The track from West’s latest project, ‘Carnival’ seems to feature a brief guitar riff from the Black Sabbath track: ‘Iron Man’. Although the original version of ‘Carnival’ was intended to use Black Sabbath’s iconic ‘Iron Man’ riff, the live show switched this sample to one from West’s own discography. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’s ‘Hell of a Life’ was used in place of ‘Iron Man’. However, ‘Hell of a Life’ is itself an interpolation of Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man’. Speaking on social media Osbourne said: “Kanye West asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of ‘Iron Man’ from the US festival without vocals and was refused because he is an antisemite”.

. @KANYEWEST ASKED PERMISSION TO SAMPLE A SECTION OF A 1983 LIVE PERFORMANCE OF “IRON MAN” FROM THE US FESTIVAL WITHOUT VOCALS & WAS REFUSED PERMISSION BECAUSE HE IS AN ANTISEMITE AND HAS CAUSED UNTOLD HEARTACHE TO MANY. HE WENT AHEAD AND USED THE SAMPLE ANYWAY AT HIS ALBUM…

— Ozzy Osbourne (@OzzyOsbourne) February 9, 2024

Kanye West, as of late, has continually entrenched himself in controversy surrounding his frequent antisemitic outbursts. Speaking last year with far-right conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, West said: “I see good things about Hitler.” Elaborating further, West doubled down by saying: “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler”. Kanye West has spent the last year surrounding himself with far-right personalities like the aforementioned Jones, who has recently lost a court case after he popularised a conspiracy theory that suggested that a 2012 shooting that took place in Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary school was a hoax.

Other associates of West include Nick Fuentes, a far-right ethno-nationalist who is recognised by the Anti-Defamation League as a holocaust denier. As reported by Politico, both West and Fuentes attended a dinner hosted by former Republican president Donald Trump in late 2022. West has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump since 2016. Although not Jewish himself, Ozzy’s wife Sharron Osbourne has gone on record with The Jewish Chronicle to say: “My family, my father’s family, my aunt, my cousins, are all Jewish.” In this light, Ozzy Osbourne’s statement that Kanye West’s antisemitic behaviour “has caused untold heartache to many” appears to have affected him on a personal level.

Although Kanye West posted an apology in Hebrew to his twitter page in late 2023 that read: “I sincerely apologise to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions.”, West continues to portray himself as an antisemite. Last night’s listening party livestream was cut short after the rapper said: “I’m still crazy, bipolar, antisemite, and I’m still the king”.

Despite his stance against West, Osbourne is not without his own political controversies. In a 1982 interview with Night Flight, a now-defunct American variety show, Osbourne stated that he got his ideas for his live performances from “Adolf Hitler”. The singer went on to say that: “Hitler had a charisma in a bad way and I kind of admired him. He was a freak; he was a lunatic, but he had something about him”.

Whether or not Osbourne’s past comments should be taken seriously, it is clear that he is attempting to distance himself from the antisemitism espoused by Kanye West, signing his tweet off by saying: “I want no association with this man [Kanye West].”

TikTok is a short-from video sharing platform that allows content creators to use copyrighted music in their videos. This feature is central to TikTok’s appeal, with viral trends on the platform often featuring copyrighted music. One such trend involved Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ which became one of the most used tracks on the app after its feature in Emerald Fennel’s 2023 film Saltburn. As a result, the 2001 dance track shot up the UK top 100 as well as charting in the US for the first time. In light of TikTok’s reliance on copyrighted music, much of which is owned by UMG, the label has said: “Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music.”

UMG’s open letter states concerns over artist compensation, the use of AI songs, a topic that UMG has been critical of before, and the poor moderation on the platform. Although all these issues are common on TikTok, the timing of UMG’s open letter would suggest that an inadequate licencing deal was the catalyst for UMG’s dissatisfaction with the platform. UMG stated that the social media company’s offer was “worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their [TikTok’s] exponential growth.”

The same day that UMG released their open letter, a representative from TikTok responded, saying: “Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.” TikTok’s response aimed to portray the platform as one that “serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their [UMG’s] talent.” Although it is true that artists often see an increase in attention from exposure on TikTok, this increased traffic is rarely sustained on a long-term basis.

Artists on TikTok are paid per video rather than per view. According to the music promotion company, SoundCampaign, artists with an 100% share of their own royalties receive $0.003 (£0.0024) per video that features their music. Artists receive no payment with regards to views on individual videos that include their work.

