BBC announces new music strategy, confirms annual awards and classical outreach programme for schools
The big bad belligerent but basically brilliant BBC has lifted the lid on its new 'wide-ranging music strategy'. So that's exciting. Not to mention, strategic.

In amongst the many, many bullet points on the plan, released at an event in London yesterday, are a stack of music-themed TV and radio programmes and initiatives, some brand new, some already in existence but replugged under the new BBC Music banner, and set to be brought together through a revamped bbc.co.uk/music website later this year.

Grabbing the most headlines was the announcement of an all new BBC Music Awards show, dubbed by the press as a "BRITs competitor" (the UK industry's big awards bash being televised by ITV, of course), though the Corporation prefers to position it as something of a pop version of that 'Sports Personality Of The Year' programme.

Fearne Cotton and Chris Evans are already booked to host the first edition on 11 Dec at London's Earls Court, with the whole affair set to distinguish itself from the 35 other UK music awards shows with such innovative categories as Artist Of The Year and Song Of The Year. Hmm.

Another new initiative is called 'Ten Pieces', which will push classical music to school kids. Ten classical pieces will be promoted to primary school age children through film screenings nationwide, with the kids then encouraged to "respond creatively to the music through their own compositions, dance, digital art or animation".

The ten pieces include works by Mozart, Handel, Host, Beethoven and Britten and more contemporary composers like US minimalist John Adams and Scottish electronic soloist Anna Meredith. Meanwhile the likes of Laura Mvula, Cerys Matthews and Nicola Benedetti will all act as ambassadors for the programme, which has so far signed up over 150 arts organisations to participate.

Says Benedetti: "Two aspects of the project stand out for me, the first is the sheer size. With so many organisations involved and the power of the BBC, the number of children likely to experience classical music could be enormous, and I hope will be. The second is the quality with which classical music will be presented to the children, many of them probably for the very first time - first exposure can be vitally important, igniting a positive lifelong association with this great art form".

She adds: "This experience, I am quite sure, will be exciting and enriching for all children, but above all is highly educational and substantive. This is something you cannot miss".

Full details of the wider BBC Music strategy, some extra highlights of which include a feature-length Genesis film (which will see the band's classic-era line-up reunite), comedian Reginald D Hunter exploring 150 years of American popular song and a three-part series examining the relationship between British rock and pop music and fashion, are available here.

Bieber avoids charges over phone fracas, waits to hear about egg attack
Justin Bieber's lawyers will not have to add another case to their pile after the LA authorities confirmed yesterday that they won't be pressing any charges in relation to a recent altercation at a "family entertainment centre", after which a woman seemingly accused the pop tyke of attempting to steal her phone.

It seems there was a fracas involving Bieber and the woman after the singer accused her of filming him while he was hitting balls in a batting cage at the leisure facility. She reportedly says that she proved to him that she had not been filming his sporting endeavours, but that he tried to grab her phone all the same, upsetting her daughter in the process - though one media report said the daughter subsequently told police she was screeching because of the excitement of being so close to Bieber, not because of him arguing with her mother.

Either way, the LA District Attorney declined to file any charges in relation to the complaint, batting the matter to the City Attorney, who likewise concluded there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute. So, take a day off Team Bieber (Legal).

Or maybe don't. There is still the matter of the two criminal investigations stemming from the alleged DUI and the infamous egging assault on a neighbour's property, both from earlier in the year. Word has it that Bieber's attorneys are close to securing a plea deal that will stop the former from getting to court, but that criminal charges for the egg attack could be confirmed any day now.

The big question there is whether or not the charges filed are misdemeanour or felony, the latter having more significant ramifications if Bieber is found guilty. According to CNN, Bieber's reps have been desperately trying to convince prosecutors that the whole incident was a "silly prank" that got blown out of all proportion, and that it should therefore be treated as the former.

The news channel adds that Bieber has now sold the property from which he launched the egg offensive to none other than the youngest Kardashian daughter Khloe. Food-based skirmishes with neighbours have been disappointingly rare ever since.

