Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has lost a U.K. court appeal to revive his challenge against PRS For Music’s “black box” royalty distribution on Monday (June 29).

The U.K.’s Court of Appeal has dismissed his appeal in his proposed class action against the nonprofit collection society. Rowntree’s proposed class action on behalf of PRS’ songwriter members is now dismissed.

Rowtree’s proposed suit was initially struck down by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in August 2025 by Lord Justice Miles. That ruling has now been upheld with the court finding that Rowntree had not put together a “counterfactual” method of distribution against which the society’s approach could be measured. Read the full ruling here.

The proposed suit criticized PRS’ so-called “black box” royalty distribution; PRS uses the term “unidentified royalties.” These royalties are sums that PRS collects but cannot match to the correct songwriter or publisher due to data that is missing or inaccurate.

These royalties are distributed on a pro rata distribution to its writer and publisher based on the same proportions as identified royalties. 

Rowntree argued that this favored publishers over songwriters and that the distribution method of a reported £200 million ($264 million) should be amended to ensure fairer payouts to its members.

The Court of Appeal has now ruled that “there is nothing inherently unfair about the pro rata distribution” of unallocated royalties, recognizing that the system operates with incomplete information.

In his original judgment in August 2025, Lord Justice Miles wrote, “the reason why no counterfactual has been advanced, even in general terms, is manifest: it is that the very data failure problem which has given rise to the black box royalties means that there is no plausible basis for suggesting a more accurate (let alone fairer) distribution.” This ruling was upheld by Lord Justice Zacaroli and Lord Justice Nugee.

A PRS for Music spokesperson said: “The Court of Appeal has once again recognised that this claim has no reasonable prospect of success and has upheld the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s earlier decision to strike it out, vindicating our longstanding position that this claim was never in the interests of PRS members.

“This class action was fundamentally flawed, and was a complete misrepresentation of our policies from the outset. It would have resulted in PRS members suing the society they collectively own, despite there being soaring costs attached and no logical basis for doing so.

“We welcome the decision and look forward to continuing to focus on our main priority which has always been, and remains, delivering value for our members and protecting their rights wherever and whenever their music is used.”

Rowntree has not yet commented on the ruling.

In 2025, PRS For Music paid out £1.24 billion ($1.6 billion) to songwriters, composers and publishers and represents the rights of more than 190,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers.

Olivia Rodrigo is getting smaller, on purpose. The singer has teamed up with LEGO for a new series of sets inspired by her most beloved songs, looks and symbols. The LEGO Editions Olivia Rodrigo collection features five sets paying tribute to Rodrigo’s three studio albums — Sour, Guts and her brand new You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love — making the singer the first musician to receive multiple dedicated LEGO sets, including five new minifigures celebrating some of her most iconic performances.

Created in collaboration with the singer, the collection “captures the emotion and energy that has made the 23-year-old singer-songwriter one of the defining artists of her generation – from sold-out stadium tours and festival stages, to heartbreak anthems, handwritten lyrics and love stories hidden between the lines,” according to a release announcing the line.

The sets feature custom detailing inspired by some of the singer’s most iconic onstage moments through the years, as well as nods to her Filipino heritage. Each minifigure will feature her instantly recognizable expressions and favorite looks, with all five characters having dual facial expressions to represent the different sides of Rodrigo’s personality.

 “I’ve always loved hiding little details and meanings in my music and videos, so working with the LEGO team to bring something that fans can actually build and explore together has been so exciting,” Rodrigo said in a statement about the range that features a number of Easter eggs. “There are so many pieces of my world inside these sets – little nods to songs, memories, outfits and moments that mean a lot to me.” 

According to the release announcing the collaboration, Rodrigo played an active role in the design process and helped refine each element during the process, with LEGO senior design manager and product lead Amy Corbett saying that the singer wanted the collection to feel like something “fans could explore over time. Every detail — from the outfits, minifigure expression and smallest symbols — was designed to reflect moments from Olivia’s world and her energy in a way that invites discovery.”

The sets designed for ages 9-14 are described as telling a variety of stories about Rodrigo’s career, from “arena-sized performances and emotional love songs to handwritten lyrics, vintage-inspired visuals and her signature rock-and-roll edge.” They will include the “Olivia Rodrigo Vinyl,” a 360-piece set that tracks her musical journey, inspired by the greatest hits from her trio of albums, with hidden references from across her career.

There will also be a 400-piece Flower Bouquet set that will bloom with symbolic flowers, hidden meanings and surprises inspired by Rodrigo’s songwriting, marking the first time a LEGO partner will get their own personalized LEGO Botanicals set. Centered on a striking purple flower made of electric guitars, that set will include floral nods to Rodrigo’s Filipino heritage.

The 670-piece Concert Moon set will recreate a viral concert scene in which Olivia soars above the crowd on a giant moon, while the 1,085-piece Secret Storage set collects some of the singer’s most recognizable symbols, from a bright red guitar inspired by the instrument she played on her 2025 festival tour, to a bold red megaphone from her Guts tour and a notebook inspired by the handwritten lyrics books featured on the Sour tour.

Fans can also check out the 1,228-piece Dual Guitar set, featuring a split acoustic and electric guitar design celebrating two sides of her artistry, which opens up to reveal hidden stage scenes, backstage details, secret storage compartments and plenty of hidden references for fans to discover.

“Olivia Rodrigo has created a world that fans feel deeply connected to – one filled with emotion, individuality, creativity and discovery,” said Julia Goldin, the LEGO Group’s chief product and marketing officer in a statement. “With this collection, we wanted to celebrate the passion Olivia brings to every lyric, every hidden clue and every album, while giving fans a meaningful way to connect with her. This collaboration is about more than recreating moments – it’s about inspiring fans to build, explore and express themselves through storytelling and creative building.”

