SoundCloud becomes first streaming service to introduce fan-powered royalties

Lawrence Chaney has been named the Drag Race UK 2021 winner. After a final lipsync which saw the queens perform to Elton John's I'm Still Standing, RuPaul announced that she had scooped the title.The 24-year-old couldn't believe that she had been crowned the winner.

Drake has set a new record on the US singles chart, becoming the first artist to have three songs debut in the Top 3.

Riz Ahmed has made Oscars history as the first Muslim and first person of Pakistani descent to be recognised in the Best Actor category for his role in Sound of Metal. Ahmed, who hails from Wembley, told Deadline: "If there's a way in which people can find themselves in this moment, and can feel inspired and connected on a deeper level, I'm all for it.

Drake has just broken yet another record thanks to his latest EP.

Drake has become the first artist ever to have three songs debut in the Top 3 positions on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.Taken from his recent ‘Scary Hours 2’ EP, the Canadian rapper’s new single ‘What’s Next’ has gone straight in at Number One on Billboard.Not only that, the project’s two other tracks, ‘Wants And Needs’ featuring Lil Baby and ‘Lemon Pepper Freestyle’ with Rick Ross, have entered at Number Two and Number Three respectively, making him the first artist in history to achieve the feat,

Riz Ahmed has become the first Muslim to be nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Oscars.He was nominated for his role as Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who grapples with his immediate and intermittent hearing loss in the movie Sound Of Metal.His girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) takes him to a rural community led by Joe (Paul Raci), a deaf Vietnam War vet who teaches Ruben a new way of life.The film, which is out in on  Amazon Prime Video in the UK on April 12, is deliberately subtitled

Riz Ahmed, Amanda Seyfried, Lakeith Stanfield and more who are all up for one of the four acting categories. Following the announcement of the full list of nominees on Monday morning, the newly anointed stars took to social media to share their excitement and react to the news. “Wow! I'm honoured to be nominated by my fellow actors alongside such inspiring performances, and am grateful to the Academy for their support and encouragement.

The Oscars 2021 nominees announcement was historic in more ways than one. While diversity was at play, several artists like Viola Davis, Chloe Zhao, Riz Ahmed, Steven Yeun and Emerald Fennel made history with their nominations.

Riz Ahmed has become the first Muslim nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards for Sound of Metal, not long after Mahershala Ali made his own history with two Best Supporting Actor wins in 2017 and 2019. And for the UK-born star, reflecting on his nomination this morning, it’s a humbling experience.

Megan Thee Stallion won best new artist at the 2021 Grammy Awards, beating out fellow nominees Ingrid Andress, Phoebe Bridgers, Chika, Noah Cyrus, D Smoke, Doja Cat and Kaytranada. The Houston rapper becomes the first female rapper to win best new artist since Lauryn Hill in 1999.

Chris Willman Music WriterTaylor Swift became the first woman to win the award for album of the year three times when “Folklore” triumphed in that marquee category at the Grammy Awards Sunday night.She previously won the prize for her sophomore album, “Fearless,” in 2010, and scored again in 2016 for her fifth album, “1989.”The only previous triple winners in the category to win as artists are Frank SInatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder.Noting how the album was made entirely quarantine, without

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” has been smashing records practically since it was first released late in November of 2019 — and on Monday it broke what might be the most momentous one of all: It became the first song to spend a full year in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.That dwarfs the previous record, for Post Malone’s “Circles,” which hung in for 39 weeks (it’s a bit of an inter-family record, since Post happens to be the Weeknd’s labelmate on Republic

Breaking and making records is in BTS' DNA and with 2020 being as monumental as it was for the South Korean septet, it comes as no surprise that RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook were announced as the winners of 2020’s IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award.

SoundCloud announced its new royalty distribution system on Wednesday, an approach that will see independent artists receive revenue directly from their fans as opposed to the current system that "pools" their total listens.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn what may be the first move of its kind in the music-streaming world, SoundCloud has introduced what it describes as “fan-powered royalties, a more equitable and transparent way for emerging and independent artists to earn money on SoundCloud.” In other words, each listener’s subscription or advertising revenue is distributed among the artists that they listen to, rather than their plays being piled into a collective pool.“Many in the industry have wanted this for

Chloe Zhao has made history at the Golden Globes by becoming the first Asian woman to be named best director. The US-based 38-year-old, who was born in China, is also only the second woman to win the award.