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William Morris Endeavor accused of age discrimination
Talent and booking agency William Morris Endeavor has been accused of age discrimination by a former employee in the US, who says that he was routinely mocked for being a relatively junior member of staff in his 40s, and that his age prevented him from being offered a place on this firm's agent trainee programme.

Sean Bryan says he joined the William Morris Agency in 2008, but that problems began when the company merged with Endeavor a year later, alleging that it was clear that management from the Endeavor side of the company did not approve of older employees working in junior roles.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bryan alleges that his superiors routinely joked about his age, saying things like "Who's the old guy at the desk?", "What's up, Old Timer", "Haven't you been here for 100 years?" and, "You are going to have a hard time here because of your age and hair colour".

The company's HR boss is also accused of telling Bryan - who worked on the TV side of the agency - that he didn't "fit the Endeavor model". This all led, Bryan claims, to him being overlooked for agent trainee roles, despite him receiving favourable performance reviews.

But legal reps for WME strongly deny the allegations, calling Bryan's case "utterly meritless" and predicting an easy win for the agency should it get to court. Attorney Mark Baute told the Reporter: "Mr Bryan had a chronic tardiness and absenteeism problem, which was well documented, and he was not discriminated against in any way, shape or form. Any further comment would unduly dignify a frivolous lawsuit that should never have been filed".

Whatever the merits of the case, should it get to court Bryan is likely to dish the dirt on the climate within WME immediately post the William Morris/Endeavor merger, many having noted at the time on how much the corporate cultures of the two talent firms differed.

Universal allies with Sony logistics firm for pack and ship services
Universal Music UK has signed a deal with Sony's logistics firm Sony DADC which will see the latter provide the former with supply-chain services for physical product distribution, based out of the Sony company's North London-based distribution centre, best known for only burning down once.

Confirming the new alliance with Sony DADC, Universal's UK COO David Sharpe told reporters: "Sony DADC has best-in-class infrastructure in the UK which we will take full advantage of to continue to provide the highest quality of service to our customers".

Meanwhile Sony DADC GM Distribution Natasha Tyrrell added: "It is fantastic to have won this contract with such a prestigious recording company and we look forward to a successful partnership with them. Our facilities in the UK are second to none and are being recognised as such by the world's premiere entertainment companies. Utilising the best internal and external solutions available we guarantee a comprehensive, high quality solution to support the future of both packaged and digital media".

Ticketmaster UK dumps CAPTCHA
Ticketmaster UK is getting rid of the most annoying part of the ticket buying experience. No, not annoyingly random add-on charges. OK, the second most annoying part of the ticket buying experience. No, not the eternal refresh of doom when you're failing to get tickets for in-demand shows. OK, the third most annoying part of the ticket buying experience. No, not having to look at Michael McIntyre's irritating face when you're really looking for Lovebox tickets. OK, the fourth most annoying part of the ticket buying experience. Yes, it's true, Ticketmaster UK is getting rid of the fourth most annoying part of the ticket buying experience. And about time too.

So, the UK wing of Ticketmaster has followed its US counterpart by getting rid of CAPTCHA which, I now know, stands for 'Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers And Humans Apart'. It's basically those squiggly letters that you have to type in when booking tickets, which are designed to stop automated 'tout bots' from buying up every single ticket to in-demand events before any actual human beings can, but which are often so squiggly, they stop most actual humans from buying tickets too.

Utilising technology from a company called Solve Media, Ticketmaster will now identify your human-ness instead by asking you to type in well known phrases or answer multiple choice questions like what's the most irritating thing about using Ticketmaster: [a] annoyingly random add-on charges; [b] the eternal refresh of doom when you're failing to get tickets for in-demand shows; [c] having to look at Michael McIntyre's irritating face when you're really looking for Lovebox tickets; or [d] having to decipher squiggly letters to prove you're not a computer.

Says Ticketmaster International President Mark Yovich: "Ticketmaster is passionate about the fan experience and we are always looking at how we can make buying tickets a better and fairer experience for our customers. While an important step in blocking bots, we know the current CAPTCHA solution can be a frustrating part of buying tickets for fans. By working with Solve Media we're leading the industry in creating the best possible fan experience while continuing the aggressive fight against bots".

