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Glastonbury Festival 2013: Ten things you shouldn't do

Wednesday, June 19 2013, 10:08 BST
By , News Editor
A couple of years ago, we at Digital Spy offered our friendly advice about what to do at Glastonbury.

This time around, we're being a bit stricter. We've used our years of experience as festival veterans to say what you shouldn't do to make sure you - and everyone else - has a good time.

1. DON'T film, Instagram, Facebook and tweet everything you see. Your friends will hate you. So will everyone standing near you. You'll be watching your favourite band on a 5" screen, even though they're right in front of you. The BBC have a billion proper cameras there. You'll kill the battery you'll desperately need to find your lift on Monday morning. Most importantly, no-one at home cares how much fun you're pretending to have. Put the phone down.

Festival-goer at the Virgin Mobile V Festival 2009

© Rex Features / Tom Oldham

#fun #festivals #glastonbury #bestsummerever

Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear

Monday, June 17 2013, 11:39 BST
By , Music Editor and Lewis Corner, Music Reporter
Listen to ten of our favourite new songs below, including Daft Punk, Kanye West, Joe Goddard, Destiny's Child and Bipolar Sunshine.

Kanye West: 'Hold My Liquor' (released June 18)
Among the outrageous claims and inflated ego bursts, Kanye West is one of rap's greatest artists. You only have to listen to Yeezus cut 'Hold My Liquor' - which hears him recover from a period of alcoholism over a sinister electronic bassline - to realise that 'Ye is still human, despite what his album title might suggest.



Bipolar Sunshine: 'Blossom' (out now as free download)
Singer Adio Marchant, aka Bipolar Sunshine, caught the attention of bloggers at the end of last year with the atmospheric 'Fire'. Fast-forward seven months and he's unveiled the third and final track from his new EP 'Blossom', which follows later this year. The song itself is a mix of moody beats, grinding synths and Marchant's ice-cool vocals, which leaves us hoping we see his debut album this side of 2014.



Daft Punk: Evolution of 'Get Lucky' (out now as free download)
We all know that Daft Punk are one of the defining electronic acts of our generation, but as this clever YouTube video proves, they could have easily dominated any era over the past century.



Anne-Marie: 'Summer Girl' (release date N/A)
After signing up to Elton John's management company, Anne-Marie has gone from strength to strength. All the usual pop blogs have lauded her first foray 'Summer Girl', with all signs indicating she's one to keep an eye on over the next year.



Kelly Rowland ft. Beyoncé & Michelle Williams: 'You Changed' (out now)
Ms Kelly has teamed up with her former bandmates Beyoncé and Michelle Williams for the first ever non-Destiny's Child song sung by, erm, the three members of Destiny's Child. Naturally, the track is a silky-smooth R&B number complete with tight harmonies.



Joe Goddard: 'She Burns' (out June 24)
Announcing his new EP 'Taking Over' last week, Joe Goddard described the four-track collection as "an attempt to make synthesisers sound nice". Fortunately, the set's lead track 'She Burns' - a subdued yet pleasingly hypnotic number - does just that.



Disclosure: 'You & Me' (Flume remix)
Sydney-based DJ and producer Flume has put his magic touch to Disclosure's Eliza Doolittle-assisted 'You & Me', swapping its garage-flecked melody for orchestral strings and a speaker-splitting chorus.



James Wolf: 'No Danger' (out July 14)
After starting his career under the curious moniker 'Bitches with Wolves', Dublin-born James Wolf decided to tone down his name for his big chart assault. 'No Danger' is the first electro-swizzling cut to emerge from his recent sessions with Jake Shears and Lana Del Rey collaborator The Nexus, and leaves us eager to hear more.



Lorde: 'Tennis Court' (out now)
16-year-old New Zealander Ella Yelich, aka Lorde, found herself at the centre of the music blogosphere last year, receiving praise from the likes of Grimes and Perez Hilton for her 'Love Club' EP. She's now returned with her eyes set on the UK and US with 'Tennis Court', a song that melds minimal production with earworm pop hooks.



Youngblood Hawke: 'We Come Running' (released July 29)
Although we have been spinning this one for months now - and you FIFA fans out there will definitely recognise this one - the US band are finally pushing it out as a single next month. Euphoric chants, a bursting chorus and plenty of church bell chimes make it perfect for the summer months.



Which are your favourite songs on this week's playlist? Leave your comments in the box below.

