The Guardian

Music streaming breaks through $1bn sales barrier

Revenues from streaming and subscriptions rose by 50% in past year as listeners turned to services such as Spotify.

The Independent

Steve Jobs meets Shakespeare in Henry V-inspired opera

The new show, Steve V (King Different), has been dubbed a “multimedia opera” by creators Roland Auzet and Fabrice Melquiot, which is set in Silicon Valley but based on Shakespeare’s play about the harsh king. The multi-media opera uses excerpts of the original text interspersed with modern music.

BBC News

Japan drags down global music market

A sharp decline in music consumption in Japan caused overall global growth to slow down in 2013, according to figures from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The 16.7% slump in Japanese sales caused world figures to slide by 3.9%.

Oxford Mail

Musician’s historic sex crimes trial put on hold

Philip Pickett a wind instrument specialist, is charged with a number of offences including three rapes and eight indecent assaults. The 63-year-old is now due to face trial in January next year after his barrister yesterday pushed to delay the case so the musician could finish touring.

Huffpost Culture

How to Write a Ballet: Part One

Tom Hodge describes the process of creating a ballet.

The Telegraph

‘Did classical musicians deliberately ruin classic rock?’

In his monthly column, Alexander Armstrong imagines instrumentalists in dinner jackets playing out of tune just to nark the hippies.

The Independent