing market will be directly affected, too (as STUBHUB president SUKHINDER SINGH CASSIDY telegraphs here)... SPEEDY ORTIZ frontwoman SADIE DUPIUS and the DOWNTOWN BOYS are among a group of artists pulling their catalog from AMAZON MUSIC to protest Amazon's connections to the US IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT AGENCY (ICE). They're asking other artists to join them, as part of the NO MUSIC FOR ICE campaign, which began as a pledge to not play at Amazon-sponsored events... CARLY RAE JEPSEN at the TINY DESK... Friday is BLACK FRIDAY, which means a special mini-version of RECORD STORE DAY, with all sorts of limited-edition vinyl by all sorts of people. Friday also brings the purplest edition of PRINCE's 1999 ever, and new music by CATTLE DECAPITATION, JME, SMOKE DZA & CURREN$Y, the GAME, FABOLOUS, JUDY COLLINS, the FLAMING LIPS, BLAC YOUNGSTA, BOBBY WATSON/VINCENT HERRING/GARY BARTZ, JOE PESCI and IF YOU'RE GOING TO THE CITY: A TRIBUTE TO MOSE ALLISON (featuring IGGY POP, FIONA APPLE, TAJ MAJAL and others)... RIP DOUG LUBAHN.