Music news

• Led Zeppelin to face copyright lawsuit over opening riff

  12-04-2016 20:23
  
  Jury to decide if band lifted opening chords of Stairway to Heaven from 1967 song Taurus by the band Spirit, after judge notes ‘substantial’ similaritiesIt began simply, just a few notes recorded on to a cassette by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant as they sat in a small cottage in the Welsh mountains in 1970. But the humble history of the opening riff of Led Zeppelin’s most famous song Stairway to Heaven may about to be rewritten.A case which claims that the opening chords to Led Z
  
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• Royal Opera indulges directors and egos | Letters

  12-04-2016 19:36
  
  In his review of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Royal Opera House (9 April) Tim Ashley doesn’t appear to have heard the laughter that accompanied Lucia and Alisa’s increasingly desperate, and barely competent, efforts to murder the bound and blindfolded (don’t ask) Arturo. It is quite an achievement to reduce the audience to almost helpless laughter in one of opera’s iconic tragic masterpieces. As for the much-trailed sex scene, two world-class singers bouncing around in time
  
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• Our extra special Saga holiday with Mr Nice, Howard Marks | Letters

  12-04-2016 19:35
  
  Thunderclap Newman | A trip with Howard Marks | Train journeys | Regional accentsAn aspiration to become a “Heavy Dude, Musically” prompted me to listen to Thunderclap Newman and Khachaturian (Letters, 7 April). Eric Banks’s HDM acquaintance was winding him up. The piano solo in Something in the Air is not taken from Khachaturian. His concerto uses classical themes and makes no use of jazzy syncopation. The piano bridge in the song is unremarkable but does its job well, complem
  
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• Streaming growth helps digital music revenues surpass physical sales

  12-04-2016 19:34
  
  Subscription value from streaming services up 66% in a year, and industrywide revenues grow for first time since 1995Digital music revenues have surpassed the takings from traditional music formats for the first time, according to an industry report.Worldwide, digital revenues – from streaming subscriptions, downloads, and advertising revenue on sites such as YouTube – accounted for 45% of the total in 2015, compared with 39% for physical formats such as CDs and vinyl records. Contin
  
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• Sasha: 'There were thousands of people in front of me and I was losing the plot'

  12-04-2016 18:57
  
  He was the first of the 90s superstar DJs. Now, as ‘the son of god’ enjoys a second life as an EDM deity, he talks about making it, staying on top and anxiety attacksBetween the bands and the booze enclosures, the crochet dresses and the flower garlands, dance music peacockery has established itself as a vital part of Coachella’s aesthetic. Last year nearly 50% of its artists came under the electronic music category, while this year, Calvin Harris, Jack U, Major Lazer, Zedd and
  
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• Mike Posner: 'I’ve only had success when I’m not trying to'

  12-04-2016 18:54
  
  The singer disappeared after Cooler Than Me but six years on, he returns with the global hit I Took a Pill in Ibiza – and a new perspective on fameAfter Mike Posner had an inescapable smash in 2010 with his debut single Cooler Than Me, the 28-year-old Michigan native endured a period of soul-searching, dealing with depression and enduring the shelving of his second album. “There was a time when being loaded and loved and popular really mattered a lot to me,” he tells the Guardi
  
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• Ariana Grande Perfectly Shut Down A Facebook Troll Who Called Her A 'Whore'

  12-04-2016 18:32
  
  Don't mess with her, okay?
  
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• Geordie Shore’s Scotty T Leads Touching Celeb Tributes After David Gest Dies At 62

  12-04-2016 18:22
  
  RIP David.
  
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• U.S. producer and reality TV star David Gest found dead in London

  12-04-2016 18:18
  American music producer David Gest, the former husband of entertainer Liza Minnelli, died in London on Tuesday. Gest, who was aged 62, was found in the Four Seasons hotel in the Canary Wharf business district of the city. The producer, whose credits included a TV musical special about pop star Michael Jackson, married actress and singer Minnelli in 2002.
  
