Talk Fuse

    Topic: Art

    Sport and screen adaptations aside, the art world moves at its own pace, and this hub is where that pace is tracked. Coverage ranges across exhibitions, artists, galleries and the wider creative economy, taking in everything from major shows and acquisitions to the market forces and controversies that shape what gets made, shown and collected.

    Art rarely sits apart from the events around it, and stories here often intersect with culture, politics, technology and business, whether that means a work sparking public debate, a new tool reshaping how art is produced, or funding and institutional decisions affecting who gets to create. Following this topic offers a way to keep pace with how creative expression is evolving and being contested.

    For readers with an interest in culture beyond the headlines of the day, this is a place to see how ideas take visual form, how institutions respond to them, and how art continues to reflect and challenge the world it's made in.

    • Anthropic sued over alleged theft of ‘tens of thousands’ of songs

      Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell have filed a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against Anthropic, alleging the AI company unlawfully used “tens of thousands” of copyrighted songs, including tracks by Mariah Carey, Marvin Gaye and Survivor, to train its Claude chatbot. The publishers, who manage rights on behalf of songwriters, describe it as “one of the largest…

    • Southern mayor inflames thousands by saying his town’s flag should NOT be lowered to commemorate Dolly Parton

      Ken Adams, the mayor of Olive Branch, Mississippi, has provoked widespread anger after publicly opposing plans to lower the town’s flags in honour of Dolly Parton following her death. Writing on social media, Adams argued that half-staff flag lowering should be reserved for military heroes, fallen first responders, presidents and events of major national significance,…

    • From watches to passwords on paper, everything that’s old is new again

      This week’s episode of The Register’s Kettle podcast takes a break from AI coverage to explore a nostalgic theme: how older, simpler technology is regaining appeal as modern systems grow more resource-hungry and complex. Host Brandon Vigliarolo is joined by reporters Liam Proven and Richard Speed to discuss Windows XP’s 25th anniversary, Casio’s revival of…

    • Sony schedules State of Play and Japan broadcast for 3 September

      Sony has officially confirmed its next State of Play showcase for 3rd September 2026, with a dedicated State of Play Japan broadcast airing immediately afterwards. The main stream will feature “updates and announcements from PlayStation Studios and our third-party partners” and will close with an extended look at Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, while…

    • Court ruling closes £1bn empty-property rates loophole

      A court of appeal ruling last month has effectively ended “box shifting”, a legal loophole exploited by property owners for almost two decades to avoid paying business rates on empty commercial buildings, a scheme estimated to have cost local authorities in England more than £1bn. The case centred on 2 America Square, an office block…

    • The Ultimate Party Playlist: 3 Classic Songs We All Know by Heart

      Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration”, ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” are highlighted as enduring party anthems that remain fixtures at celebrations decades after their release. The article, published by American Songwriter, frames these tracks less as ordinary hits and more as cultural institutions that reliably fill…

    • Elversberg and ‘miracle village’ prove that Bundesliga fairytales still exist | Andy Brassell

      SV Elversberg, first-time Bundesliga participants from a Saarland town of just 13,000 people, stunned holders Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 on their top-flight debut. The result underlined that German football’s top division can still produce genuine upsets, even amid growing dominance from wealthier clubs such as Bayern Munich, and offered a heart-warming counterpoint to a weekend otherwise…

    • 3 Country Songs That Tried To Outrun the Urban Cowboy Craze in the 80s

      This article highlights three country songs from the 1980s that consciously pushed back against the polished, pop-leaning “urban cowboy” sound popularised by the 1980 film of the same name. As mainstream country embraced softer, more mellow styles inspired by the movie’s dance-hall craze, these tracks instead leaned into traditional country, bluegrass and honky-tonk roots, offering…

    • Guide: These 26+ PS5 and PS Plus Games Are Coming Out This Week (31st-6th September)

      Push Square has published its weekly rundown of new PS5 and PS Plus releases for 31st August to 6th September, highlighting a particularly busy week with two major launches: The Blood of Dawnwalker and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. Other notable titles include Crimson Moon and NBA 2K27, alongside a long tail of smaller indie…

    • Dolly Parton’s Faltering Faith Inspired Her To Write This Hit Single

      Dolly Parton wrote “The Seeker” in 1975 during a period of spiritual doubt, using the song to express a rare moment of religious uncertainty despite her otherwise well-known strong Christian faith. The track, included on her 16th solo album Dolly, resonated widely because it addressed a universal search for meaning rather than religion specifically, broadening…