Category
Music
Britney attacks 'false tabloids'
Pop star Britney Spears has attacked "false" and "desperate" US tabloid magazines, questioning their honesty after they reported she was pregnant. In …
Ring of Fire hit co-writer dies
Merle Kilgore, co-writer of the country hit Ring of Fire, has died of congestive heart failure aged 70. He started out as a singer and songwriter befo…
Disputed Nirvana box set on sale
A box set featuring 68 unreleased Nirvana tracks has gone on sale in the US, after years of legal wrangles. With the Lights Out was intended to be rel…
Johnny Cash manager Holiff dies
The former manager of Johnny Cash, Saul Israel Holiff, has died at the age of 79, his family said. Mr Holiff, who was also a concert promoter, managed…
Downloads enter US singles chart
Digital music downloads are being included in the main US singles chart for the first time. Billboard's Hot 100 chart now incorporates data from sales…
Brits return Keane to number one
Brits success has helped return Keane's award-winning album Hopes and Fears back to the top of the UK album chart. The debut album, which took the bes…
Abba queen enters music rich list
The woman behind the Abba musical Mamma Mia! has joined a list of British-based music millionaires. Producer Judy Craymer is the highest new entry in …
Early Elvis recordings go on sale
Some of Elvis Presley's earliest recordings - including takes of All Shook Up - are going under the hammer on Sunday at a Los Angeles auction. The six…
Elvis set to top UK singles chart
Rock 'n' roll legend Elvis is set to top the UK singles chart on Sunday, 27 years after his death. The re-release of hit song Jailhouse Rock was out-s…
Court halts Mark Morrison album
Premiership footballer and record company boss Kevin Campbell has gained a court injunction stopping R&B singer Mark Morrison from releasing an album.…
Beastie Boys win sampling battle
US rappers Beastie Boys have won their long-running battle over the use of a sample in their song Pass the Mic. The punk-rappers used three notes of m…
Singer Knight backs anti-gun song
R&B star Beverley Knight said she sang on an anti-gun single after being "haunted" by the fatal 2003 shooting of two teenage girls in Birmingham. Knig…
Musicians to tackle US red tape
Musicians' groups are to tackle US visa regulations which are blamed for hindering British acts' chances of succeeding across the Atlantic. A singer h…
Label withdraws McFadden's video
The new video of former Westlife singer Brian McFadden has been pulled after a Dublin school complained about being associated with his song Irish Son…
No jail for singer Courtney Love
Singer Courtney Love has been spared jail for assault and drug offences, but must serve three years probation. She had back-to-back court appearances …
Rapper Jay-Z becomes label boss
Rap star Jay-Z is to become a record company executive after being put in charge of one of hip-hop's most influential labels, Def Jam. Jay-Z, who said…
Blue beat U2 to top France honour
Irish band U2 have been honoured at France's biggest music awards, but were beaten to a prize by boy band Blue. U2 received a special achievement priz…
Goodrem wins top female MTV prize
Pop singer Delta Goodrem has scooped one of the top individual prizes at the first Australian MTV Music Awards. The 21-year-old singer won the award f…
Download chart debut is delayed
The inclusion of downloaded music in the official singles chart has been delayed for a month. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) had planned to i…
Rock group Korn's guitarist quits
The guitarist with US rock band Korn has quit the music business, saying he made the decision after experiencing a religious awakening. Brian 'Head' W…
Singer Sizzla jailed for swearing
Reggae star Sizzla, whose UK tour was cancelled after protests at his "anti-gay" lyrics, has been jailed in Jamaica for swearing on stage. The singer …
Youssou N'Dour wins music prize
Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour has been named a winner of a BBC Radio 3 World Music Award. His album Egypt won the critics' award for album of the…
Rap feud in 50 Cent's G-Unit crew
US rap star 50 Cent has said he has thrown protege The Game out of his G-Unit gang in a feud that has apparently involved two shootings. In a radio in…
Manics in charge of BBC 6 Music