UMG has accused TikTok of “selectively removing the music of certain… developing artists, while keeping on the platform… audience-driving global stars.” In response to these poor negotiations, UMG has pulled some of its music from TikTok. Aiming for maximum disruption UMG has, at time of writing, removed both Drake’s and Taylor Swift’s official music from TikTok.

Universal’s actions have already been received poorly by many TikTok creators. TikTok creator Evan Cronin, who spoke to The New York Times today, has had music retroactively removed from his videos, making his content an “essentially a dead post”.

Artists have responded with their own reactions to the UMG dispute, with indie singer Beabadoobee acknowledging the removal of her work from TikTok. In her response, Beabadoobee posted a video that includes a version of her song ‘Talk’ played at two times speed in order to circumvent automated copyright recognition on the platform.

Whether this dispute reaches a resolution or not, it is clear that, for now, many of the world’s largest artists will have their music entirely removed from TikTok. With UMG having no current disputes with other short-form video platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, it remains to be seen whether TikTok creators will end up migrating to other platforms which have working relationships with UMG.

British pop artist Rebecca Taylor, better known as Self Esteem, has commented on misogyny in the in the music industry in light of the WEC’s latest report. Speaking with Jonny Greenwood for BBC radio 4, Taylor outlined how she thought the music industry as a whole is “not a safe environment” for women and people of colour. When questioned about the lack of female representation at major UK festivals, Taylor said that “most women quit” before their career gets to the point where they are successful enough to headline major music events.

“We revere Bowie and the Beatles, but there were so many women who were just as good but they never got the chance” - Rebecca Taylor (2024)

One testimony, outlined by the Women and Equalities Committee was that of X-factor runner-up, Rebecca Ferguson. Speaking to the commission, Ferguson said: “members of my team told me they were ‘threatened ‘or ‘bribed’ to not work with me when I ended what I deemed to be an exploitative and abusive contract.” This only illustrates Taylor’s point that many women and people of colour are placed between a rock and a hard place: either put up with abuse and economic exploitation or leave the music industry altogether.

As a result of an in-depth investigation, the commission has put forward the suggestion that freelance workers should be subject to the same protections against discrimination as employees. The commission specifically mentions section 14 of the 2010 Equalities Act, which prohibits favourable treatment of employees on the basis of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Many in the music industry are self-employed, often signing temporary agreements and deals as freelancers rather than as contracted employees. Although freelancers are, on paper, protected under section 14, the WEC argues that there is no current legislative infrastructure to uphold this protection.

The WEC has also outlined how non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been abused by individuals and companies within the music industry, especially with regards to incidents involving victims of sexual harassment and assault. An NDA is a legally binding contract that ensures that the signee will not speak about certain topics that are outlined within the document. NDAs are often used by companies to make sure that trade secrets or business plans do not become publicly available, however the WEC has found that victims of sexual harassment and violence in the music industry are forced into silence through these legally binding ‘agreements’.

“Women we spoke to described how they were coerced into signing by businesses who threatened to ruin them financially or reputationally if they refused to sign.” ­– WEC Report (2024) P53

Despite hardship, abuse, and discrimination, the WEC’s report could push the industry in a more positive direction. The commission has outlined specific legislative changes that, they say, must be enacted upon to improve the working conditions of women and people of colour in the music industry. It is now up to parliament as to whether these proposed changes are enacted upon.

Speaking hopefully about the report, Rebecca Taylor said: “this report is quite exciting because I didn’t think in my lifetime that we would see any transparency about it [misogyny in the music industry].” Although this report is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, Taylor was quick to point out that “equality is a long way away”.  

All Points East will be taking place across two weekends in August 2024. Announced today, the supporting acts for the festival’s rock-centric Sunday show will include Portland’s, The Decemberists, and Washington’s Sleater Kinney. Off the back of their eleventh studio album, released this year, Sleater Kinney’s female duo will be bringing their soft rock tunes in support of The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie.

In addition to the rock show on Sunday, the festival has already revealed that the event on August 17th will primarily feature rap music, with British rapper Benjamin Coyle-Larner, better known as Loyle Carner, taking the spotlight as the headliner for the Saturday show. Joining Carner on the same day will be legendary hip-hop artist Nas. A familiar name to all hip-hop heads, Nas is best known for his debut album Illmatic.

