As well as finding out how to unearth exclusive music stories, and write under pressure, you will develop interview and feature ideas which you will pitch to editors at our partner publications: Clash, Dummy, Resident Advisor and DJ Mag. Fun and interactive exercises will help you learn interview techniques, review and feature writing, and how to pitch your work.

DOWNLOAD SINGLE SALES PASS ONE BILLION IN THE UK
Over a billion download singles have now been sold in the UK, since the Official Charts Company started counting in 2004. The milestone was passed on Monday evening, the company announced yesterday.

According to the OCC, over three million single track downloads are now routinely being sold each week in the UK, with the most successful releases overall to date all released in the last few years. At number one is Adele with 'Someone Like You', followed by Maroon 5's 'Moves Like Jagger', 'Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye, 'I Gotta Feeling' by the Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna's Calvin Harris collaboration, 'We Found Love'.

Announcing the news, OCC boss Martin Talbot said: "The explosion in download sales over the past nine years means we are genuinely now living in the digital music age - with Adele as our queen! Over the nine years of legitimate digital music, more than sixteen new tracks have sold one million copies, which emphasises just how popular digital music is in the modern age".

For all the key facts about digital single sales in the UK to date, check out this OCC infographic.

Meanwhile the top ten biggest selling downloads are:

1 Adele - Someone Like You
2 Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
3 Gotye feat Kimbra - Somebody That I Used To Know
4 Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
5 Rihanna feat Calvin Harris - We Found Love
6 Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire
7 Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
8 LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
9 Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are (Amazing)
10 Jessie J - Price Tag

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KANYE WEST SUED OVER "GET DOWN" LINE
Kanye West is being sued by the children of the late American artist David Pryor - Trena Steward and Lorenzo Pryor - who claim that the rapper used a snippet of a track by their father's band Thunder & Lightning, 1974 release 'Bumpin Bus Stop', without permission on his 2005 hit 'Gold Digger'.

According to TMZ, the lawsuit claims that, thirteen seconds into the track, Pryor's voice can be heard exclaiming 'Get Down' three times, echoing West's lyrics "Get down girl, get down, get down". The litigation calls for sales of the track to be halted, and for damages for the unauthorised sample.

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MORRISSEY PROVIDES FURTHER COMMENT ON THATCHER
Morrissey has commented further on the death of Margaret Thatcher, explaining why he was cautious of providing any official quotes on the former Prime Minister's passing to the British press.

As previously reported, an article on Thatcher appeared on The Daily Beast website shortly after the ex-Tory leader's death had been confirmed on Monday, purporting to be comment from Morrissey on the news. However, some have noted the article's similarity with comments the singer made in an interview with Loaded published earlier this year, with the implication being that perhaps the Daily Beast comments were misrepresented as new opinion given the extra newsworthiness of The Smiths' man's existing sentiments. Neither Morrissey nor The Daily Beast have commented on the matter, though reading the two pieces side by side, they do seem more like the repetition of a well practised speech, rather than a rip off.

But anyway, this new statement. Writing via the True To You website, he said: "The difficulty with giving a comment on Margaret Thatcher's death to the British tabloids is that, no matter how calmly and measuredly you speak, the comment must be reported as an 'outburst' or an 'explosive attack' if your view is not pro-establishment. If you reference 'the Malvinas', it will be switched to 'the Falklands", and your 'Thatcher' will be softened to a 'Maggie'. This is generally how things are structured in a non-democratic society. Thatcher's name must be protected not because of all the wrong that she had done, but because the people around her allowed her to do it, and therefore any criticism of Thatcher throws a dangerously absurd light on the entire machinery of British politics".

He continued: "Thatcher was not a strong or formidable leader. She simply did not give a shit about people, and this coarseness has been neatly transformed into bravery by the British press who are attempting to re-write history in order to protect patriotism. As a result, any opposing view is stifled or ridiculed, whereas we must all endure the obligatory praise for Thatcher from David Cameron without any suggestion from the BBC that his praise just might be an outburst of pro-Thatcher extremism from someone whose praise might possibly protect his own current interests".

Finally, he wrote: "The fact that Thatcher ignited the British public into street-riots, violent demonstrations and a social disorder previously unseen in British history is completely ignored by David Cameron in 2013. In truth, of course, no British politician has ever been more despised by the British people than Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher's funeral on Wednesday will be heavily policed for fear that the British tax-payer will want to finally express their view of Thatcher. They are certain to be tear-gassed out of sight by the police".