The Manic Street Preachers are to take over the helm of BBC digital radio station 6 Music for a week in December. The Welsh band, whose hits include D…
Dance music not dead says Fatboy
DJ Norman Cook - aka Fatboy Slim - has said that dance music is not dead, but has admitted it is currently going through a "fallow patch". The commerc…
Elton plays Paris charity concert
Sir Elton John has performed at a special concert in Paris to raise money for the victims of the Asian tsunami. The British singer played to a 2,700-s…
Elvis 'set for chart hat-trick'
The late US legend Elvis Presley is likely to score his third UK number one single in three weeks on Sunday, according to early sales figures. The kin…
Snow Patrol feted at Irish awards
Snow Patrol were the big winners in Ireland's top music honours, the Meteor Awards, picking up accolades for best Irish band and album on Thursday. Th…
New York rockers top talent poll
New York electro-rock group The Bravery have come top of the BBC News website's Sound of 2005 poll to find the music scene's most promising new act. T…
Rapper 50 Cent scores chart first
Rapper 50 Cent has become the first solo artist to have three singles in the US top five in the same week. His track Candy Shop remained at the top of…
Pete Doherty misses bail deadline
Singer Pete Doherty will have to spend the weekend in jail because he could not come up with £150,000 bond money for his bail on time. The former Libe…
Doves soar to UK album summit
Manchester rock band Doves have entered the UK album chart at number one with their new release, Some Cities. The trio replace flamboyant US act Sciss…
Angels 'favourite funeral song'
Angels by Robbie Williams is the song Britons would most like played at their funeral, a survey has suggested. While the melancholy hit topped the UK …
Fightstar take to the stage
Charlie Simpson took his new band Fightstar to the stage on Friday night, just hours after officially announcing his departure from pop band Busted. H…
Prince crowned 'top music earner'
Prince earned more than any other pop star in 2004, beating artists such Madonna and Elton John in US magazine Rolling Stone's annual list. The singer…
REM concerts blighted by illness
US rock band REM have been forced to cancel concerts after bass player Mike Mills was taken to hospital suffering from "severe flu-like symptoms". The…
Pixies take on Reading and Leeds
Pixies, Foo Fighters and Iron Maiden will headline this summer's Leeds and Reading festivals. The trio of rock heavyweights will top the bill for the …
Black Sabbath top rock album poll
Black Sabbath have topped a list of the best British rock albums of all time. The band once fronted by Ozzy Osbourne led a poll of Kerrang! magazine r…
Eminem beats Elvis to number one
Rapper Eminem has denied Elvis his fourth number one of the year, after his song, Like Toy Soldiers, stormed to the top of the singles charts. The tra…
Queen recruit singer for new tour
The remaining members of rock band Queen are to go on tour next year with former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers taking Freddie Mercury's pla…
Singer Ian Brown 'in gig arrest'
Former Stone Roses singer Ian Brown was arrested after a fight during a concert in San Francisco on Tuesday, his spokesman has said. A fan jumped on s…
Rapper 50 Cent ends protege feud
Rapper 50 Cent has ended his public feud with his protege The Game as the pair said they wanted to be good role models for their communities. The row …
Wal-Mart is sued over rude lyrics
The parents of a 13-year-old girl are suing US supermarket giant Wal-Mart over a CD by rock group Evanescence that contains swear words. The lawsuit, …
UK 'world's biggest music buyer'
UK consumers are the biggest music buyers in the world, according to new figures released on Tuesday by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). But g…
Alicia Keys to open US Super Bowl
R&B star Alicia Keys is to open February's Super Bowl singing a song only previously performed there by Ray Charles and Vicki Carr. Keys, who will sin…
Top gig award for Scissor Sisters
New York band Scissor Sisters have won a gig of the year award for their performance at this year's V Festival. The award was voted for by listeners o…
Duran Duran show set for US TV
Chart stars Duran Duran are to appear in a VH1 special in the US including interviews and concert footage. The show airs on Tuesday and will feature a…
'My memories of Marley...'
