• Rihanna is a shoe salesperson at last! As you may know, back in December, the sportswear company named Rihanna as its new creative director, and now we've got the singer in her first ad since the declaration, featuring the slogan, "Always Faster." She looks flawless as usual, even when she's trying to start a resurgence of the '90s visor trend, and even when Puma is pulling the old fast one of turning its ad campaign launch into a news item. Or maybe that was creative director Rihanna's strategy. Either way, don't worry. The Stranger won't be falling for it! RiRi recently took her Puma gear on vacation and then went fishing in black lipstick. Because that's what you wear when you go fishing... when you're Rihanna.

• Speaking of Instagram... They're breaking into the original content business. And it's starting with music. Or at least music-related photos. Or photos taken by musicians. Or maybe just extra-long captions? In the inaugural post, Kevin Systrom—Instagram's founder and CEO—promised (A) to introduce new artists, (B) to allow musicians better access to their fans, (C) to give the audience behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and (D) Questlove. Can I just tell you all, that man is everywhere. Once in New York, I saw him on four separate occasions in the same week. He showed up onstage at a FIONA APPLE concert. (To play "This Is Not About Love.") So, I guess it's the next natural step for him to appear in my Instagram feed. And who doesn't need to know what Ed Droste is up to when Grizzly Bear hasn't released an album in three years and haven't announced a new record either?

• You want more corporate sponsorships? Very well, then: Salad company Sweetgreen will be holding their Sweetlife Festival at the end of May in Columbia, Maryland. Kendrick Lamar is scheduled to headline. Now, even if we were able to set aside our initial skepticism over the merging of fresh, organic greens and KDot, Sweetgreen really wanted to make sure they went for a home run. They announced the creation of a new salad called Beets Don't Kale My Vibe. Because, you know. Now granted, this salad sounds delicious. But that didn't stop me from thinking this announcement was an Onion article when it first appeared in my newsfeed. You're telling me that with a whole team of very expensive marketers and SEO experts and advertisers focused on branding campaigns, NO ONE said, "Hey. Maybe we should hold off on this one. I'm not sure it makes a whole lot of sense"??? Those Reebok commercials were over-the-top, but at least they had the benefit of logic behind them. Maybe someone at Princeton will start a protest!

• Time for the TIDAL update! The 10 people who actually wanted to pay for the streaming service starting freaking out yesterday when the price listed for TIDAL Hi-Fi was $25.99, instead of the advertised $19.99. But do not fret! A rep for TIDAL stepped in to clear up the confusion, telling the FADER:

Apple's policy is to charge TIDAL subscribers a 30% fee on your monthly subscription, for the life of your subscription, if you activate your subscription through the TIDAL app on your iPhone that you have just downloaded. You can easily get the $9.99 or $19.99 pricing by first creating your TIDAL account through TIDAL.com, then go to the App Store to download the TIDAL app. Once it's downloaded you simply hit "Login" instead of "Sign Up" and you will be in the correct pricing plan.

See? All you have to do is go through about 10 more steps, and everything will work out as promised. Also, Jay Z is going to hold a special concert for you! Just like setting up TIDAL service, you only have to go through about four gazillion sets of instructions—involving playlist creation, your own social media networks, and hashtags—to be entered for a chance (just a chance, now!) to win tickets. It's called Jaÿ-Z B-Sides. He brought back the dash AND the umlaut to convey its sense of seriousness. (Amos Barshad over at Grantland wants us to hold out, up the ante, and see what else Jay has to offer. I'm in total agreement with him. No subscription 'til Bey bakes me cookies.)

The business, man is trying to make good on his offer to support new artists, though. TIDAL Discovery is up and running, and the FADER also reported that its collaboration with Phonofile and Record Union was launched in hopes of "making it easier for unsigned artists to upload their music and manage royalties without the help of a third party." It might not be enough to turn the tide of bad press, but it's a start.

• Might I make a few suggestions? Try out Beauty Pill's new single "Dog with Rabbit in Mouth Unharmed" off the new album Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are. It's their first album in 11 years, and during that time period, Chad Clark struggled with a viral heart ailment and several open heart surgeries. He overcame the illness to make this music, so the least you can do is give it a try. Or perhaps you're looking for something more up-tempo? Titus Andronicus are on hand to help you out. They've released the new single "Dimed Out" off upcoming album The Most Lamentable Tragedy, which has been described as a 93-minute rock opera centered around the subject of depression. It comes out on July 28, so it'll be a perfect addition to your backyard BBQs. (For the record, I still miss Amy Klein.) Or you could watch Patti Labelle, Amber Riley, and Lil Kim perform "Lady Marmalade." Then, there's the new trailer for Netflix's upcoming Nina Simone documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, that will be premiering on June 26. Lots of options here.

• And just to set the record straight, Ciara IS dating Russell Wilson. Whee!

Adieu, until next week.

Lindsay Hood is the former news editor of the late, great Wondering Sound and a recent Seattle transplant. She'll be doing music news roundups several times a week on Slog. Lindsay's pledge: "I'll try and pay attention to the important stuff—you know, like Rihanna's Instagram—then round it all up for you to devour in the morning. I look forward to learning more about the local scene as the column develops. Feel free to drop off helpful tidbits in the comments." Lindsay's Twitter is right here.