OfCom extends analogue radio licences to twelve years
Media regulator OfCom has announced that it will start issuing twelve year licences to the operators of AM and FM radio stations moving forward, which is the longest time allowed under law, but since 2010 the regulator has opted for seven year licences, because of an expectation that the government might set a date for shifting most radio stations off the analogue frequencies, making the DAB digital network the primary outlet for radio.

But, with the government having confirmed last year that the switchover ain't happening any time soon, OfCom has decided to go back to the full twelve year licence arrangement.

Unsurprisingly, commercial radio trade group Radiocentre welcomed the decision, with CEO Siobhan Kenny telling reporters: "I am delighted that OfCom has agreed to move back to full twelve year licence terms. This change will be a real benefit to some of the smaller commercial stations on FM and AM, providing them with the prospect of five more years to build their businesses before they need to think about re-licensing".

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Paul Robinson resigns as Radio Academy CEO
Paul Robinson has announced his resignation as Chief Executive of The Radio Academy after just ten months in the job. Robinson cited growing demands at his company Creative Media Partners for the decision. He will continue to work with the radio industry group on its 30 Under 30 awards and Radio Festival.

Radio Academy Chair Ben Cooper said of the news: "Paul has made a valuable contribution to the future of the Academy and in particular to The Radio Academy Awards. I am delighted he will continue to play a part in the Academy going forward, especially with regard to the Festival and 30 Under 30".

Robinson himself added: "I've been a member of The Radio Academy since the 1980s and chaired most of its committees in my time, so I am extremely pleased to be able to support and energise young talent in the 30 Under 30 as Chair".

Robinson will officially depart the organisation on 4 Jul.

James Blake collaborating with Kanye, Kanye collaborating with Rick Rubin
Time now for a spate of somewhat vague pseudo-news starring James Blake and Kanye West, who've been relaying minimal info on their respective new solo LPs.

James Blake's is possibly going to feature West, as it happens, and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, and another secret artist he declined to name in this recent Billboard interview. Speaking on the TBC third record, which will follow 2013's 'Overgrown', Blake said: "Every song is about 50% done. I'm getting there", adding: "It's hard to say what will end up on the record, but it's exciting. I've had a completely different life since the first album. I've had a lot more freedom since the first album too. The [album] I'm writing now, I've had more focus doing this than I have before. I'm having more fun".

As for Kanye(ezy), he's been collaborating with Rick Rubin again, as per 'Yeezus', on his seventh LP. Chatting idly with BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe in an interview that aired yesterday, Rubin first reminisced on how his work on 'Yeezus' began, telling Lowe: "He originally came over and said 'I wanna come play you my new album' and I thought we'd be listening to a finished album. Then we listened to about three hours of music, most of which didn't have vocals, and at the end I was like 'wow, so what's it gonna be?' I'm thinking it's a year away and he was like 'well, I'm putting it out in like five or six weeks'".

The producer went on: "It was just a funny conversation because it was completely normal to him, it's just the way he works... today, Kanye West is coming in and we're starting looking at vocal ideas for things for the next album".

Busdriver announces new album, Perfect Hair
US rapper Busdriver has announced his new album 'Perfect Hair', the follow-up to 2012's 'Beaus$Eros' and his first since re-signing to Big Dada, also in 2012.

Featuring a guest list that includes producers Jeremiah Jae and Mono/Poly, plus rappers Aesop Rock, Danny Brown and Open Mike Eagle, the album will be released on 8 Sep.

Get your full details here, and have a listen to the first track to be released from the album, 'Ego Death', featuring the aforementioned Messrs Brown and Rock, here.

Opeth confirm October shows
Prog-metal Swedes Opeth are coming over to the UK to play a show or two (or six, as it stands) in October.