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• 21 Best Drugstore Dupes For Cult Beauty Products

  12-04-2016 17:42
  Because we're not all make of money...
  
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• Yes, Led Zeppelin took from other people's records – but then they transformed them

  12-04-2016 17:30
  
  Life as a Zeppelin fan would be much easier if they had come up with every idea themselves. But they always turned their borrowings into something greater than the sourceAnd so the latest Led Zeppelin plagiarism case goes to court. This time it’s Spirit, whose claim that Stairway to Heaven’s acoustic opening takes directly from their song Taurus is to be heard before a jury next month. It’s not the first time m’learned friends have become involved in the allocation of son
  
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• Music producer David Gest dies in London at 62

  12-04-2016 17:22
  LONDON (AP) — David Gest, a music producer and former husband of Liza Minelli, has died aged 62 in a London hotel.
  
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• These Pictures Of The Geordie Shore Cast As 5-Year-Olds Are Too Cute!

  12-04-2016 17:14
  
  Why aye! Who knew these kids would turn out to be some the biggest reality TV stars?
  
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• This Is Why Everyone's Really Angry At Tampax's New Tampons Right Now

  12-04-2016 17:13
  
  NOT COOL.
  
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• Music producer David Gest, ex-husband of Liza Minnelli, dies at 62

  12-04-2016 17:13
  Music producer David Gest, ex-husband of Liza Minnelli, dies at 62.
  
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• 11 Things You Should Know Before Getting Your First Tattoo

  12-04-2016 15:42
  
  You have to be sure...
  
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• Miley Cyrus And Liam Hemsworth Pictured Together For First Time Since Reuniting

  12-04-2016 15:30
  
  Our heart can't take it.
  
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• Charlotte Crosby Lets Rip On Gary Beadle's Ex Lillie Lexie Gregg: “He Thinks She’s A Fame Hungry S**t!”

  12-04-2016 15:14
  
  YIKES.
  
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• British Artists Aid Music Industry Growth

  12-04-2016 14:58
  British pop stars have helped the global music industry report its first significant year-on-year growth for two decades. Adele, Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Coldplay and Sam Smith sold almost 28 million albums between them last year, according to new figures. The findings have been compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), which represents the interests of the international recording industry.
  
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• Adele has best-selling album as global music revenue rises

  12-04-2016 14:13
  LONDON (AP) — Adele had the world's best-selling album last year, a global smash that helped music revenues record their first significant growth in almost two decades.
  
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• Interview: BJ The Chicago Kid

  12-04-2016 14:06
  
  The Wrap Up speaks to BJ The Chicago Kid, about bringing the church to hip-hop, his hometown of Chicago and being a modern day soul man.
  
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• Lush review – pithy indie chroniclers stage a confident comeback

  12-04-2016 14:00
  
  Oslo, LondonAfter a 20-year break, Miki Berenyi and friends return fresh and inspired with new songs every bit as catchy and well crafted as their 90s hits This is Lush’s first show in almost 20 years, so the nerves are understandable. “I was shitting myself yesterday,” admits singer and guitarist Miki Berenyi, still swearing like a trooper. Really though, you wouldn’t know she’s spent most of the intervening period as a magazine subeditor rather than a hard-gigging
  
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• Catfish and the Bottlemen review – adoring fans take over the ride

  12-04-2016 13:59
  
  O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
  Van McCann’s band play up to the screaming masses, but struggle to keep the atmosphere alive under the weight of adulationFew indie newcomers would have the nerve to co-opt a seminal song by pop’s biggest band to kick off a show. But as Catfish and the Bottlemen take to a white strobe-emblazoned stage with the thundering strains of the Beatles’ Helter Skelter blaring around them, it’s just another step in their Oasis-inspired master plan.Havi
  
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• Geordie Shore Big Birthday Battle: Jay Is BACK And He Has A Confession About Ricci

  12-04-2016 13:22
  
  YES LAD!
  
