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Is paying artists enough to convince them to embrace AI?
Pippa, a text-to-video AI startup, is trying to win over artists who have long accused generative AI companies of training models on their work without permission or payment. Rather than scraping art without consent, Pippa pays artists directly whenever a subscriber generates an image or video clip in a style derived from that artist’s work,…
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BLACKIE LAWLESS Asks W.A.S.P. Fans To ‘Support’ And ‘Honor’ CHRIS HOLMES In Guitarist’s Battle With Prostate Cancer
W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless has publicly called on the band’s fans to rally behind former guitarist Chris Holmes, who is undergoing chemotherapy in France for prostate cancer. Lawless described the “W.A.S.P. family” as “devastated” and urged supporters to offer financial help or words of encouragement, marking a notable reconciliation gesture given past tensions between the…
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Parsifal review – blood, lust and goth energy fuel Wagner’s Grail quest
A revival of Jay Scheib’s 2023 production of Wagner’s Parsifal opened at the Bayreuth festival, taking a bold, symbolism-heavy approach with big-screen film projections and gothic, blood-soaked imagery. Despite Parsifal’s uniquely sacred status at Bayreuth, where Wagner’s family long restricted performances elsewhere, the production drew only mild booing alongside enthusiastic applause for the cast, suggesting…
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3 Songs From the 80s That Sound Like Cold War Anti-Anthems (If You Listen Closely)
This is a listicle rather than a news report, highlighting three well-known songs from the 1980s that subtly reference the Cold War-era fear of nuclear conflict between the United States and Soviet Union. The piece argues that while these tracks became mainstream pop hits, closer inspection of their lyrics and origins reveals commentary on the…
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Every Baby Boomer Alive Remembers These 4 Classic Rock Jams From 1959
American Songwriter has published a light retrospective feature highlighting four songs from 1959 that it says remain memorable for baby boomers. The article frames that year as a pivotal moment when 1950s rock and roll was beginning to evolve into what became known as classic rock, ahead of the more dramatic musical shifts of the…
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Ed’s Sheeran-ville Mark II takes shape: Star’s converted former piggery into ‘countryside Abbey Road’ recording studios with man cave, bar, gym, pool table and bowling alley… now he wants to transform the outbuildings
Ed Sheeran is pressing ahead with the transformation of his £1.1million Suffolk farm complex, having secured planning permission to redevelop a cattle shed, pig pens and a milking parlour into new state-of-the-art facilities. The singer bought the 17th-century farmhouse two years ago and has already converted the main barns into a recording studio and rehearsal…
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‘I loved the Police from the get-go’: Elaine Paige’s honest playlist
In an “Honest Playlist” feature for the Guardian, singer and actor Elaine Paige shares the songs that have shaped her life and career, timed to the release of her new album, Miscellaneous Paige. She reflects on formative musical moments from childhood to the present, including her enduring love of the Police despite a career built…
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3 Ballads From the 1990s That Make Us Wish We Had a Time Machine
This is a lighthearted list feature from American Songwriter highlighting three power ballads from the 1990s that the writer argues surpass modern pop music in emotional intensity and vocal ability. The piece is nostalgic in tone, framing the decade’s biggest hits as a lost art form of unabashedly dramatic songwriting that today’s more restrained pop…
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The one band Ozzy Osbourne always wanted to join: “We were discussing it”
An article looks back at Ozzy Osbourne’s admission that he had long regretted never forming a musical partnership with Eddie and Alex Van Halen, revealing that the idea was seriously discussed but never came to fruition. The piece explores how Osbourne, despite leaving Black Sabbath under difficult circumstances, remained drawn to Van Halen’s blues-rooted sound,…
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Raye tops the bill at Brighton Pride: Here’s the full setlist
British singer-songwriter Raye headlined Brighton Pride on 1 August 2026, delivering a 16-song, 90-minute set backed by a full orchestra and backing singers. It marked her third appearance at the festival, having first performed there in 2018 and returned in 2022 as a support act for Christina Aguilera, making this year’s top-of-the-bill slot a significant…