Music video round-up: Kylie, AlunaGeorge, Robyn

Sunday, June 16 2013, 09:00 BST
By , Music Reporter
We take a look at the latest videos to grace the music world.

Alicia Keys: 'Tears Always Win'
The singer flits between Vegas showgirl and jazz café pianist in her latest visual.


Sunday chart predictions: Robin Thicke, Leah McFall, Black Sabbath

Friday, June 14 2013, 13:41 BST
By , Music Reporter
Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams & TI 'Blurred Lines' artwork.
On Wednesday's chart update, Robin Thicke was on course to top the list for a third week, while Black Sabbath were heading to the top of the album tally.

Ahead of Sunday's Official Chart, Digital Spy takes a look at Friday's midweeks.

  • Robin Thicke continues to take the lead and has sold a further 136,000 copies of 'Blurred Lines' this week, taking his total UK sales of the track to 527k.

  • Daft Punk - 'Get Lucky' artwork
  • Naughty Boy holds firm at two with 'La La La', Passenger is at three with 'Let Her Go', Daft Punk are at four with 'Get Lucky' and Olly Murs advances to five with 'Dear Darlin'.

  • Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran slip to six with 'Everything Has Changed', Wiley is up to eight with 'Lights On' and The Voice UK's Leah McFall slides to nine with 'I Will Survive'.

  • Elsewhere, Psy's 'Gentleman' is at 16 following its Top 40 re-entry earlier this week and Will Smith's 'Summertime' is at 36.

  • Black Sabbath '13' album artwork.
  • Over on the albums chart, Black Sabbath continue to top the list with their new album 13, retaining a 32% sales lead.

  • Beady Eye stay firm at two with BE, Rod Stewart is at three with Time, Boards of Canada are at four with Tomorrow's Harvest and Disclosure's Settle is at five.

  • Further down, ABBA's Agnetha Faltskog is at seven, while Mark Owen's The Art of Doing Nothing slips to 23.

  • Jason Derulo will release his new single 'The Other Side' next week, while Empire of the Sun will be up against Kanye West's Yeezus over on the albums chart.

    Kanye West's 20 most outrageous quotes on music, fashion, more

    Thursday, June 13 2013, 15:40 BST
    By , Music Editor
    Kanye West performs at  The Hurricane Sandy Relief 12.12.12 Concert held at Madison Square Garden

    © WENN


    During his 17 years in the music industry, Kanye West hasn't shied away from speaking his mind to the press.

    In fact, his latest interview with the New York Times to promote his upcoming album Yeezus is another fascinating insight into the rapper's mind.

    As such, we've trawled though the web to dig out some of West's most memorable and outrageous one-liners, covering everything from music, fashion and that incident with Taylor Swift.

    On his confidence:

    "I just think that when my confidence meets other people's insecurity, that equals 'Kanye's arrogant'." Vibe - April 2004

    "The longer your 'gevity is, the more confidence you build. The idea of Kanye and vanity are like, synonymous. But I've put myself in a lot of places where a vain person wouldn't put themselves in. Like what's vanity about wearing a kilt?" New York Times - June 2013

    "There's nothing more to be said about music. I'm the f**king end-all, be-all of music. I know what I'm doing. I did 808s in three weeks. I got it. It's on cruise control. Man, we talked about music for God knows how long! Now let's talk about how my f**king sweater didn't come back right from Korea. That's what's interesting me." Details - February 2009

    "You can't look at a glass half full or empty if it's overflowing." - Twitter

    "Earlier today I said a lot of things but those cocky-sounding statements just look better in black and white. That's why they always use them. And I always give it to them. That's why my interviews are so valued. That's why I should get paid." Guardian - August 2005

    Kanye West

    © WENN / Andres Otero

    Kanye West

    Kanye West

    © Rex Features / Startraks Photo

    Kanye West



    On his legacy:

    "I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump." New York Times - June 2013

    "Don't ask me what I think the best song of last year was, because my opinion is the same as most of America's. It was 'Gold Digger'." Rolling Stone - February 2006

    "Anyone who doesn't give [The College Dropout] a perfect score is lowering the integrity of the magazine." Guardian - August 2005

    On his public persona:

    "I walk through the hotel, and I walk down the street, and people look at me like I'm insane, like I'm Hitler." Big Chill Festival - August 2011

    "I'm the rap version of Dave Chappelle. I'm not sayin' I'm nearly as talented as Chappelle when it comes to political and social commentary, but like him, I'm laughing to keep from crying." Rolling Stone - April 2004