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• Tony Conrad: five of the best moments by Dream Syndicate drone pioneer

  12-04-2016 13:00
  
  The legendary composer, musician, artist, professor and film-maker has died on Saturday aged 76. From his voluminous five-decade body of work, here are some of his best pieces of drone rock and experimental filmIt’s hard to find many recordings of the Theatre of Eternal Music, sometimes known as the Dream Syndicate – a 1960s supergroup that featured Conrad, John Cale, La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, Angus MacLise, and sometimes Terry Jennings and others – for a complicated snar
  
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• Olivia Louise Teams Up With Question On New Track ‘Cup Of Tea’

  12-04-2016 12:56
  
  Back in December we brought you news of Olivia Louise’s brilliant collaborative EP alongside Parisian producer Gautier.
  
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• The Weeknd, Adele And Justin Bieber Lead The Way With Billboard Music Award Nominations

  12-04-2016 12:45
  
  Well, mainly just The Weeknd really.
  
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• Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby On Gary Beadle Relationship: I Think I Might Be In Love With Him

  12-04-2016 12:14
  
  It's LOVE, people.
  
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• Cult heroes: Jason and the Scorchers – the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world. In July 1985

  12-04-2016 12:00
  
  The guitarist loved AC/DC, the singer loved country. Live, their combustible union was a total blast, but this Nashville band couldn’t sustain the momentumThere are only ever a handful of names that get mentioned when the idea of “the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world” is raised. Actually, there have been dozens of greatest rock’n’roll bands in the world, but most of them never get recognised – because they were only ever the greatest band for
  
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• Hailey Baldwin Admits The Real Life Struggles Of Dating Justin Bieber

  12-04-2016 11:40
  
  Tough life.
  
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• This Cover Version Of Elle King's 'Ex's & Oh's' Will Blow You Away

  12-04-2016 11:32
  
  Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox came in and NAILED the track, just for MTV...
  
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• Vicky Pattison Is The New Face Of Ann Summers Swimwear & She Looks Sexier Than Ever

  12-04-2016 11:07
  
  We caught up with the Geordie lass to chat about body confidence...
  
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• Brooklyn Beckham And Chloe Grace Moretz Are 'Very Much A Couple' Again, FYI

  12-04-2016 10:34
  
  In case you wondering.
  
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• Geordie Shore Big Birthday Battle: KEEMON! Sophie, James, Jay, Dan, Ricci And Kyle CONFIRMED To Return For Reunion Special

  12-04-2016 09:03
  
  Howay man! Cast members past and present return for the six-part special...
  
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• Was Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven partially stolen from another song? – video

  12-04-2016 07:44
  
  Watch YouTuber TJR play chords from Stairway to Heaven and the 1967 instrumental Taurus by the band Spirit. US district judge Gary Klausner has ruled that the two songs were similar enough to let a jury decide whether Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were liable for copyright infringement Continue reading...
  
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• Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven may be partly stolen, judge says

  12-04-2016 03:12
  
  ‘Substantial’ similarities are enough to warrant a trial over whether Robert Plant and Jimmy Page lifted opening chords from Taurus by the band Spirit Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page must face a US jury trial over whether they stole opening chords for their 1971 classic Stairway to Heaven.Related: Stairway to Heaven: the story of a song and its legacy (and hear an unreleased mix)Continue reading...
  
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• Led Zeppelin Face Stairway To Heaven Lawsuit

  12-04-2016 02:50
  
  Two members of band Led Zeppelin are to face a jury over claims they stole the opening chord progressions of their classic Stairway To Heaven. On Friday, US District Judge Gary Klausner said the 1971 song and an instrumental work called Taurus, written by the band Spirit in 1967,  had "substantial" similarities. His decision means that Led Zeppelin's lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page will appear on 10 May in a Los Angeles court accused of copyright infringement.
  
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