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Britney Spears in Las VegasBritney Spears' residency is already the best-selling Las Vegas show of the year.

The "Perfume" singer, who kicked off Britney: Piece Of Me at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on December 27 last year, has already outsold Las Vegas residencies by Celine Dion, Elton John, Shania Twain and Rod Stewart. It is also the third highest-selling residency ever, behind Elton John's, which began in 2009, and Celine Dion's show, which started in 2011.

The 32-year-old star has only performed four shows so far, but tickets are on sale for concerts through to September. According to ticket website StubHub, 14 per cent of all tickets sold for Britney's show so far this year were for her February 14 concert, although they have declined to provide exact sales figures.

A number of big names have already been to see Britney live in Las Vegas, including Katy Perry, Adam Lambert and Miley Cyrus, who was seen dancing on the front row during the first 90-minute show in December.

Gallery: Britney’s Las Vegas Show Is a Hit


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Lady Gaga and R. Kelly

Lady Gaga claims she's been "betrayed" by those closest to her.

The "Applause" hitmaker has hit out at "mismanagement" which left her without enough time to shoot a video for 'Do What U Want', her collaboration with R. Kelly from her latest album ARTPOP, and went on to suggest she was being overworked to make more money for other people.

Click to continue reading Lady Gaga “Betrayed” Over “Do What U Want” Video

Gallery: Lady Gaga “Betrayed” Over “Do What U Want” Video


Rick Ross and Redfoo of LMFAO

Rick Ross is suing LMFAO over some of their "Party Rock Anthem" lyrics.

The 37-year-old rapper has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the electropop duo after claiming the pair's use of phrase "everyday I'm shuffling" in the 2010 chart-topper is too similar to the phrase "everyday I'm hustlin,'" which was on his 2006 hit "Hustlin." He alleges LMFAO's lyric is an "obvious attempt to capitalize on the fame and success of 'Hustlin'" and is "performed in a manner to sound like" Ross' own.

Click to continue reading Rick Ross Suing LMFAO Over “Party Rock Anthem” Lyrics

Gallery: Rick Ross Suing LMFAO Over “Party Rock Anthem” Lyrics


Chris WrightRecord producer Chris Wright refused to sign David Bowie, whom he now considers to be "one of the greatest recording artists of all time."

The founder of Chrysalis Records had the 66-year-old star constantly "pleading" with him and visiting his London office in the early 70s in the hopes of getting signed however Chris would pretend to be out when David called. "David Bowie was in our Oxford Street office, in London, all the time, often pleading for money to go and make demos. He'd come in with his wife, Angie, who appeared to wear the trousers. Our receptionist would ring around - but we would all pretend to be out! Thankfully we did agree to take 25% of his publishing rights until 70 years after his death. We missed out on signing one of the greatest recording artists of all time but at least he helped our publishing wing get off to a brilliant start," he recalls.

Click to continue reading Chris Wright Refused to Sign David Bowie

Gallery: Chris Wright Refused to Sign David Bowie


Cliff RichardCliff Richard doesn't think young artists are getting enough support in the music industry.

The 73-year-old singer believes pop stars coming onto the market in their teens and early twenties should be given more help to maintain their success, instead of being dropped by record companies when they fail to achieve a number one: "I don't think the new groups and young singers have the same support system. Today you can have a number one, [but] if your next record's not number one sometimes they won't re-sign. It's because they don't have the same faith in the artists that my producer and manager, Norrie Paramour and Peter Gormley, had."

However, the "Living Doll" hitmaker, who has recently released his 100th album, has praised the emerging new talent and believes even people who don't achieve success from shows such as The X Factor are still going on to achieve global success. "When you think about it, even the losers on The X Factor are good. I mean, they're really good singers these days. When you think of One Direction, five of them, they all lost. None of them won The X Factor and they're the biggest boyband in the world at the moment," he explained.

Gallery: Cliff Richard: Young Pop Stars Need More Support


BeyonceBeyonce's surprise fifth album has become the fastest-selling record in iTunes history.

The self-titled record, which was released without any warning last week, shifting 828,773 copies in just three days. The majority of those sales came from America, where it has racked up 617,213 sales since Friday.

Beyonce's own first-week sales record was also broken, after her 2006 second record B'day sold 541,000 copies in seven days.

The "Love On Top" hitmaker stealth-released the record exclusively on iTunes, shocking fans by unveiling 14 new songs and 17 videos without any promotion.

