Music
Festival fiasco
AJ Maddah's Soundwave could leave debts 'in excess of $25 million'
Karl Quinn and Ebony Bowden 11:45pm The Soundwave Music Festival, planned for January but cancelled last week, could leave ticketholders and suppliers massively short.
Former Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland died from 'toxic drug mix'
10:34am Musician died of a toxic mix of drugs, which included cocaine, authorities say.
Anatomy of a Madonna tour
Jenny Valentish 12:00am Spectrum goes backstage at the Madonna Rebel Heart Tour, talking to the people who bring this show to life.
Rock band of the people
Birds of Tokyo on milestones, light metal and headlining at Spectrum Now
BERNARD ZUEL 12:00am Nice guys don't always finish last. Sometimes they last a decade and become one of Australia's most loved bands.
Hall of fame
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: NWA, Chicago, Cheap Trick, Steve Miller and Deep Purple are in
PHILIPPA HAWKER Cheap Trick are in. So are Chicago and N.W.A. Janet Jackson is not. And, for the tenth time, Chic has been snubbed. This is the verdict of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, an institution that singles out bands and individual artists for their "unquestionable musical excellence" without exactly making a rush to judgment.
Spa baths, champagne breakfasts and gourmet food: music festivals go luxe
MICHAEL DWYER The luxury festival market heads back to nature with Secret Valley, the first outdoor music event at Yarra Valley Estate, Dixons Creek, on February 20 and 21.
Soul mates Nina Ferro and Brendan Reilly to light up Bennetts Lane
MICHAEL DWYER Not every singer can hold their own on Aretha Franklin's turf but that's where Nina Ferro and Brendan Reilly bonded, in a show celebrating the soul giant at London's Hideaway Club.
Metacritic.com pushes music's horizons in 2015
MICHAEL DWYER The horizons of new music grew significantly in 2015, judging by the end-of-year number crunch from online reviews monitor metacritic.com.
Why music festivals fail
Soundwave cancellation: Maybe Soundwave was a disaster waiting to happen
BERNARD ZUEL There's a whole lot of reasons why music festivals fail and a whole lot of people who pay the price for it.
Ticket stoush
Soundwave cancellation: Eventopia promises to pay refunds once AJ Maddah returns ticket sales
PETER VINCENT Eventopia, the company which sold Soundwave music festival tickets, has laid the blame for the hold-up over paying refunds after the event was cancelled at the feet of promoter AJ Maddah.
Copyright Ruling
Pandora to pay more to musicians after Copyright Royalty Board decision
Musicians and bands win a modest increase to royalty payments from internet radio streaming services.
Spinning truths: Nine Christmas songs that don't tell lies
PETER VINCENT Did two words ever divide a room of people as much as 'Christmas music'?
Deep blues: Gary Clark Jr breaks the mould
Martin Boulton He's already collaborated with some of the biggest names in rock - the Foo Fighters and Rolling Stones among them - and that's just the start of Gary Clark Jr's story.
Music review: Australian Haydn Ensemble – Haydn's Esterhazy Orchestra
Jennifer Gall These musicians performed with passion and sophistication.
End of year sounds
Music reviews: New albums from Dylan Joel, Toni Swain, Chewee, Adam Simmons and more
New sounds for the soon to be old year from Dylan Joel, Toni Swain, Chewee, Adam Simmons and Nick Tsavios, Oneohtrix Point Never and the Ocean Party.
Taking the slow road
Slow music revolution: why Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings are in no hurry
BERNARD ZUEL For nearly 20 years this influential couple have made music that reflects America's past and present in a timeless style. After 11 years they return to Australia. What's the rush?
A musical mixing pot
Review: Blurring musical lines means the end of genres
John Shand The borders between musical genres are increasingly blurred, as the best musicians take from everywhere to create new sounds.
Electronic, Classical and Rock
Spectrum reviews: Marcus Marr and Chet Faker, Lush and Lisa della Casa
An Anglo-Australian experiment, a Swiss soprano taking on German classicism and the resurrection of some mysterious English.