The live dates back the band's soon-coming eleventh LP 'Pale Communion', which is released 25 Aug. Tickets will be available here on Friday, and listings are available immediately as listed:

10 Oct: Bristol, Academy
11 Oct: London, Roundhouse
12 Oct: Nottingham, Rock City
14 Oct: Glasgow, ABC
15 Oct: Manchester, Academy
16 Oct: Birmingham, Institute

But don't be thinking those will be the only dates. Keyboardist Joakin Svalberg wants y'all to hear this: "Hold yer horses! More dates to be announced real soon. Big festivals usually have clauses in their contracts, stating no shows nearby are to be announced until the festival happens".

Finally, since it's relevant, this is an audio clip for 'Pale Communion' track 'Cusp Of Eternity'.

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Slint add August dates
The Slint show is coming to town, which is to say that Slint, promoting the recent re-issuing of their 'Spiderland' album, are playing a load of British and Irish shows this year, in August.

Tickets are on sale right now, right here via Facebook, where you'll also find details of the band's upcoming appearances at this year's Flow, Way Out West and Green Man festivals.

And you can scan down the listings now also, if you like:

12 Aug: Brighton, The Old Market
13 Aug: London, Electric Brixton
14 Aug: Leeds, The Cockpit
15 Aug: Glasgow, The Arches
18 Aug: Belfast, Limelight
19 Aug: Dublin, The Button Factory

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Cibo Matto to perform in London this weekend
Cibo Matto have announced that they will play a one-off show at Café Oto in London this Saturday.

For this one-off show, they will be performing under a one-off name, Chido Matcha. I'm not 100% clear on why, but it seems to be something to do with their rhythm section for the night being Polar Bear's Seb Roachford and The Invisible's Tom Herbert.

You can get yourself some tickets for the show for ten pounds (which is a fucking bargain, mate) here.

Cibo Matto's Yuka C Honda and Miho Hatori, along with Roachford and Herbert will also be performing together on Friday night. But before you get all like, 'Hey, I thought you said Saturday was a one-off deal', they're not all playing together as Cibo Matto. Or Chido Matcha, or whatever. No, they will be taking part in the world premiere of 'In Dreams: David Lynch Revisited', a show based on songs and music from the films of... well, you get the idea.

Amongst those also involved in that are Villagers' Conor O'Brien, Mick Harvey, Savages' Jehnny Beth, Stealing Sheep, and Stuart Staples of The Tindersticks. Tickets are all sold out, but you can always read all the info on the show here, if you want.

Cibo Matto's first album in almost fifteen years, 'Hotel Valentine', came out in February and is my favourite album of this year. Which makes it all the more painful that I can't go to either of these shows. Oh well, here's the video for 'MFN' from the album.

Black Sabbath, Jimmy Page to receive Silver Clefs
So, the Live Ambassadors Of Rock award at this year's Nordoff Robbins Silver Clefs has Black Sabbath's name written all over it, for Ozzy and co are, it's been announced, its official 2014 winners.

Sabbath have RSVP'd to appear at the Silver Clefs ceremony - which will pop off on 4 Jul at the Park Lane Hilton in London - in the flesh. Laura Mvula, Tom Jones, Paloma Faith, Chas & Dave and Giorgio Moroder will all receive gongs too, whilst Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page will take home the actual Silver Clef Award.

Ozzy Osbourne says this: "Winning the Ambassadors Of Rock award from Nordoff Robbins is a huge honour. Music is our life, and we couldn't live without it. The world can't survive without music and this is a very special charity that brings music to everyone. There are a lot of talented people already being honoured at the awards and we are looking forward to celebrating with them at the Silver Clefs this summer".

And Jimmy Page says: "A big thank you to Nordoff Robbins and everyone involved in awarding me the Silver Clef Award".

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Kerrang! and Metal Hammer hold awards ceremonies separately but are united in one CMU news story
It was Download Festival last weekend, which can only mean one thing. Well, two things. Actually, I guess it's three, really. Number one: Download Festival happened. Number(s) two/three: The Kerrang! Awards and the Metal Hammer Golden Gods happened.

Anyway, because they happen so closely together (and not because we forgot about the Kerrang! Awards last week), here's a report combining both awards ceremonies into one and pleasing nobody. Hurrah!

