Author: Amanda Collins
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is already breaking Spotify records weeks ahead of its release. On Sunday (Aug. 31), the 35-year-old pop icon’s upcoming release became the most pre-saved album Countdown Page in Spotify history. The previous record was held by Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department in 2024. The streaming giant shared the news Monday morning on its official Instagram and X accounts. Spotify’s Countdown Page for The Life of a Showgirl launched on Aug. 14, accompanied by an exclusive playlist titled And, baby, that’s show business for you, a curated selection of 22 previously released tracks produced…
Oasis dedicated ‘Live Forever’ to the victims of the Minneapolis church shooting at the first of their giant New Jersey shows. The North American leg of the Oasis Live ‘25 tour rolled into MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday night (August 31) and the band used the gig to offer their support to the families affected by the tragedy. “I want to dedicate this next tune to the kiddies from Minneapolis,” Liam Gallagher told the crowd. “Live forever.” Last Wednesday (August 27), a shooter targeted a group of people outside the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis before morning…
With the shortlist for the Mercury Prize set to be revealed next week at a later date than usual, speculation now turns to who’ll make the final cut – including some acclaimed records released more recently. The shortlist for the Mercury Prize is usually revealed in mid-to-late July, celebrating the best albums released by British and Irish artists over the last 12 months. However, this year the 12 albums shall be shared at a ceremony in London on the morning on Wednesday September 10. Mercury Prize Award for 2025. CREDIT: Press As a result, this year’s period of eligibility for…
American internet service provider Cox Communications has yet again ramped up the rhetoric in its latest legal filing setting out why the US Supreme Court should reverse the billion dollar piracy judgement in its long running legal battle with the major record companies. If that judgement isn’t reversed the only way it will be able to avoid having to pay future damages to the record labels is by “throwing entire homes, coffee shops, hotels, military barracks and regional ISPs off of the internet” says Cox with its typical flair for the dramatic. In doing so, “innocent users” as well as copyright infringers…
British singer and songwriter Joseph Morris shares his brand new single Someone To Use, a passionate anthem for all of those who’ve loved & gotten burnt. I am a fan of Joseph’s rich, powerhouse vocals and how they effortlessly radiate raw emotion and soul, instantly capturing our attention to his storytelling. Someone To Use finds the talented artist sharing a message of finally realising you’re in a toxic relationship, reclaiming your power and leave that environment before it’s too late. A song that aims to empower listeners that are going through a similar situation, Someone To Use pairs Morris’s gorgeous vocals…
Staff at Sony Music Australia are “confused and stressed” as the major label division faces another media scandal over its corporate culture, according to the Aussie tabloid whose reporting has prompted that scandal. Employees feel “left in the dark”, a new report claims, despite Sony Music’s global HR chief sending an all-staff memo last week seeking to reassure people following an earlier article in Sydney’s News Corp-owned tabloid the Daily Telegraph. Sony Music’s global HQ in New York is “disappointed people are speaking to the press”, one of the major’s Australian employees has told the newspaper, but “the only way they seem…
BBC medieval series King & Conqueror has been criticised by some viewers over historical inaccuracies. The new show debuted last month on BBC One in the UK, depicting the build-up to the Norman Invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings as Harold Godwinson (James Norton) and William, Duke of Normandy (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) battle for the throne. However, some have taken to social media over its depiction of historical events, many particularly taking issue with the use of language. “What is this trend of using modern language and phrases that would never have been heard in the times portrayed,” one…
Guillermo Del Toro has built his career on beautifully haunted reimaginings of dark tales, so an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein is a match made in goth heaven. Produced for Netflix and sticking closely to the 1818 novel, the end result is an achingly gorgeous film that allows his monster-loving sensibilities and signature style to come to the fore. This take on Frankenstein begins in the frozen Arctic with Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen) spying a fire in the distance from his ice-trapped ship. One rescue mission later and the badly injured Baron Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is brought onboard,…
Little over a year since his farewell concerts in the U.K. in June 2024, Barry Manilow has performed a u-turn and announced a new run of Last Last run of concerts for 2026. The “Copacabana” singer will return to U.K. for a six-night tour that takes in arenas in Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham and London (June 9-17, 2026). Tickets go on sale on Sep. 5 at 10 a.m. local time. See the full run of dates below. Manilow played 15 sold-out concerts at the London Palladium in May and June 2024, and has performed a number of “final” concerts…
The US Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that vinyl records, CDs and cassettes will be exempt from tariff adjustments in the US. Changes come following President Donald Trump’s return to the White House at the start of the year, where he signed an executive order to impose tariffs on imports from a number of countries. International businesses shipping to the US will now be subjected to different import taxes, with the amount depending on various deals that have been decided in recent months. Companies from the UK will now pay around 10 per cent of the product’s value in…