The full collection will launch globally on Aug. 1 at LEGO.com, as well at LEGO stores and select global retailers.

Ariana Grande has rescheduled three dates on her Eternal Sunshine Tour, after production issues raised safety concerns ahead of the shows.

The singer shared the update with fans on Instagram Stories on Monday, announcing changes to one Brooklyn show and two Boston dates. Her July 12 concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn has been moved to July 14, while her July 22 and July 24 concerts at TD Garden in Boston will now take place July 23 and July 26, respectively.

“We are so sorry for these unfortunate scheduling changes,” Grande wrote. “This was our best and safest option as these challenges with production have come to our attention.”

She added that the call was made to ensure the show could be presented safely and as planned: “The utmost important thing to us all is safety, first and foremost, and also making sure you all see the show how it is intended to run. Thank you so much for your understanding and I cannot wait to see you.”

All tickets will be honored for the rescheduled dates, with ticket holders expected to receive additional information directly.

The Eternal Sunshine Tour launched earlier this month in Oakland, Calif., marking Grande’s first headlining tour since 2019’s Sweetener World Tour. The run supports her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, released in 2024. That record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving Grande another chart-topping album, and spun off two Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles in “yes, and?” and “we can’t be friends (wait for your love).”

Grande’s setlist has leaned heavily on Eternal Sunshine while reaching back across her catalog, with recent shows folding in songs from Positions, Dangerous Woman, My Everything and thank u, next — a career-spanning return after years away from the road.

For now, the production-related changes affect only the three listed shows, with the tour set to continue across North America before heading overseas later in the run.

New music lands first, regardless: Grande’s eighth studio album, Petal, arrives July 31, led by “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” which recently became her 10th career No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — tying her for the 10th-most chart-toppers in the survey’s history.

Eric Hutchinson is returning to Australia for the first time in 16 years, booking three East Coast theater shows in November for what will be his first-ever headline run in the country.

The tour stops at Brisbane’s Lefty’s Music Hall on Nov. 19, Melbourne’s Northcote Social Club on Nov. 20 and Sydney’s The Lansdowne on Nov. 21.

The American singer-songwriter has an unusual history in the market: he broke there largely through a sync. His single “Rock & Roll” featured on the homegrown drama Packed to the Rafters, helping drive the track to platinum certification in Australia, where it reached No. 1 in 2009. Hutchinson first toured the country supporting Jason Mraz and Kelly Clarkson in 2008 and 2009, but never returned for his own run.

“I honestly have no idea why I never came back to Australia, other than the fact that it’s super far away from New York City, where I live,” he said in a statement, adding that the timing finally aligned after years of fan requests.

The U.S. story ran in parallel. “Rock & Roll” earned Hutchinson his first gold record in the United States, though it never reached the Hot 100. Its parent album, Sounds Like This, first gained traction independently — a Perez Hilton co-sign pushed it to No. 5 on the iTunes Store in September 2007, before debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and earning a wide release through Warner Bros. Records in May 2008. He has since released a string of albums and built a touring-driven following well beyond the radio years.

The run supports Hutchinson’s latest album, the 2026 release Repeating Myself, billed as a return to the piano-driven pop and soul of that breakthrough. Australian sets are expected to mix the new material with catalog cuts including “Rock & Roll,” “OK, It’s Alright With Me” and “A Little More.”

Marshall Hamburger, who won the tenth season of Australian Idol in 2025, will open for Hutchinson on tour.

Eric Hutchinson Australian Tour

Presented by Teamwrk Touring & MRG Live

Thursday, Nov. 19 — Lefty’s Music Hall, Brisbane
Friday, Nov. 20 — Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
Saturday, Nov. 21 — The Lansdowne, Sydney

An archive of early Coldplay recordings — studio tapes, alternate mixes and demos from the formative sessions that predated and helped shape the band’s debut album, Parachutes — is heading to auction this week through Wax Poetics, offering a rare look at the band before it broke worldwide.

The bulk of the collection comes from British producer, mixer and engineer Chris Allison and centers on Coldplay’s “Blue Room” sessions at London’s Orinoco Studios, recorded shortly after the band signed to Parlophone.

The auction house describes the material as a window into the period that laid the groundwork for Parachutes — including “High Speed,” which would become the only track on the album not produced by Ken Nelson; Allison produced it alone. The song first surfaced on the Blue Room EP, Coldplay’s first release for Parlophone, in October 1999, before being re-recorded for the album.

The lots also include original DAT mixes, unreleased alternate versions, a previously unheard take of “We Never Change,” and a nine-track cassette holding some of the band’s earliest known recordings — two of those songs never released in any form.

Among the more unusual items, the auction house says the archive contains an acoustic demo that Chris Martin recorded as a pitch for the title song of the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. The assignment ultimately went to Garbage, whose “The World Is Not Enough” became the official theme; per Wax Poetics, Martin’s version has never been released or documented.

“This is a window into the writing, recording, production and promotion of some uniquely celebrated music artists – pieces of music history that deserve to be in the hands of fans, not gathering dust in a storage unit,” Allison said in a statement.

The tapes document Coldplay at its absolute starting line. Parachutes was released in July 2000, peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified double platinum in the U.S., later winning the Grammy for best alternative music album. From there, the band became one of the defining stadium acts of the century, stacking up Billboard 200 No. 1 albums and one of the highest-grossing touring runs in history.

The wider Alt/Indie, Rock & Pop collection also features material tied to the Beta Band, the Wedding Present and Red Hot Chili Peppers, with bidding open through July 19. A percentage of proceeds is earmarked for Restore the Music, a charity funding instruments and equipment in under-resourced state schools.