    "I'm like a vessel, and God has chosen me to be the voice and the connector." The Fader - December 2008

    "I'm forever the 35-year-old 5-year-old. I'm forever the 5-year-old of something." New York Times - June 2013

    Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at the Met Ball

    © Instagram / @kimkardashian

    Kanye West and Kim Kardashian at the Met Ball

    Kanye West in concert in 2011

    © Rex Features / Startraks Photo

    Kanye West in concert in 2011



    On art:

    "I specifically ordered persian rugs with cherub imagery!!! What do I have to do to get a simple persian rug with cherub imagery uuuuugh" - Twitter

    (On fashion choices over the years) "Yeah, kill self. That's all I have to say. Kill self." New York Times - June 2013

    "I love commercial art!!! I know that sounds like an oxy moron and if I spelled that wrong I just sound like a moron lol!!! " - Twitter

    "Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed. I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books." Reuters - March 2009

    On the Taylor Swift VMA's incident:

    "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you... but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time." MTV VMA Awards - September 2009

    "I don't have one regret." New York Times - June 2013

    "She just talked about how, you know, people would come up to her in the grocery store and really just bring it up, and she would defend me at the grocery store. I'm sorry, defend me in an interview, she said at her grocery store, she was actually defending me. It's an amazing, compelling situation. The situation is bigger to me than the Bush moment." Hot 97 - November 2010

    "It's only led me to complete awesomeness at all times. It's only led me to awesome truth and awesomeness." New York Times - June 2013

    What is your favourite Kanye West quote? Leave your comments in the box below:

    iTunes Radio: Will it be any good for music fans?

    Tuesday, June 11 2013, 15:16 BST
    By , Music Editor and Lewis Corner, Music Reporter
    iTunes Radio

    © Apple


    Last night, Apple confirmed the launch of its long-awaited music streaming service iTunes Radio.

    The free internet radio service, which launches in the US in Autumn, will feature over 200 stations of music as well as the capacity to create your own based on your personal music preferences.

    But how useful will it really be? Does it have the capacity to kill off its competitors Spotify, Pandora and Last.fm? We've listed the pros and cons for Apple's new music streaming service below:

    PROS

  • iTunes is already used by 300 million people, compared to Spotify's six million paying subscribers and US-based Pandora's 200 million, giving them a major head start over their already-established competitors.

  • It will be integrated into the iPhone's music app using the Genius service, where it will scan users' libraries and play tracks based on what they already listen to. Not only does it give Apple a lead in data about its user preferences, but it could open users up to music they wouldn't have otherwise heard.

  • iTunes Radio will available to all users on their mobile phone unlike Spotify, where the mobile app is only available to its paying subscribers. This is a crucial difference, as it will allow a potentially huge number of people to listen stream music on the move.


  • Eddy Cue the Apple senior vice president of Internet Software and Services introduces the new iTunes Radio during Apple WWDC 2013

    © PA Images / Eric Risberg/AP

    Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue introduces iTunes Radio.



  • Availability of songs. Since launching the iTunes Music Store in 2003, Apple has a good track record of getting major record labels on side. This - in theory - means that they would have no problem in having all the latest albums available to stream as soon as they are release; an issue that other outlets are still contending with. What's more, Apple are claiming they will have access to music exclusively for iTunes radio.

  • Much like the iPhone's Siri, the more you use it, the more it understands you and tailors itself to your needs. As such, over time it will slowly integrate itself with how the user listens to music.

  • iTunes Radio will be cheaper than its closest rival Spotify, with Apple bosses insisting there will be no limits on how many times a song can be played each month. What's more, those who pay the annual £19 ($29) for its cloud music storage will get a completely ad-free version.


  • CONS

  • Apple announced that iTunes Radio will roll out in the US first this autumn, with other countries to follow shortly after. It will give the company time to secure music streaming rights in other territories, but just how long should we expect to wait? The major labels (Sony, Universal and Warner Music) have signed up in America, but global deals can take their time. We're hoping this isn't going to end up like the time we first got Siri and it failed to recognise any UK businesses.

  • iTunes Radio only allows you stream music through a compiled radio station. This means that if we search for Disclosure because we want to check out their new album Settle, we'd actually have to listen to one Disclosure song and then a load of artists or tracks iTunes thinks is related to them. Obviously the clue is in the title of the service - it's strictly a radio feature based around artists and genres - but when other services allow you to check out the full collection, we're just going to go there instead.