To mark the 60th anniversary of the birth of reggae star Bob Marley, Rob Partridge - Marley's former head of press at Island Records - remembers the m…
George Michael to perform for BBC
George Michael is to perform live at London's Abbey Road studios as part of a BBC Radio 2 special next month. The session, which will broadcast on 18 …
Sir Paul rocks Super Bowl crowds
Sir Paul McCartney wowed fans with a live mini-concert at American football's Super Bowl - and avoided any Janet Jackson-style controversies. The 62-y…
Charity single for quake relief
Singers including Sir Cliff Richard and Boy George are recording a charity single to help raise funds for victims of the Asian tsunami. They hope the …
Rapper Snoop Dogg sued for 'rape'
US rapper Snoop Dogg has been sued for $25m (£13m) by a make-up artist who claimed he and his entourage drugged and raped her two years ago. The woman…
Elvis regains top chart position
Elvis Presley has scored his 19th number one single in the UK charts with the re-release of Jailhouse Rock, 27 years after his death. Elvis knocked X …
'Christmas song formula' unveiled
A formula for the ultimate Christmas single has been revealed by chart bible British Hit Singles and Albums. The recipe includes a reference to Father…
Roxy Music on Isle of Wight bill
Roxy Music will appear at June's Isle of Wight music festival, along with Morrissey, Supergrass and Idlewild. REM have already been confirmed as headl…
Eurovision 'greats' to do battle
Stars of the Eurovision Song Contest from the show's 50-year history are to compete against each other to celebrate the contest's anniversary. Viewers…
Portishead back after eight years
Cult British group Portishead have revealed they are writing their third album, their first in eight years. Founding member Geoff Barrow told BBC 6 Mu…
Help for indies in download sales
A campaign has been launched to help independent labels get their music online and benefit from the growing trend for downloading music. The British P…
iTunes now selling Band Aid song
Ipod owners can now download the Band Aid single from iTunes after Apple reached agreement with the charity. Apple had been unwilling to raise the cos…
Muslim group attacks TV drama 24
A British Muslim group has criticised the new series of US drama 24, which is about to be aired on Sky One, claiming it portrays Islam unfairly. The M…
Elvis fans hold birthday bash
Elvis fans around the world have been marking the legendary singer's 70th birthday on Saturday. A three-day Elvis convention took place in Blackpool, …
Rocker Doherty in on-stage fight
Rock singer Pete Doherty has been involved in a fight with his band's guitarist at their biggest gig to date. Babyshambles played for 5,000 fans at Lo…
John Peel replacement show begins
The permanent replacement for late DJ John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show goes on air on Tuesday, with three hosts chosen to fill the legendary presenter's s…
£1.8m indecency fine for Viacom
Media giant Viacom has paid out $3.5m (£1.8m) to end investigations into indecency in its US radio and TV shows. The settlement to the Federal Communi…
New York rockers top talent poll
New York electro-rock group The Bravery have come top of the BBC News website's Sound of 2005 poll to find the music scene's most promising new act. T…
Jungle TV show ratings drop by 4m
The finale of ITV1's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here drew an average of 10.9m viewers - about four million fewer than the previous series. The f…
Police praise 'courageous' Ozzy
Rock star Ozzy Osbourne has been praised by police for "very courageously" tackling a burglar who stole jewellery from his house. The singer grabbed a…
Media seek Jackson 'juror' notes
Reporters covering singer Michael Jackson's trial in California have asked to see questionnaires completed by potential jurors. Lawyers for news organ…
Celebrities get to stay in jungle
All four contestants still remain in I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here as no evictions were made on the television show on Saturday. Contestants …
Top of the Pops leaves BBC One
The BBC's flagship pop music programme Top of the Pops is to move from BBC One on Fridays to Sundays on BBC Two. The new programme will combine with a…
Oasis star fined for German brawl
Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has been fined 50,000 euros (£35,000) after a fight in a German hotel two years ago. Gallagher was arrested along with dru…
Band Aid retains number one spot
The charity single by Band Aid 20 has held on the chart top spot for a second week, strengthening its chances of becoming the Christmas number one. Do…
Campaigners attack MTV 'sleaze'
MTV has been criticised for "incessant sleaze" by television indecency campaigners in the US. The Parents Television Council (PTC), which monitors vio…
Beatles suits sell for $110,000
Four suits worn by the Beatles on their Please Please Me album cover have sold for $110,00 (£59,000) at a US auction. But some of Elvis Presley's earl…
Singer Ferguson 'facing eviction'
Three Degrees star Sheila Ferguson is the favourite to be evicted from ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here on Monday. Bookmakers Ladbrokes say…
U2 stars enter rock Hall of Fame
Singer Bruce Springsteen has inducted Irish rock band U2 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in New York. The lavish ceremony, celebrating the 50th a…
New Harry Potter tops book chart
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has topped Amazon's book chart less than 24 hours after its release date - 16 July - was announced. Thousands o…
Hendrix guitar fetches £100,000
A much-loved guitar belonging to Jimi Hendrix has been sold for £100,000 at an auction in London. The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was one of a number of …
Abba reunite for musical premiere
The original stars of Swedish pop quartet Abba have reunited for the home premiere of hit musical Mamma Mia! which is based on the band's songs. It is…
Streets have 'album of the year'
The Streets, aka British rapper and songwriter, Mike Skinner have topped a poll to find the year's best album. A Grand Don't Come for Free beat Keane'…