Massive Attack castigate music industry over climate inaction: ‘We don’t need to talk. We need to act’

As the group prepare for Act 1.5, a Bristol festival aiming to have the lowest emissions of any big music event, Robert Del Naja says decarbonised touring is possible

Taylor Swift: key takeaways from the European leg of her Eras tour

A look at the Swiftonomics, a plot foiled, and Swift’s response to a tragedy, as singer prepares to head to Canada

Britons splash out on get-togethers as events industry toasts summer boom

Venues and companies report rise in bookings, from family bashes and weddings to date nights, book clubs and Dungeons & Dragons

Has pop music got less melodic? I’ve immersed myself in 70 years of hits – this is what I’ve found

A new study claims that songs have become less complex. But the magic of these short, sharp tunes can’t be so easily distilled, says author Tom Breihan

Darcus Howe’s son Darcus Beese and his activist mother, Barbara: ‘He was imbued with the spirit of the struggle’

He was the first black boss of a UK record label. She was a British Black Panther and one of the Mangrove Nine. They reflect on the ‘madness’ of his childhood, and his memoir that records their groundbreaking legacies

‘Looks like £400 a month. That can’t be right!’ Readers on their music spending

Are you keeping an eye on spending thanks to expensive vinyl and concert tickets? Guardian readers explain how they’re keeping fandom alive in a cost of living crisis

Mungo Jerry frontman hopes new anti-piracy tech stops artists losing out

Ray Dorset says band lost £23m in royalties but suggests fingerprinting software could help musicians

I’m a Swiftie, but the staggering size of the Eras tour has left me feeling alienated

From the prices to the endless album rereleases, I feel like a conscript in a campaign for cultural and economic dominance, says journalist Elle Hunt

VIP Taylor Swift ticket holders get obstructed view – are pricey packages worth the cash?

Pricey deals on the Eras tour shows are part of a growing trend – but some acts offer more for less cash

‘Songwriters deserve a bigger piece of the pie’: the music publishing boss on the threat of AI

Shani Gonzales of Warner Chappell says that although people are ‘having fun’ with creating AI songs, ‘what happens when someone tries to sell it?’

Jesus and Mary Chain, Robert Fripp and more sue PRS for Music over concert royalties

Exclusive: Organisation that collects and distributes royalties in UK says it will ‘vigorously defend’ lawsuit which alleges preferential treatment for major songwriters

‘Want to be a real artist? Keep going!’: Cyndi Lauper at 71 on self-doubt, success – and surviving sexual assault

She’s the subject of a new documentary, has just announced her farewell tour, and is about to play Glastonbury. The singer and songwriter discusses Trump, resilience and why she hated being pitted against Madonna

Ed Sheeran named UK’s most played artist of the year for seventh time

Seven out of top 10 most played acts, encompassing radio, broadcast and public places, are British

Simon Cowell launches search for new boyband – by highlighting potential solo career

Music mogul aims to replicate success of previous charges One Direction, but acknowledges ‘high degree of risk’ in venture

Private equity group to improve offer for Beyoncé song fund Hipgnosis

Blackstone to increase bid to level that would value London-listed group at nearly $1.6bn