Music news

• Terry Riley: 'I haven’t felt nailed down to anything'

  02-10-2015 21:36
  
  The contemporary composer celebrates his 80th birthday this year and shows no sign of slowing down, with a blowout weekend at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust on tap. Just don’t call him a minimalistThe American composer-performer Terry Riley has had a year to remember. In the wake of his signing a publishing contract “very late in life” – and thus belatedly entering the repertoire of more musicians – Riley’s rhythmically arresting and sometimes jazzy pieces
  
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• How Many Subscribers Will Apple Music Have? Roughly 3.5 Million, Sources Say

  02-10-2015 20:13
  
  “I’d ballpark, roughly 3.5 million after November cancellations.”Apple’s Spotify competitor Apple Music is performing way below initial projections, according to a pair of sources close to the numbers.  At present, the first batch of trial users are being confronted with a three-month payment wall, with at least half of those appearing to have already opted-out.  “It’s not the easiest to say what the [initial paid subscriber] number is goin
  
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• Apple Music Looking at ‘Roughly 3.5 Million’ Subscribers, Sources Say

  02-10-2015 20:13
  
  “I’d ballpark, roughly 3.5 million after November cancellations.”Apple’s recently-launched Spotify competitor Apple Music is now expected to deliver way below initial projections, according to a pair of sources close to the numbers.  At present, the first batch of trial users are now being confronted with a three-month payment wall, though at least half of those have already opted-out (and based on survey statistics, a lot more).  “It’s not the easie
  
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• Sam Smith's Writing's on the Wall becomes first ever Bond No 1

  02-10-2015 19:54
  
  Singer’s theme tune to the new Bond film Spectre tops UK singles charts, beating competition from Justin BieberSam Smith’s theme song for the new James Bond movie Spectre has become the first in the history of the franchise to top the charts – despite being greeted with mixed reviews.Writing’s On the Wall soared straight to No 1 in in its first week of release with 70,000 combined sales and streams. It makes Smith the first artist to achieve a No 1 song with a Bond theme,
  
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• Music Review: Janet Jackson, don't you ever leave us again

  02-10-2015 19:19
  
  Janet Jackson, "Unbreakable" (BMG/Rhythm Nation Records)
  
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• The playlist – Americana: Scott Fagan, Hanging Stars, The City and more

  02-10-2015 18:56
  
  A young-singer songwriter full of well-smoked wisdom, a veteran psych-pop bluesman and a Carole King early, Laurel Canyon cutA friend secretly sent me Nadia Reid’s album at precisely the right moment earlier this summer, and this track has been one of my favourites since. It has all that well-smoked wisdom, that mingling of strength and yearning that seems to charge the work of all my favourite female artists – Laura Marling, The Weather Station, Sharon Van Etten and Tift Merritt, to
  
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• Justin Bieber Drank Some Alcohol On Stage And Everyone Is Losing Their Minds

  02-10-2015 17:30
  
  Don't waste it, Biebs.
  
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• John Varvatos: The Dark Rebel Designer On His New Fragrance & Favourite Renegades

  02-10-2015 17:15
  
  Talking everything from Miley Cyrus to Paul Weller with JV…
  
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• Geordie Shore Most Mint And Mortal Trailer Moments

  02-10-2015 17:07
  
  Hold tight lads 'n' lasses, 'cos we're celebrating the start of series 11 by looking back at some of the most memorable trailer moments ever...
  
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• New band of the week: Patawawa (No 73)

  02-10-2015 17:03
  
  Sublime, sassy disco from the edge of the Peak District – you’ll be Lost In Music in no time
  Hometown: Matlock, Derbyshire.The lineup: Rory Lovatt, Sam Wilmot, Beth Garrett.Continue reading...
  
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• VIDEO: Watch The Geordie Shore Cast React To Hilarious And Gross Viral Clips

  02-10-2015 16:53
  
  They've got some reet funny reactions...
  