PS: If you are paying attention to these things, 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead' is currently at number two in the iTunes chart, and number one in the current UK Amazon MP3 sales list. The flurry to buy the track post-Thatcher's death has been led by a Facebook campaign set up a while back, but which kicked into action after the former PM's passing was confirmed on Monday. The original campaign suggested buying Ella Fitzgerald's version of the 'Wizard Of Oz' song, fearing that the Judy Garland version from the film's soundtrack was too short to be chart eligible, but chart bosses have said the 56 second track will count in this week's official singles chart.

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MARK OWEN AND GERI HALLIWELL GO SOLO IN SHEDS
In these times of austerity, everyone has to make cuts. As a result, Mark Owen and Geri Halliwell are pitching in by recording their new solo material not in plush, multi-room studios, but in more modest surroundings. Owen in a "rabbit hutch" at the bottom of his garden, Halliwell in a "magic shed" in Wales.

Owen is busy working on his first solo LP since 2003, apparently. And, according to The Sun, work on the new record, 'The Art Of Doing Nothing', is being undertaken in the Take Thater's back garden, in a state of the art "canvas"-clad studio he calls the "rabbit hutch", so that's nice and erm... 'DIY'. Apparently Mark's few available pennies have instead gone on paying Alt-J collaborator Charlie Russell and jazz artist Ren Harveiu, who - says a Sun spy - will both feature on '... Doing Nothing'.

Halliwell, meanwhile, has looked further than her own back yard and driven to Wales in search of the right spot to write some new solo material. Writing on her blog, the former Spice Girl said: "I drove through the rolling hills of Wales to a 'ginger bread' house, and was welcomed by a sparkling woman named Amy Wadge (imagine Ellie Goulding as a mother, who plays guitar and piano) with two little angels wrapped around her ankles. Instantly my doubt melted, her house was cosy, full of love and memories. We then went to the back garden to her 'magic shed' (this is where she wrote with Ed Sheeran - 'Gold Rush')".

Actually, the songwriting done, Halliwell is now recording her new album in a plush studio, but admitting that would spoil the set-up of this story. Which means that not only has Geri refused to cut costs in these difficult times, she's made this report factually inaccurate. Honest Geri, how could you?

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AVRIL LAVIGNE RELEASES NEW TRACK
Peter Pan-esque popstar Avril Lavigne has given fans a first taste of her first single in a year and a half, the realistically-titled 'Here's To Never Growing Up'.

This is the track's cover image, which I hesitate to call 'art'.

And this is the track itself. If you'd like to own it, it's available via iTunes now.

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DIANA VICKERS SIGNS TO SO, DETAILS NEW LP
Diana Vickers, who has joined Matt Cardle in the 'X-Factor alumnus working with SO Recordings' camp, is back with a new single.

A co-write with the Girls Aloud/Sugababes-affiliated Miranda Cooper, she'll release 'Cinderella', which is it's title, on 21 Jul. Vickers' years-in-the-making new LP 'Music To Make Boys Cry', her first since 2010's 'Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree', will then be buyable in "the autumn".

Have a 'Cinderella' clip to play with in the meantime, if you like.

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KENDRICK LAMAR ADDS PRE-WIRELESS LIVE DATES
'Swimming Pools (Drank)' MC and self-styled 'Good Kid' Kendrick Lamar is playing live in several 'mAAd' British cities this July, mainly since he's over anyway to appear at the 'Jay-Z day' of this year's London-based Wireless Festival (12-14 Jul).

And his headline dates, tickets for which go on sale 12 Apr at 9am sharp, are:

8 Jul: Birmingham, Academy
9 Jul: Manchester, Apollo
10 Jul: Leeds, Academy

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H&M/NME SHOWCASES TO STAR SKY FERREIRA, CARL BARAT
Sky Ferreira, Carl Barat and Tribes are all set to play special NME-branded Showcase sets in H&M-branded shops based in Manchester, Glasgow and London. That's twice the branding for the price of, well, nothing, because the shows are all free.

Once H&M staff have moved the tills, rails and mannequins aside, you'll be able to hear each artist when she/he/they appear as follows:

Tribes - 18 Apr: Manchester, Market Street H&M
Carl Barat - 8 May: Glasgow, Buchanan Galleries H&M
Sky Ferreira - 25 Jun: London, Oxford Street H&M

Win tickets to your desired show/shows via this link.