1994’s Illmatic has proven to be one of the most influential hip-hop projects of the last 30 years, featuring vocals and production from A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-tip and rap pioneer Pete Rock. Since Illmatic, Nas has been at the forefront of hip-hop’s progression, working with some of the music industry’s biggest names including Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, and Amy Winehouse. The 50-year-old artist has a long list of credits across the media landscape, from multiple films and albums to a feature on the PlayStation 2 classic, Tony Hawk’s Underground, Nas has left a significant imprint on hip-hop culture.

All Points East’s second weekend, beginning August 23rd will see American rock band LCD Soundsystem headline the Friday night. Among those playing on Friday 23rd will be British DJ and producer Floating Points and former outsider artist Jai Paul.

After releasing his demo BTSTU on Myspace in 2007, Jai Paul received considerable attention from the UK music press. In 2019, Paul’s first, and only full album was officially released, despite its unofficial leak occurring six years prior. Jai Paul has had an irregular and sparce musical output, having taken several hiatuses in between his releases. Last year’s Coachella festival saw Paul’s first live performance. His set at All Points East is currently Paul’s only booking for 2024, and with his skittish reputation, it is unclear when the next will be.

Although the double weekend event has only announced a select few acts, more artists will be added to the list in due time. Tickets for August 17th, 23rd, and 25th are currently on sale and can be purchased here.

This year is no different from the last, seeing a star-studded selection of rappers from both sides of the Atlantic. Phase one of Wireless’ line up was announced today via the festival’s official Instagram. 2024’s event poster gives considerable weight to female rappers, both new and old. After exploding in popularity in 2022 after her single ‘Munch’, Bronx rapper, Ice Spice will be playing on the festival’s opening night alongside Trinidadian mega-star Nicki Minaj.

Known for her risqué lyrics, Up-and-coming Missourian rapper Sexyy Red will also be performing at Wireless. Finding her audience after Cardi B’s and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP created an industry niche for tongue-in-cheek, sexually charged, female-led, rap music, Sexxy Red capitalised on this sub-genre, finding success with her 2023 single ‘Pound Town’.

Saturday the 14th of July will see LA rapper and singer Doja Cat headline the night. After her breakout YouTube single ‘Mooo!’, which currently has 129m views, Doja Cat has continued to make a name for herself through a steady stream of popular releases and her outlandish costume designs. Off the back of her fourth studio album, Scarlet, released in November of last year, Doja Cat has secured herself a top spot at London’s biggest music festival.

Wireless’ Saturday will be host to British-born Atlanta rapper 21 Savage. 21 Savage became widely known after his 2016 feature on XXL Magazine’s freshman cypher alongside, then upcoming rappers, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black, and Denzel Curry. Since his 2016 breakout, 21 Savage has gone on to release three studio albums, as well as three collaborative albums with Offset, Metro Boomin, and Drake. Fellow Atlanta rapper, Future will also be performing on the event’s Friday show. Known for his pioneering contributions to the American trap scene, Future remains one of the biggest names in the genre.

Although the setlist features only a couple of UK artists so far, with Digga D and J Hus joining the line up, Festival Republic is yet to announce the full line up, the second phase of which will be released next week. Early bird tickets for the festival will go live on January 31st at 10am. For those with either a Three Mobile or Barclay Card rewards scheme, a special pre-sale is currently available until an hour before the general ticket sale date.

Morrissey was due to play two shows on January 26th and 27th in California, both of which have been cancelled. As well as his North American gigs, Morrissey’s South American tour which would run from the 3rd to the 24th in February has also been cancelled. The tour was intended to span South America, stopping at Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. The singer is to remain in Switzerland under medical supervision until he recovers.

Californian post-punk band, She Wants Revenge, was booked to support Morrissey on the Californian leg of his American tour. The band has since expressed their sadness at Morrissey’s poor health and subsequent cancellation. Taking to Instagram, the band said: “like many of you, though we are frustrated and deeply disappointed, we are not terribly surprised… We all knew this was a possibility, we just hoped it would play out different this time”. 

Although these circumstances are outside of Morrissey’s control, the singer does have a history of last-minute cancellations. In July 2023, Morrissey cancelled the Nottingham leg of his UK and Ireland tour on the day of the performance. This tour was itself announced after he pulled out of a London show scheduled for the same day in July. Later in 2023, Morrissey was scheduled to play in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok as part of his 40 years of Morrissey tour. These events were also cancelled just days before they were supposed to go ahead. Morrissey’s 40 years of Morrissey tour has faced a slew of abrupt cancellations across the globe.