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• Tom Russell review – more memorable songs than Les Misérables

  02-10-2015 16:53
  
  100 Club, London
  An impressive, inspired set from the grandfather of Americana, whose deadpan sense of humour and powerful songwriting set him apartTom Russell came on stage looking like a standard Texas-based country star in his jeans and black cowboy hat, but his attitude, deadpan sense of humour and the strength and variety in his songwriting set him apart. He’s a singer-songwriter with a powerful voice, but also a novelist, artist and academic who can interrupt a song to discuss the hi
  
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• 15 Louis Tomlinson Facial Expressions We’re Hoping To See When He Guest Judges On The X Factor

  02-10-2015 16:46
  
  SO MUCH SASS.
  
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• Buena Vista Social Club review – Cuban troupe's farewell tour shows off new talent

  02-10-2015 16:34
  
  After 16 years of touring the ensemble went out with its signature mix of nostalgia and celebration of the next generation of Cuban musiciansChan Centre, Vancouver
  Watching the Buena Vista Social Club (whose official touring title is Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club now)kick off their “farewell tour” in Vancouver was a musical collage of multi-layered nostalgia. Both a homage to the masters and a celebration of the new generation of Cuban talent, the performance was transcendent, hea
  
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• $7.3M verdict against Lady Gaga's former boyfriend tossed

  02-10-2015 16:20
  
  NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Lady Gaga's first producer and former boyfriend has been given a new trial after a judge overturned an order that he pay $7.3 million to the Hollywood songwriter who discovered the singer.
  
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• Selfies Of The Week (26 Sept - 2 Oct)

  02-10-2015 16:02
  
  The best celebrity selfies from the week that was....
  
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• Not only in New York – how the most powerful man in opera took the Met to the world

  02-10-2015 16:00
  
  Peter Gelb, general manager of New York’s Metropolitan Opera, has faced controversy, even death threats. But he has also turned the Met into the world’s local opera house by bringing its productions to cinemas around the globeOpera is not many people’s idea of a good business model,” laughs Peter Gelb, general manager of New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The statement is such a truism, he says, that he was recently invited by Stanford University to speak about the indu
  
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• Quiz: Which Are You The One? Contestants Would You Date?

  02-10-2015 15:55
  
  They're just all so pretty...
  
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• Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats – a medium-watt feelgood glow

  02-10-2015 15:45
  
  Stereo, Glasgow
  Their rootsy, gospel-infused Memphis soul has universal appeal but the backwoods preacher-man style doesn’t inspire raptures from the crowdBear-like of body, voice and beard, Nathaniel Rateliff and his band the Night Sweats have attracted a broad audience in admiration of their Stax Records-released, self-titled debut album. Gig-going old-timers, male and female alike, rub shoulders – quite literally in a sold-out Stereo basement – with others who look young eno
  
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• One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson and Justin Bieber feuding over album release date clash

  02-10-2015 15:35
  
  Two of the biggest pop acts will bump heads on 13 November when both One Direction and Justin Bieber release their albums. Ahead of the big day, the rivalry is gathering momentum with 1D singer Louis Tomlinson and the Canadian star trading fighting talk. Directioners are counting down the days until the boy band release Made In The A.M., their last album before taking a break, while Bieber is set to drop his first LP in more than three years.
  
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• Cliff Richard review – funny, poignant show from pop's performing genius

  02-10-2015 15:02
  
  City Hall, Sheffield
  The singer pays homage to his close friend Cilla Black, delves into his stellar back catalogue and even dons his leather trousersYou wouldn’t expect Cliff Richard to rock up in South Yorkshire. The county’s constabulary raided his Berkshire house last year, triggering an annus horribilis that has taken in three investigations into alleged historic sexual abuse (strongly denied, one inquiry already dropped) and the deaths of both his niece and close friend Cilla B
  
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• Smokin' Hot! Ex On The Beach Star Ali Drew Shares Sexy Bikini Selfies

  02-10-2015 14:54
  
  The model and reality star knows how to work a pose...
  