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KAISER CHIEFS PLAYING BURBERRY-BRANDED SHOW
Another act au fait with today's 'one-off branded shows' craze, the always fashionable Kaiser Chiefs, will on 23 Apr play an in-store show at fashion label Burberry's fancy London HQ.

Based at 121 Regent Street, the imaginatively-titled 'Live At 121 Regent Street' show follows a similar one in January. Only difference is, the January one was headlined by Jake Bugg.

Apply for complimentary tickets via this link.

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DEEZER PLANS 'SILENT' GIGS
I love live music. The way the music surrounds you and shudders through your body, with the band right there, creating a bond where the enjoyment of you, the band and the rest of the audience is all directly, invisibly linked. It's a unique experience that can't be replicated; when all of these elements combine perfectly, it's by far the most exciting and exhilarating musical experience you can have.

With that in mind, let's take a look at Deezer's new promotional initiative - the Deezer Bandwagon Tour - a series of 'silent' gigs to take place around the country later this month. Four acts - Little Boots, Dog Is Dead, The Ramona Flowers and Fridge Magnets - will play in a soundproof box, with the audience only able to hear them if they put on a pair of special headphones. It'll be just like listening to a live album at home, except the band will be there, you'll have to queue up to buy expensive beer and the toilets will stink.

Or, as Deezer MD Mark Foster puts it: "The Deezer Bandwagon is a natural development of Deezer's editorial approach and a fantastic celebration of our free, ad-supported service. The Deezer Bandwagon Tour is about bringing digital music to a mainstream audience and driving discovery through innovative technology with a fun and engaging live experience".

I'm not exactly sure how it's any of those things, but that's what he said. Should you wish to go to any of the gigs, you can enter a competition to win tickets here.

And here are the dates - all venues tba:

15 Apr: Glasgow - Fridge Magnets
16 Apr: Manchester - The Ramona Flowers
17 Apr: Birmingham - Dog Is Dead
18 Apr: London - Little Boots

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE: BESTIVAL, GREEN MAN, ICELAND AIRWAVES AND MORE
Diving straight into today's FLUU pool, let's all thrash excitedly about in the tide of new-added artists soaking the Wales-based Green Man to its skin. Yes, I said that. In the wake of the wave, CMU notes that headliners Kings Of Convenience plus Julia Holter, Parquet Courts, Melody's Echo Chamber, Peggy Sue and Icelandic contralto Ólöf Arnalds, to name several, have aligned with the likes of Band Of Horses, Ben Howard, Midlake and Local Natives upon the GM listings.

Iceland Airwaves, too, has spilled another phase of acts onto its live programme; choosing AlunaGeorge, Zola Jesus, On An On, Stealing Sheep and Mariam The Believer as ideal partners to pre-existing players like Kraftwerk, Björk and Gold Panda.

And finally it's over to Bestival. Metaphorically, that is. The HMS-themed festival's captain of captains, Rob Da Bank, has complemented his Snoop Dogg and Elton John-starring line-up via the addition of 'Need U (100%)' hitmaker Duke Dumont. And of that, Rob says: "I've been playing out the Duke's remixes and productions for a few years now and never really expected him to have a huge number one smash... it couldn't happen to a more deserving chap and he's gonna slay our new concept stage where he's playing at Bestival... more news on that very soon!"

As we await that news, why not amuse yourself with info on new additions to the following fests:

BESTIVAL, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight, 5-8 Sep: Duke Dumont. www.bestival.net

GREEN MAN, Planusk Park, Powys, Wales, 15-18 Aug: Kings Of Convenience, Phosphorescent, Steve Mason, BEAK>, Melody's Echo Chamber, Julia Holter, Olof Arnalds, Public Service Broadcasting, Peggy Sue, Parquet Courts, Ryan Francesconi & Mirabai Peart, Girls Names, Revere, Land Shapes, Joe Banfi, Denai Moore. www.greenman.net

KAPPA FUTURFESTIVAL, Parco Dora, Turin, Italy, 13-14 Jul: Apollonia, Carl Cox, Damian Lazarus, Ellen Allien, Erol Alkan, Kerri Chandler, Marco Carola, Nicole Moudaber, Richie Hawtin, Zombie Nation. www.kappafuturfestival.com

