You have a number of options when you're asked to vacate your warehouse-sized store in the middle of Hollywood that traffics in CDs, vinyl albums, DVDs, books and magazines, five categories that—excuse me for a minute while I do a little research—no one buys, and even if they do, they certainly don't do it by driving to a store and navigating a maze of shelving. You could, for example, give up and go out of business. Or become an internet brand. Or pivot to backpacks and sneakers. So let's raise a glass to AMOEBA MUSIC, which followed through on its promise to stay in Los Angeles with an announcement this week that it will simply be moving a few blocks away to Hollywood Boulevard later this year. Amoeba wasn't exactly gentrified out of Sunset Boulevard—it sold its own building for $34 million five years ago to the developer that's kicking it out—but it's in a business that's been all but gentrified and technologied out of existence. And it's made the case that you can still make a really good business out of selling records and CDs and all that other legacy media if you overzealously commit to it, if you live and breathe it and if you stock that maze of shelves really, really well. Which, give or take a detail or two, is the exact same case you need to make if you want to *create* records and CDs in 2020. Or tour. Or have a label. Or a guitar store. Of course if you want to do in the middle of Hollywood, it also helps to have a parking garage. "And we’ll validate for the first 75 minutes with any in-store purchase," Amoeba promises. I'll drink to that, too... Elsewhere in California: WARNER MUSIC GROUP is planning to go public, again, a decade after billionaire LEN BLAVATNIK bought it and took it private. The smallest by market share of the three major labels reported record revenues in Q4 2019, and optimism is running high throughout the recorded music business. And CARDI B (BLOOMBERG headline: "Cardi B's Record Label Warner Music Files for Share Sale") is working on her second album, so yet more record revenues may lay ahead. Timing and details of the IPO are unknown... BILLBOARD reports that California Attorney General XAVIER BECERRA isn't formally investigating the RECORDING ACADEMY but is "taking a closer look" in the wake of a blistering complaint by the Academy's suspended CEO, DEBORAH DUGAN, that alleges sexual harassment, conflicts of interest and GRAMMY AWARD voting irregularities. The magazine cites unnamed sources; Academy officials say they "have not been contacted about any such review"... The author of California's controversial gig-economy law, AB5, says she's working on amendments that will "address the unique situation regarding musicians," many of whom have said the law, as written and passed, could make it impossible to keep doing business in the state. Assemblywoman LORENA S. GONZALEZ is also promising to change the 35-articles-per-outlet-per-year limit for freelance journalists that has already caused significant upheaval and lost work... KESHA defamed DR. LUKE when she claimed, in a text message to LADY GAGA, that Luke had raped KATY PERRY, a New York judge ruled Thursday in a partial summary judgment in the ongoing legal battle between the singer and producer. "There is no evidence whatsoever" for the claim, which Perry herself refuted, JUDGE JENNIFER G. SCHECHTER wrote. Kesha's lawyers say they will appeal... It's FRIDAY and that means new music from MAKAYA MCCRAVEN/GIL SCOTT-HERON, WILEY, KHRUANGBIN & LEON BRIDGES, GREEN DAY, D SMOKE, BEATRICE DILLON, STEVE SPACEK, LA ROUX, KAT EDMONSON, POP SMOKE, DENZEL CURRY & KENNY BEATS, PRINCE ROYCE, SONS OF YUSUF, ENVY, BOLDY JAMES & ALCHEMIST, V DON, CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE, SHOPPING, WEDNESDAY, KAZUYA NAGAYA, ANTIBALAS, WILLIAM PRINCE, the STEELDRIVERS, AUBRIE SELLERS, the CADILLAC THREE, the LONE BELLOW, BEN WILLIAMS, JOHN MORELAND, BEN WILLIAMS, SEPULTURA, LOATHE, DELAIN, TRILOK GURTU, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, SPANISH LOVE SONGS, NADA SURF, HAMERKOP, ROZWELL KID & SLEEPING BAG, the HOMESICK, FRANKIE VALET, RICHARD MARX, the 2 CHAINZ T.R.U. label comp. JUNG JAE-IL's PARASITE score and the BIRDS OF PREY soundtrack featuring NONAME, MEGAN THEE STALLION, HALSEY and more... BILLIE EILISH, JANELLE MONÁE, ELTON JOHN and CYNTHIA ERIVO are among the musical performers at the ACADEMY AWARDS Sunday night on ABC... RIP DIEGO FARIAS, STEVEN CAGAN and JOHN BURKE.