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• Ray Davies webchat – post your questions now

  02-10-2015 14:29
  
  The Kinks songwriter is joining us to answer your questions in a live webchat from 1pm BST on Tuesday 6 October – post them in the comments below 1.29pm BSTLondon Calling, West End Girls and Baker Street may all have reasonable claims to being the greatest song ever written about London, but one still stands tall above them: Waterloo Sunset by the Kinks, perfectly capturing the romance that sits amid the bustle of the capital.Written by Ray Davies, now 71, it was just one of his masterpiec
  
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• Pelléas et Mélisande review – a brave, deeply affecting achievement

  02-10-2015 14:07
  
  Britten theatre, London
  English Touring Opera’s scaled-down chamber version of Debussy’s opera is wonderfully done.English Touring Opera’s new production of Pelléas et Mélisande fulfils a long-standing ambition on the part of artistic director James Conway to bring Debussy’s only opera into the company’s repertory. Adapting this most elusive of works for small venues, however, brings challenges of its own, and Conway uses a chamber version by Belgian c
  
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• This week’s new tracks: Alone No More is a late blast of summer

  02-10-2015 14:00
  
  Philip George & Anton Powers | Joss Stone | Eats Everything | The Wombats | Julian VelardPICK OF THE WEEK Continue reading...
  
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• Paul McCartney on the making of Ebony and Ivory – video

  02-10-2015 14:00
  
  Macca discusses the making of his duet with Stevie Wonder, and why he feared he had missed the boat with his plea for racial toleranceLast week, we brought you a mini-documentary about Paul McCartney’s Tug of War and Pipes of Peace albums, featuring the great man talking about the making of his two early-80s albums. Here, he discusses the making of his duet with Stevie Wonder, Ebony and Ivory, his plea for racial tolerance – and how the recording sessions ended up with Wonder composi
  
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• Mr G’s favourite tracks

  02-10-2015 14:00
  
  The UK house veteran empties the contents of his psychic record bagIt’s my call to arms. I get so many requests to release it but in an age where everything seems to be out there, it’s quite nice not to. If you wanna hear it come and check me somewhere live soon – you’ll get its full force! Continue reading...
  
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• Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris regret publicising relationship? Couple feeling pressured by media attention

  02-10-2015 13:29
  
  American singer/songwriter Taylor Swift and Scottish singer/DJ Calvin Harris are planning to keep their relationship under wraps for some time. The 25-year-old Shake It Off singer and the 31-year-old DJ apparently could not handle the media attention surrounding their personal lives. Swift has been in a relationship with Rita Ora's former boyfriend since April 2015.
  
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• Kim Kardashian Chats About Her Mum Having Sex Because Sharing Is Caring

  02-10-2015 13:23
  
  TMI.
  
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• Spoiler! Jordan Gets Steamy with Megan R and Holly In Naughty Game Of Spin The Bottle

  02-10-2015 13:22
  
  Megan McKenna is NOT impressed…
  
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• Benga: 'Nobody wants to come clean, let alone an artist'

  02-10-2015 13:00
  
  Last year, the pioneering dubstep DJ and producer was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia. Now, he’s speaking out on mental health issues in clubland“It started in winter 2013, that’s when I began to lose control of my body. Around Christmas, I got all of my jewellery together and I started giving it to people as they were shopping. One of my favourite watches was a rose gold Rolex, and I had that in my inside pocket. I remember somebody talking about ‘time
  
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• EVENT // The Warehouse Project - Tropical

  02-10-2015 12:37
  
  See article for more.
  
