The US Congress included a provision to the latest COVID-19 relief package that makes illegal streaming a felony, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The “Felony Streaming” copyright proposal attaches felony penalties to commercial platforms that are dedicated exclusively to streaming unlicensed works. If found guilty of such actions, operators of these platforms could face up to 10 years in prison.

Tones And I's breakthrough hit 'Dance Monkey' moved past two billion streams on Spotify, which makes the Australian singer the first female artist to reach the milestone, Billboard reports. Just two tracks have accumulated more streams on the platform, Ed Sheeran’s 'Shape of You' (at 2.7 billion) and Post Malone’s 'Rockstar' featuring 21 Savage (2.079 billion).

Warner Music Group has signed a deal with TikTok that will boost its fees for song rights and increase collaboration with the popular social-media app, Bloomberg reports. In the past year alone, major music companies have signed licensing agreements with Facebook, TikTok and Snap, creating a new, billion-dollar business. Warner alone now generates hundreds of millions of dollars a year from such deals, YouTube paid the music industry more than $3 billion in 2019, Facebook paid the music industry more than $600 million a year since 2017, and TikTok now is expected to be a big spender as one of the most popular apps in the world, boasting more than 600 million users.

Former American President Barack Obama has shared his 2020 “Songs of the Year” playlist which includes pop hits like Dua Lipa’s 'Levitating', indie songs like Phoebe Bridgers’ 'Kyoto', country music like Chris Stapleton’s 'Starting Over', and some veterans like Boy Dylan’s 'Goodbye Jimmy Reed'...

Director Peter Jackson has shared a preview of his forthcoming documentary 'The Beatles: Get Back' which aims to “take audiences back in time to The Beatles’ intimate recording sessions during a pivotal moment in music history”, NME reports. Jackson said he wanted to showcase “the vibe and energy” of the film with the preview. It will be out in August 2021, probably.

Indie-rock singer-songwriter Har Mar Superstar began working for the United States Postal Service in November, NME reports. He applied for the job on a whim while posting out vinyl records to fans at the post office. “I’ve definitely considered quitting music and getting a real job. So many times,” HMS said - “I mean, I’m really excited to have pension and benefits and all that kind of stuff”.

The American Congressional leaders agreed on a $900 billion rescue package, which includes $15 billion for live entertainment venues and independent movie theaters, the New York Times reports. Senator Chuck Schumer said "these venues are so important to my state and so many other states across the country. They are the lifeblood of our communities. They were the first to close and will be the last to open. This bill gives them a fighting chance”.

Taylor Swift notches her second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 this year with her surprise release 'Evermore', which earned 329,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 17, Billboard reports. It's her eight No. 1 album in general, and a companion set to her earlier surprise No. 1 album, 'Folklore', which bowed atop the Billboard 200 in August. Also, Swift set a new UK chart record among female artists, with the singer achieving her six UK number one albums in a record eight years. She has beaten previous record-holder Madonna, who racked up six UK number one albums over 11 years, UK's Official Charts reports.

Brooklyn Vegan's Indie Basement placed 40 indie-rock albums from 2020 in its cellar - it's an interesting selection, covering the best, and some unexpected albums. The top 20 are:

20. Doves - 'The Universal Want'

19. Working Men's Club - 'Working Men's Club'

18. Stephen Malkmus - 'Traditional Techniques'

17. Activity - 'Unmask Whoever'

16. The Innocence Mission - 'See You Tomorrow'

15. Drab City - 'Good Songs for Bad People'

14. Dougie Poole - 'The Freelancer's Blues'

13. Public Practice - 'Gentle Grip'

12. Billy Nomates - 'Billy Nomates'

11. The Flaming Lips - 'American Head'

10. Cindy Lee - 'What's Tonight to Eternity?'

9. Sweeping Promises - 'Hunger for a Way Out'

8. Crack Cloud - 'Pain Olympics'

7. Cut Worms - 'Nobody Lives Here Anymore'

6. Sault - 'Untitled (Black Is)' / 'Untitled (Rise)'

5. Caribou - 'Suddenly'

4. Loma - 'Don't Shy Away'

3. JARV IS… - 'Beyond the Pale'

2. Roisin Murphy - 'Roisin Machine'

1. Porridge Radio - 'Every Bad'

CoS writes about an interesting cover-band, Brass Against, a brass band that originally started as a Rage Against the Machine cover band, and then expanded with covers of Deftones, Alice In Chains, Panter, Deftones, Soundgarden etc. Their latest cover, Tool's 'Stinkfist' becomes "a horn-heavy track without losing the song’s key melodies and mood", with stand-out vocals by Sophia Urista.