The 31-year-old said she was inspired by Michael Jackson's Thriller video premiere in 1983, which is why she made such a "visual" record: "I miss that immersive experience. Now people only listen to a few seconds of a song on their iPods and they don't really invest in the whole experience. It's all about the single, and the hype. I felt like, I don't want anybody to get the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it's ready and from me to my fans."

Click to continue reading Beyonce’s Album Smashes iTunes Record

Gallery: Beyonce’s Album Smashes iTunes Record


John Mayer has parted ways with his long-time manager Michael McDonald.

The "Who You Love" singer has split from his manager after the pair worked together for 13 years and it's not yet known why they have decided to end their professional relationship.

"After 13 years, John and I are parting ways. It's been a magnificent journey, which began before his debut album, and along the way has included seven Grammy awards, years of massively successful tours around the world, and over 20 million albums sold. I hold John's talent in the highest regard and wish him nothing but the best," Michael said in a statement.

Michael formed Mick Management in 2001 with Mayer as a founding client. Most recently, he helped the 36-year-old musician return to touring after a he underwent surgery on his vocal cords after suffering a severe tissue inflammation.

Click to continue reading John Mayer Splits from Manager

Gallery: John Mayer Splits from Manager


MadonnaMadonna has won a lawsuit over her track "Vogue."

The "Music" singer's 1990 track was subject of a court case brought by VMG Salsoul, who claim producer Robert "Shep" Pettibone illegally sampled two horn hits from the 1983 track "Love Break" by the Salsoul Orchestra, a track which was, in turn, a remix of their 1976 song "Chicago Bus Stop."

VMG Salsoul claimed new technology enabled them to prove the horns were a sample when they filed the lawsuit earlier this year. Further complicating matters, Robert was the person who remixed "Love Break." The judge eventually decided it didn't matter whether the horns were a sample or not, as he ruled in Madonna's favor, saying the average listener would not notice.

"Having listened to the sound recordings of 'Chicago Bus Stop,' 'Love Break,' and 'Vogue,' the court finds that no reasonable audience would find the sampled portions qualitatively or quantitatively significant in relation to the infringing work, nor would they recognize the appropriation. The Court finds that any sampling of the horn hit was de minimis [sic] or trivial," Californian District Judge Beverly O'Connell said in her ruling.

Click to continue reading Madonna Wins “Vogue” Lawsuit

Gallery: Madonna Wins “Vogue” Lawsuit


Lily AllenLily Allen thinks women are controlled by male executives in the music industry.

The "Hard Out Here" hitmaker thinks the word "b***h" - an insult which rose in the 1920s - is often used to describe a number females who are in the spotlight. "Dolly Parton is a b***h. Adele's a b***h. Angela Merkel [German Chancellor] is a b***h ... Rihanna's an inspiring b***h, my mum, Miley's a b***h, rising. She's my hero. Kate Middleton is NOT a b***h. I've always been called 'mouthy' when, in fact, I'm just talking. In the music industry, women have always been controlled by male execs, told to do the Kate Moss thing. Keep your mouth shut, or people will laugh at you. They've been talking about us like this for years, basically," she told The Observer.

Lily, who is returning to the music industry after a four-year break, insists things have changed since she launched her career in 2005 as there are more female artists: "It's nice, but it's weird. I'm totally out of touch. When I first started, in terms of girls it was just me and Amy [Winehouse]. Now, 'reentering the marketplace,' it's all girls."

Click to continue reading Lily Allen: Music Industry Is Dominated by Male Execs

Gallery: Lily Allen: Music Industry Is Dominated by Male Execs


LordeLorde has signed a $2.5 million publishing deal.

The 17-year-old singer, whose track "Royals" hit number one in both the UK and America, has landed a contract with Songs Music Publishing. "She's going to be a really big songwriter outside of Lorde. She's going to have a lot of big songs out there as Ella [Yellich O'Connor], she's a once-in-a-generation type artist," President Ron Perry told Billboard.

The record company is also said to be keen for the brunette star to collaborate with its other artists, including Diplo and The Weeknd, as well as writing songs for others.

Lorde is the first New Zealand singer to score a number one in the US and her track has been in the top spot for six weeks, while her album Pure Heroine has spent five weeks in the top ten. Lorde is also the youngest female chart-topper in the US in the past 25 years and her hit song is still in the top five in the UK.

Click to continue reading Lorde Signs $2.5 Million Deal

Gallery: Lorde Signs $2.5 Million Deal


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