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• Ought: Sun Coming Down review – intense, engrossing alt-rock

  02-10-2015 12:20
  
  (Constellation) Related: Hidden gems 2014: the albums that got away There are times when it’s easy to despair of indie or alt-rock – call it what you will. Then an album such as Sun Coming Down arrives, and the possibilities open to four people with guitars, bass and drums become apparent again. It’s not as if Ought, three Americans and an Australian based in Montreal, are terribly original; you can hear the staples of alternative music – Wire, Mission of Burma, the Fall
  
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• Honey Boo Boo has released a music video - watch it here if you dare

  02-10-2015 12:20
  
  Prepare yourself for “Do the Honey Boo Boo Bop” to be in your head all day.
  
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• VIDEO: It's All Greek To Me! The Geordie Shore Cast Learn Some Naughty Words

  02-10-2015 12:04
  
  Charlotte, the quiz master, tests Holly, Nathan and Gaz's knowledge…
  
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• X Factor’s Judges Houses Guest Judges Are Revealed, And Actual Louis Tomlinson Is One Of Them

  02-10-2015 12:03
  
  BEST NEWS EVER.
  
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• Little Mix Unveil Their New 'Love Me Like You' Video - Watch Here!

  02-10-2015 12:00
  
  It's so fancy.
  
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• Beyonce paid $6m to perform secret Las Vegas concert for technology company?

  02-10-2015 11:33
  
  It is no surprise that Beyonce is one of the highest-paid musicians in pop when she can command several million dollars in one night. The 7/11 singer performed a secret concert in Las Vegas on 30 September and reports claim she raked in up to $6m (£3.9m) for the job. The 34-year-old was hired to put on a show at the strip's Palms Casino Resort for a technology company who did not reveal any details about the private performance beforehand.
  
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• Honey, He’s Good: Andy Grammer On Performing With Taylor Swift & Busking For Baldwin

  02-10-2015 11:30
  
  It’s good to be alive when you’re Andy Grammer…
  
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• Premiere: KStewart Drops The Very Cool ‘Ain’t Nobody’

  02-10-2015 11:00
  
  Exclusive! Hear her brand new single with us right here…
  
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• Philip George Has Picked 10 Tunes For You And They're Really, Really Good

  02-10-2015 11:00
  
  Warning: really good dance music lurks here...
  
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• Banter With BluMaan: Talking Vlogging, Styling Meraki & David Beckham With Joseph Andrews

  02-10-2015 10:23
  
  The hair vlogger shares the secrets of his success with MTV…
  
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• X Factor 2015: Which music stars will be helping Cheryl, Rita, Nick and Simon at Judges' Houses?

  02-10-2015 10:22
  
  The guests who’ll help the X Factor judges decide who to take through to the live shows are all but confirmed.
  
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• Naughty Boy Confirms That He And Zayn Malik Fell Out Over More Than Just A Leaked Video

  02-10-2015 10:19
  
  Curiouser and curiouser...
  
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• Lawson Takeover MTV To Premiere New Vid & Announce Tour Dates!

  02-10-2015 10:00
  
  Watch ‘We Are Kings' here first and find out where the guys are going on tour…
  
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• In Tech: Music for kids, Facebook video profiles and more

  02-10-2015 09:10
  
  Parents of small kids are getting more love from music services.
  
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• Will Smith is getting jiggy with music again with Latin band

  02-10-2015 06:02
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Will Smith is getting jiggy with music again.
  
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• Earls of Leicester win 4 at Bluegrass Awards

  02-10-2015 04:48
  
  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Earls of Leicester took home four awards, including entertainer of the year and album of the year, at the International Bluegrass Music Awards, while movie star, comedian and musician Steve Martin was honored as a bluegrass ambassador.
  
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• Russia Will Publish a List of 100 Major Advertisers Supporting Piracy

  02-10-2015 02:11
  
  “People need to come to their senses about this issue.  Major brands are proud of being white-and-fluffy; so let’s publish a list of all those brands that advertise on pirate sites.”Russian Minister of Communications Alexei Volin, as reported by (and translated from) Moscow newspaper Izvestia.
  If you want to kill all the rats, one way is to stop feeding them.  And the way to cut the food supply is to go to the source of it: major advertisers like&n
  
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