This latest wave of cancellations only continues Morrissey’s unreliable reputation, leaving the singer’s live career in stasis. In light of Morrissey’s claim that “cancel culture begins at home”, it seems appropriate that the singer has now cancelled himself abroad.

Ten years and four Grammys later, Isbell released Weathervanes with his band 400 Unit. 2023’s Weathervanes marked the sixth studio collaboration between Isbell and 400 unit, seeing features from some of folk’s and country’s biggest names, including Grammy winning singer-songwriter Amanda Shires, Mickey Raphael of Willie Nelson’s Family band, string musician Morgan O’Shaughnessey, and producers Sylivia Massy and Ian Rickard.

2023 also brought Isbell to the silver screen, with the singer playing Bill Smith in Martin Scorsese’s western thriller Killers of the Flower Moon. Having previously worked with Killers of the Flower Moon’s lead actress Lily Gladstone on the television drama, Billions, Isbell continues to prove himself as a promising artist on both stage and film.

Off the back of their latest release, Isbell and 400 Unit will be touring the United States and Europe throughout 2024. Having already played two intimate live shows in London this month, Isbell and Co. will be returning to the US, playing across 26 states from February to August. Starting in November, Jason Isbell and 400 Unit will be travelling back across the Atlantic, playing shows in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. Beginning at Brighton’s Dome, the group will be in the UK from November 18th to 25th, tickets to which will be on general sale January 31st and can be purchased here.

The full UK setlist can be found below.

November 2024

18/11/2024 – The Dome – Brighton

19/11/2024 – O2 Apollo – Manchester

20/11/2024 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh

22/11/2024 – Bristol Beacon – Bristol

23/11/2024 – The Civic at The Halls – Wolverhampton

24/11/2024 – Stockton Globe – Stockton-On-Tees

25/11/2024 – Eventim Apollo – London

Since 2011, Pool has taken a significant shift right, choosing to focus his work on American culture-war issues like LGBTQ rights. Tim Pool hosts a daily podcast on YouTube and is well known online for his inflammatory and discriminatory comments surrounding the LGBTQ community. One of Pool’s largest talking points surrounds a conspiracy theory that suggests that LGBTQ community deliberately recruits children into their movement for political purposes. This conspiracy also implies that there is a sexual element to this recruitment process. In the wake of a 2022 shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQ club in Colorado, Pool attempted to justify the attack by saying “Club Q had a grooming event”.

We shouldnt tolerate pedophiles grooming kids

Club Q had a grooming event

How do prevent the violence and stop the grooming? https://t.co/loVoG3A3ot

— Tim Pool (@Timcast) November 22, 2022

As reported by Loudwire, the post shared by Christianson was a quote tweet by Pool regarding an interview with mixed martial arts fighter, Sean Strickland. When asked whether he would accept having a gay son, Strickland returned the question to his interviewer who said that he would have “no problem with it”. In response to his interviewer, Strickland said: “You’re a weak f*****g man”. The fighter then went on to say that: “ten years ago, to be trans was a mental f****n’ illness and now all of a sudden, people like you have f****n’ weaselled your way into the world… you [Strickland’s interviewer] are an infection”. On January 17th, Tim Pool replied to Strickland’s interview, saying “F*****g A+ guy right here”. Evoking far-right sentiments of social disease with regards to LGBTQ people, both Pool’s and Strickland’s comments are intensely derogatory.

HOLY FUCK Fucking A+ guy right here Thanks bud light for bringing us this message on the infection that is the woke left https://t.co/G17Drog39b — Tim Pool (@Timcast) January 17, 2024

This thread was reposted by Architects’ Adam Christianson for a brief period, before being promptly removed. On January 19th, Christianson apologised for his actions, saying: “that retweet was a total accident!”. However, some online are sceptical of Christianson’s backpedalling, citing his history of reposting and liking tweets that share similar sentiments to those of Pool. Christianson has previously liked and retweeted content from other commentators like Zuby Music who has previously evoked conspiracies reminiscent of those pedalled by the likes of Tim Pool.

Shit! That retweet was a total accident!! I don’t endorse anything that guy says other than fuck Trudeau. Sorry for the panic everyone! Complete all-thumbs moment.