Top gigs for the week of December 18-24, 2015
Mary Mihelakos Top gigs in Melbourne this coming week.
Albums of the year
Album of the Year 2015: To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
BERNARD ZUEL From all corners, from all comers, from Depreston to Compton and back again: the verdict is in on the best releases of 2015 and which album tops them all.
2015 Song of the Year: Let it Happen by Tame Impala
CRAIG MATHIESON Some of the very best songs in 2015 were a step beyond or a left turn away from the expectations that birthed them.
Skipping Girl Vinegar to play at National Folk Festival for first time
Arne Sjostedt Their music is uplifting, contagious, full of truth and celebration – and they're coming to the National Folk Festival for the first time.
Ticket stoush
Soundwave cancellation: A.J. Maddah, Eventopia each deny responsibility for ticket refunds
PETER VINCENT Punters attempting to get their money back on their ticket for the cancelled Soundwave music festival have been told the ticketing agency, Eventopia, would not pay.
Festival disaster
Soundwave music festival cancelled
PETER VINCENT Australia's biggest rock festival, Soundwave, has disastrously been cancelled.
Jennifer Gall: Top five Canberra concerts for 2015
Jennifer Gall With contributions from many including The NOISE and The Griffyn Ensemble, there was a lot of fine music making in 2015.
Nicki Minaj asked to cancel Angolan trip over human rights abuses
PETER VINCENT Superstar rapper Nicki Minaj has been asked to cancel a performance in Angola over concerns about human rights.
Sui Zhen
From Sui Zhen to Susan: the birth of a social media-inspired musician
ANNABEL ROSS Inspired by the way we curate our identities on social media, musician Sui Zhen has created an alter-ego known as Susan.
Sticky Carpet
Sticky Carpet: Gasometer adopts an open-roof policy for summer
Mary Mihelakos Collingwood's Gasometer Hotel ditches the roof for summer, St Kilda Festival announces first acts, Spiderbait book a second anniversary gig.
Soak
Meet Soak, the skater musician bowling them over
Anthony Carew Briony Monds-Watson has two great loves, music and skateboarding. On a good day, she tells Anthony Carew, she manages to combine them both.
Music review: Messiah by Canberra Choral Society at Llewellyn Hall
Jennifer Gall Handel's oratorio remains as popular to perform as to hear and Canberra Choral Society's performance helped show why.
Sponsored
20 gifts and experience for entertainment lovers
Dazzle hard-to-please loved ones this season with gifts that entertain and inspire - from new movies and must-see shows on screens big and small to live gigs and stage extravaganzas, concerts, art, dance and books.
Brandenburg Orchestra: A possum attack, a slice of pizza and the maestro
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra's guest director Riccardo Minasi is no stranger to the odd dangerous encounter when in Australia.
Columns
Sticky Carpet
Your weekly wrap of music news.
The Crate
Chris Johnston digs into his music collection for a record a week.
Photos
AC/DC
Even in their 42nd year, there remains no more powerful, iconic and entertaining live force in rock music than AC/DC. Photos by Edwina Pickles. Follow us at http://twitter.com/photosSMH
KISS Army celebrate 40th anniversary tour kick-off in Perth
The legendary glam rock band kicked off their Australian tour at the Perth Arena on Saturday night.
Ringo Starr shares his Beatles photos
Who better to take pictures of The Beatles than a member of the band? You get great access and the inside story. Ringo Starr delivers just that in his new book Photograph, which also includes images from the very early days of The Beatles. Head to https://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/books/photograph/.
Splendour In The Grass
Splendour In The Grass is upon us yet again, with revellers from across Australia and abroad descending on Byron Bay to join the festivities over the weekend. The iconic arts and music festival kicked off on Friday at North Byron Parklands in northern New South Wales and is expected to host more than 30,000 people over the three-day event.
Rolling Stones Exhibitionism
A selection of images from the upcoming Rolling Stones 'Exhibitionism' event at Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London.