  • Apple explained that you can compile a radio playlist over time by telling iTunes Radio whether the song recommendation was good or not, and by listening to your favourite artists. However, the ability to manually create custom playlists is absent. We'll concede that the core function is to discover music, but there are consumers out there who know what they want to listen to and a trial and error system seems a little long-winded.




  • Too much track skipping is not allowed. A majority of the hands-on reviews of iTunes Radio coming out of Apple's WWDC note that the beta version only allows you to skip songs six times during a station play. After the limit is used, you are forced to listen to the rest of the playlist in full, unless you decide to stream another one. What's more, users are unable to seek through tracks, meaning there's currently a ban on rewinding and fast-forwarding.


  • There are no offline listening capabilities. One of the major attractions of Spotify's premium membership as a music fan is being able to create offline playlists. Most of us use our iOS devices on the go and listening to Daft Punk during the daily commute is an important part of a routine for some. Having a lack of offline support, while their competitors offer the service, is a disappointing omission from Apple. Going forward, it's a subscription model they should be looking into securing.


  • There are better services already out there. While iTunes Radio is novel addition to the digital store's next incarnation, it's not the music streaming service people were billing it as. Companies like Spotify already allow the ability for offline playback and customisable playlists - heck, they even let you skip tracks as many times as you want. Apple is acutely aware of these services and have obviously been working on their own version for years, which makes these simple omissions even more perplexing. Spotify have proven that consumers are willing to pay a monthly subscription to stream the music they love, but just how long do we have to wait for Apple to fully react to this?


  • What do you make of iTunes Radio? Leave your comments in the box below.

    Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear

    Monday, June 10 2013, 11:56 BST
    By , Music Editor and Lewis Corner, Music Reporter
    Listen to ten of our favourite new songs below, including tracks by Eliza Doolittle, J Cole, Selena Gomez and Ciara.

    Eliza Doolittle: 'Big When I Was Little' (out July 28)
    The singer-songwriter returns with the soul-flecked tones that made her a chart success first time out. Swaying beats, funky brass and plenty of 'oohs' make it a summer-friendly ditty.


    Music video round-up: Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus

    Sunday, June 9 2013, 09:00 BST
    By , Music Reporter
    Digital Spy takes a look back at some of the latest videos to grace the music world.

    Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran: 'Everything Has Changed'
    It's going to take something pretty darn special to beat this to win the 'Most Cutest Music Video of the Year' award.



    Vampire Weekend: 'Diane Young'
    Vampire Weekend are known for getting famous faces in their music videos and their latest clip is not different. Santigold, Sky Ferreira and Chromeo are among the stars to sit down for the Last Supper.


    Chart update: Disclosure overtakes Queens of the Stone Age

    Friday, June 7 2013, 14:09 BST
    By , Music Editor
    Disclosure 'Settle' album artwork
    On Wednesday's chart update, Robin Thicke continued to lead the singles chart, while Queens of the Stone Age were on course for their first number one album.

    Ahead of Sunday's Official Chart, we look at Friday's midweeks.

  • On the album tally, Disclosure's Settle is now at number one, pushing Queens of the Stone Age's ...Like Clockwork down to two.

  • Union J artwork for 'Carry You'.
  • Meanwhile, Miles Kane is at six with Don't Forget Who You Are, Olly Murs re-enters the top ten at nine with Right Place Right Time, and Caro Emerald's The Shocking Miss Emerald completes the top ten.

  • On the singles chart, Robin Thicke holds at number one with 'Blurred Lines', while Naughty Boy's 'La La La' is at two.

  • Bruno Mars 'Treasure' artwork
  • Union J fall from three to five with 'Carry You', Fuse ODG is at six with 'Antenna', and Rudimental's 'Waiting All Night' slips eight to ten.

  • Further down the chart, Bruno Mars's 'Treasure' lifts 21 to 17, Afrojack and Chris Brown's 'As Your Friend' is at 20, Kodaline's 'Love Like This' falls from 19 to 21.


  • Next week's single releases are Bridgit Mendler's 'Hurricane' and Wiley's 'Lights On', while new albums come from Kodaline's In A Perfect World, Mark Owen's The Art Of Doing Nothing and KT Tunstall's Invisible Empire/Crescent Moon.

    Who would you like to see at number one in the charts? Leave your comments in the box below: