‘This keeps the dream alive’: the bands sleeping at venues to make touring work
A new UK scheme is encouraging venues to provide accommodation for touring acts. But what if someone hurls a TV through a window?
‘Build it and they will come’: the hopes new life for former lido will revive Weston-super-Mare
Council has voted to lease the Tropicana to entertainment company Live Nation which plans to turn abandoned space into events venue
‘Major labels are trying to scoop up everything’: the chaotic future for indie music companies – and why vinyl isn’t working
As stalwarts Sub Pop and Rough Trade celebrate big anniversaries, insiders speak candidly about the challenges they face. Can streaming ever ensure their survival?
‘It will never cover what’s authentic’: African music industry weighs up AI risks and rewards
Delegates at event in Cape Verde highlight opportunities from tech while stressing AI is no replacement for talent
Indie music has been invaded by fake fans and cynical viral campaigns. Here’s how deep it all goes
Companies such as Chaotic Good are confecting social media buzz to promote Geese, Oklou and other indie darlings. Industry insiders reveal how widespread the practice is – even if no-one is sure it actually works
‘It’ll be in my Guardian obituary’: David Balfe on inspiring Blur’s Country House and tripping on Top of the Pops
He was the burned-out bigwig who moved to a very big house. Now back with his first music for decades, he talks about signing the Proclaimers, being punched by Julian Cope – and his Scott Walker inspired trio
Universal Music, home to Taylor Swift and Drake, receives €55bn takeover offer
Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square claims world’s biggest music company has suffered because of delay of US listing
US senators rebuke Ticketmaster for raising fees after hidden charge crackdown: ‘Bait and switch’
Richard Blumenthal says Ticketmaster acts like it has ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ as records show company upping fees to avoid losses
US man pleads guilty to defrauding music streamers out of millions using AI
Michael Smith, 52, charged after flooding platforms with thousands of AI songs and boosting them with bots
The Taylor Swift effect: US vinyl sales top $1bn for the first time since 1983
Swift leads the 2025 vinyl charts with 1.6m sales of The Life of a Showgirl while Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar round out the top three
Britney Spears sells rights to music catalog for undisclosed sum, say reports
Music publisher Primary Wave said to have bought rights to pop star’s music, including Toxic and Baby One More Time
Reshona Landfair on her life after R Kelly: ‘I had to rebuild my entire self’
She was just 14 when she was groomed by the R&B star, and filmed in an explicit video. She tells the extraordinary story of how she survived
‘Tickets have become status symbols’: from Harry Styles to Taylor Swift, why is live music bigger and more expensive than ever?
Styles is playing a record 12 nights at Wembley Stadium and 30 at Madison Square Garden, as demand for big artists soars – and audience expectation along with it
Beijing condemns Dalai Lama’s Grammy win as ‘anti-China political manipulation’
Buddhist spiritual leader wins best audiobook and says he sees win ‘as a recognition of our shared universal responsibility’
UK hospitality firms demand more help with business rates amid questions over Heathrow discount
Airports identified as biggest winners of government’s £4.3bn support package with Heathrow alone taking £900m discount