The Golden Gods actually took place last night at London's, er, clinical IndigO2 venue. There were no runaway winners, but hosts Steel Panther got the Video Of The Year prize, so let's just say the night was theirs.

The Kerrang! Awards actually took place last Thursday at London's, er, often used for awards ceremonies Troxy venue, ensuring that there were many hangovers in place for the first day of Download. Bonus points to this one for the curveball of giving One Direction support act 5 Seconds Of Summer the Best International Newcomer prize. Though points have to come off for still having Hottest Male and Hottest Female categories.

Anyway, the final award goes to Metal Hammer for sending us a press release with quote to use. Over to Metal Hammer Editor In Chief Alexander Milas: "Heavy metal's been around for over 40 years, and as this year's winners prove, it remains as vibrant as ever".

And more: "From world-beating prog metal visionaries Opeth to a genuine guitar hero like Michael Schenker, to absolute legends Hanoi Rocks who first married the words 'glam' and 'metal' and inspired a movement, to Orphaned Land, whose integrity as artists and spokespeople for the power of metal to unite people genuinely blew us all away tonight, this was a night for the history books. Add to that a genuine screen legend like David Prowse, and you might even say the Force was strong with this one".

Honestly, you give someone an award and they squander it on a weak 'Star Wars' joke. Well, anyway, here are the lists of winners for both awards:

Metal Hammer Golden Gods winners

Best New Band: Devil You Know
Breakthrough Artist: Of Mice & Men
Best Underground Band: Wardruna
Best UK Band: Iron Maiden
Best Live Band: Killswitch Engage
Best International Band: Avenged Sevenfold
Global Metal Act: Orphaned Land and Khalas

Album Of The Year: Behemoth - The Satanist
Game Of The Year: Grand Theft Auto V
Video Of The Year: Steel Panther - Party Like It's The End Of The World

Riff Lord: Mark Tremonti
Dimebag Darrell 'Shredder': Misha Mansoor of Periphery
King Of The Internet: Devin Townsend
Spirit Of Hammer: Darth Vader (Dave Prowse)

Inspiration: Hanoi Rocks
Icon: Michael Schenker
The Golden God: Mikael Åkerfeldt

Kerrang! Awards winners

Best Single: You Me At Six - Fresh Start Fever
Best Album: Architects - Lost Forever/Lost Together
Best Event: Fall Out Boy Save Rock And Roll Tour
Best Video: Deaf Havana - Boston Square
Best Festival: Slam Dunk

Best British Newcomer: Neck Deep
Best International Newcomer: 5 Seconds Of Summer
Best British Band: You Me At Six
Best Live Band: Bring Me The Horizon
Best International Band: Fall Out Boy

Best TV Show: Game Of Thrones
Best Video Game: The Last Of Us
Best Film: The Lego Movie
Best Comedian: Jarrod Alonge
Tweeter Of The Year: Gerard Way

Hottest Female: Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless)
Hottest Male: Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides)

The Relentless Award: Watain
Kerrang! Hero: Gerard Way
Kerrang! Hall Of Fame: Deep Purple
Kerrang! Inspiration: The Dillinger Escape Plan
Kerrang! Icon Award: Ramones
Kerrang! Service To Rock: Status Quo

Cliff announces free New York show for disappointed Morrissey fans
Cliff Richard was pretty disappointed when Morrissey cancelled their show together this coming weekend. As, I'm sure, was everyone who bought a ticket hoping to see that dream team share the same stage.

But the show, Cliff has decided, must go on. Or, at least, a show must go on. After all, he's already booked his plane tickets and hotel. So, on the night that he was due to be performing at the Barclays Center - 21 Jun, this Saturday - Cliff will instead play the Gramercy Theater. And what's more, the show will be free, with priority for entry given to people who bought tickets for the Morrissey gig.

As well as performing some songs, there will also be an on stage interview with Cliff. And if that doesn't make it all better, I don't know what will.

Here's Cliff himself, taking time out from his summer job on a yacht to explain the deal further.