KISSBEACH, Great Yarmouth Beach, Norfolk, 29-30 Jun: Rita Ora, Chase & Status. www.kissbeachfestival.co.uk

ICELAND AIRWAVES, various venues, Reykjavik, Iceland, 30 Oct - 3 Nov: AlunaGeorge, Zola Jesus, Robert Forster, Mariam The Believer, On An On, Diana, Stealing Sheep, Mammút, Pedro Pilatus, Muck, Grísalappalísa, Vök, In The Company Of Men, Aragrúi, Reptilicus, Rúnar Magnússon, Jónas Sen, Þóranna Dögg Björnsdóttir/Trouble, Björk Viggósdóttir/Lala Alaska, AMFJ. icelandairwaves.is

LAND OF KINGS, various venues, Dalston, London, 5 May: Chrome Hoof, Paradise, Bo Ningen, PVT, Circle Traps, Night Works, Seams, Dark Sky, Dan Beaumont, Lowlife DJs, Clancy, Public Information DJs, Petit Records DJs. www.landofkings.co.uk

LARMER TREE, Larmer Tree Gardens, Wiltshire, 17-21 Jul: Imelda May. www.larmertreefestival.co.uk

LOVE SAVES SUNDAY, Castle Park, Bristol, 26 May: Chic feat Nile Rodgers, Om Unit, Brackles, TRC, TOYC, Hodge, Shandy, The Kelly Twins, Spooks, Shaun P. www.lovesavestheday.org

TENNENT'S VITAL, Boucher Road Playing Fields, Bangor, 14 Aug: Kings Of Leon. www.tennentsvital.com

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NEW TRANSACTION CHARGE RULES COULD AFFECT TICKETING
New regulations came into effect last weekend that will stop UK companies from including anything but 'cost of sale' in payment surcharges, eg credit card booking fees added to ticket purchases.

Stemming from a bit European law, the Consumer Protection (Payment Surcharges) Regulations - passed by parliament last year and brought into effect on 6 Apr - say that where credit card fees are added to purchases, a seller can't use that extra charge to increase profit margin, ie the fee must only cover costs directly linked to the credit card transaction. It's all part of an effort to demystify the extra fees that are sometimes added to purchases in addition to advertised prices, something the live entertainment sector is particularly known for doing.

Of course quite what constitutes "costs directly linked to the credit card transaction" is debatable, and the government's Department For Business, Innovation and Skills has issued guidelines to try to define that notion more, though it still leaves quite a bit of room for interpretation.

Obviously any fees charged to a seller by a credit card provider can be included, but so - according to the guidelines - can any costs directly related to fulfilment IT, risk management and anti-fraud efforts. More general admin costs, and things like staff training, would not be allowed to be included though as, says the guidelines, these are general business requirements that should be covered by the price of the original product.

Whether any of that will actually make credit card fees any less confusing for consumers is debatable, but it will be interesting to see if any ticket sellers need to recalculate their credit card transaction fees as a result of the new rules. If so, presumably the lost pennies will just be added to other booking fees, making little difference overall.

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SONY ENTERTAINMENT CHIEF'S CONTRACT RENEWED
Sony Corp has renewed the contract of Michael Lynton, the head of the Japanese conglom's US-headquartered entertainment business. As previously reported, Lynton, boss of the Sony film company, also became CEO of Sony Entertainment just over a year ago, so that the Sony record and music publishing companies also report into him.

He in turn reports into Sony Corp chief Kazuo Hirai, who said yesterday: "Michael's steady leadership and strong vision for the digital future will help keep Sony's entertainment businesses stable and reliable contributors to Sony's growth. I look forward to working closely with Michael in ensuring that music and pictures remain integral parts of our global strategy. We're thrilled he will continue at the helm for years to come".

Lynton himself added: "I am grateful to work with some of the finest minds in the entertainment business, starting with my partner at Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal, as well as Doug Morris at Sony Music and Marty Bandier at Sony/ATV. They are the best in their fields, and together we will strive to bring the very best films, music and television shows to our growing, global audiences".

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GERMAN DJS IN DISPUTE WITH GEMA
A dispute between the German DJ fraternity and Germany's often controversial publishing rights collecting society GEMA resulted in two protests outside the rights organisation's offices in Dortmund and Munich last week, the latter also supported by the German Pirate Party.