— Adam Christianson (@adamarchitects) January 19, 2024

Speaking at a gig in Paris yesterday the band’s frontman, Sam Carter, said: “nobody on this stage judges anybody for their gender, their race, and whoever they are in love with. We never have, we never will”. Although the video does not explicitly mention Christianson’s online activity, many online have drawn a connection between the two events.

Sam Carter has spoken on stage about Architects views in lieu of a recent post shared by guitarist Adam Christianson. “No one on this stage judges anyone for their gender…” @therottendoll_pic.twitter.com/5B1xcD7P1Z — State of the Scene (@SOTSPodcast) January 24, 2024

After announcing a US tour, starting in May of this year, Architects are currently on their European tour that will run until February.

In 2019, Tramlines was acquired by festival promotion giant Superstruct Entertainment. Superstruct, after an acquisition spree that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now the world’s second largest festival promoter. According to IQ magazine, the company currently owns 85 festivals across Europe and Australia, including the UK’s Boardmasters, Bluedot, and Truck festivals. Under the control of Superstruct Entertainment, Tramlines festival has been consistently securing big names in the UK’s alt scene. Announced today, Tramlines’ line up for 2024 continues this trend.

Headliners include Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini, English singer Jamie T, and Dundee alt-rock band, Snow Patrol, who will be playing on Friday 26th, Saturday 27th, and Sunday the 28th of July respectively. This is not the first time that the two Scottish acts have performed at the same event as both played at Hyde Park’s BT London Live, an event that promoted the opening of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Brighton indie rock band The Magic Gang, who have recently announced their decision to part ways, are on the festival’s bill. For those unable to attend the band’s farewell UK tour in May, Tramlines festival will be one of the last places that the group will be performing.

As well as acts at the end of their lifespan, acts who have recently found a new lease on life will be attending Hillsborough Park. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who has recently shot back up into stardom with the resurgence of her 2001 hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, will be playing in Hillsborough Park on Friday the 26th. As well as newfound fame, Tramlines will likely be hosting some newly released music. Off the back of their soon-to-be-released EP, Fantasies, London’s Bombay Bicycle Club will be performing at Tramlines. Since Fantasies is set to release on the 23rd of February, there is a chance that those at the festival will be some of the first to hear a live rendition of the upcoming EP.

With 25,000 people already signed up to the festival’s pre-sale list, tickets are sure to sell out fast. Presale tickets for Tramlines go live tomorrow at 12pm, so if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here. Weekend tickets will be available for £130, and day tickets will cost £45. Although it is likely that there will be some tickets available after the pre-sale, prices before and after the pre-sale period may be subject to change. Additionally, Tramlines does not offer on-site camping, meaning that accommodation for those from outside Sheffield will have to be organised separately.

If successful with their filing, Festival Republic would host a new three-day event in Luton’s Stockwood Park. The proposed dates for the new event would fall on the spring bank holiday, Saturday, May 25th to Monday, May 27th. As well as performances, Benn’s application has been reported to propose “a funfair and sponsor activations”. Mirroring the format of the company’s other festivals, the proposed event will likely include the all the bells and whistles associated with their mainline stage shows.

Although Luton Council has already discussed this application, their decision has not yet been made public. For many, festivals can be seen as great economic boost to an area, especially if the event does not provide camping facilities. Large numbers of festivalgoers need accommodation and food which can be provided by local businesses after the day’s shows have come to a close. However, this benefit can often come at the cost of residents, as noise levels will be elevated by both the event itself and by its sometimes-rowdy participants. It doesn’t seem likely that the proposed festival will be a camping affair as the documentation filed does not imply nor mention overnight accommodation.

Other factors to be considered in the council’s decision are the effects that a large-scale event, like this one, would have on Luton’s public transport infrastructure. This is especially relevant, as Stockwood Park is only 1.5 miles from the town’s centre. Either way, the final decision from Luton Council will likely be announced within the week.

This year is looking promising for Festival Republic, as Finsbury Park’s Wireless is set to announce its 2024 line up next week, and Reading/Leeds has already teased the first ten acts for this year’s extravaganza. Among those performing at Reading’s and Leeds’ 2024 incarnation, are DJ and producer Fred Again.., Lana Del Rey, and Liam Gallagher.

Update: As of January 22nd, Luton Council said that Melvin Benn’s “application was granted with minor amendments“. Due to residents’ concerns of increased noise, congestion, and anti-social behaviour, Luton Council has arranged for noise to be monitored during the event as well as a noise hotline that would allow locals to complain about disruption in residential areas.