DJs are protesting a recently announced new licence that GEMA has introduced. The rights society is now demanding that DJs who play their sets off laptops or similar devices pay a royalty into the collecting organisation, seemingly to cover the 'mechanical copy' said DJs are making of any songs they rip from CD or transfer from another device to the computer they perform with. While in Germany such copies are exempt from royalty payments if for personal use, the minute said copied songs are played in public that exemption does not apply, says the rights body.

Under the new licence GEMA is asking for 13 cents for each copied track, although bulk track options are also available. Nevertheless, Billboard reckons that an average DJ with, say, 15,000 tracks on his or her laptop would face an annual licence fee of 1500 euros. Which is fine for superstar DJs who make way more than that for every gig, but a major arse for the many DJs who barely make any money from spinning records in clubs.

Despite protesting alongside Pirate Party supporters, who advocate widespread changes to copyright laws, many of those DJs opposed to the new GEMA licence insist that they support the principles of copyright, but they specifically object to the new licence for various reasons.

The principal reason is that GEMA already receives royalties from club promoters for the performing rights that exist in the songs DJs play, and that any mechanical rights should be bundled into those licences. Though some are also critical of the price levels GEMA has set for the new licence, while others say that they aren't convinced that the rights owners of the songs they are playing will actually see their cut of any money DJs pay into the system.

GEMA, though, disputes the suggestion this is "double taxation", while also defending its methods of distributing royalties it collects back to the publishers and songwriters who own the rights in the songs that are copied or performed in public. Quite how the dispute will pan out remains to be seen, though some are predicting some grass roots DJs will give up rather than pay the fees, or switch back to playing CDs and vinyl, where no copying takes place so no licences are needed.

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APPLE PATENT OFFLINE DOWNLOAD PURCHASING
Apple has been granted a patent for a new bit of iTunes functionality that would allow offline purchasing, according to 9TO5Mac.

The service would work by pre-downloading certain tracks, possibly based on new release information or personalised recommendations, while a user's device is online, but in a locked form. The local iTunes software would also store what credits a user has with the Apple download store, so that those tracks could be unlocked while still offline if the user so desired.

It's not known if this is a service Apple is planning on adding to iTunes any time soon. In some ways it has parallels with the mobile apps of streaming services, which download tracks in a DRMed form to the device so they can still play when internet connection is lost.

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PANDORA SIGNS UP 200 MILLION USERS
Online radio service Pandora has announced that it now has over 200 million registered users, up 100 million since July 2011.

Pandora Founder Tim Westergren told CMU: "We started this company to help people discover and enjoy music they love, and to help artists reach and grow their audiences. Only in our wildest dreams did we imagine what it would become. It is now clear that radio is changing, and that's great news for music fans and for the tens of thousands of working artists who now have a home on the air".

The service is currently only available in the US of course, due to licensing issues, and has proven controversial there recently, as it attempts to have its royalty payments lowered.

Presumably the latter part of Westergren's quote is aimed at those artists who have criticised Pandora's royalty renegotiations, by noting that many of those acts wouldn't be getting any play at all on more conventional radio services. Indeed, along with its registered users stat, the company also announced that it had streamed over one million unique songs by 100,000 unique artists in March, most of which, it says, received no terrestrial radio play at all.

More stats and that in this infographic.

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MIKE DIVER RETURNS TO CLASH
Mike Diver, the former editor of the BBC's Album Reviews website until it was closed by the broadcaster in a cost-saving exercise earlier this month, has returned to the role of Online Editor for Clash.

Speaking to CMU, Diver said: "I'm really pleased to be back at Clash. It's a great, growing presence in the music world, with a reputation that's already hugely impressive. Since I left the company in 2009 it's gone from strength to strength, with the magazine looking better than so many of its competitors. And now it's time to really push the brand on the online front, and I can't wait to get stuck in".

To contact Mike in his new role, update your address book to point to mike@clashmusic.com

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HIDDEN NIPPER IN NEW HMV SITE
Ah, hidden messages in HTML code, the hidden tracks of the internet. Various tweeters who, for some reason, can't visit a website without checking in on the source code while they're there, have spotted a cute little hidden addition to the code of the revamped HMV website, that went online as the flagging entertainment retailer emerged from administration last week. If Nipper can live on in the HMTL world, maybe HMV can survive in the digital era? Maybe.

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