• Good news for fans of Australia’s ‘X Factor’ winner Reece Mastin, with the lil’ rocker revealing that he’ll be releasing a brand new DVD later this month. ‘Behind Closed Doors’ (cover art pictured) will encapsulate his rise to the top of the charts since his ‘X Factor’ win and will feature interviews from close friends, family members and even mentor Guy Sebastian. The DVD will also feature Reece’s video clips thus far, acoustic performances and behind the scenes footage. ‘Behind Closed Doors’ will hit retail on Friday September 21.
• Pop queen Madonna may have shafted Australian fans again when it comes to live concerts, but she’s certainly got their health interests at stake, opening the first Australian branch of her ‘Hard Candy Fitness’ empire in Sydney. The gym, situated in Druitt Street, opened officially on Monday.
• UK four piece Don Broco will release their debut album ‘Priorities’ in Australia in late October. The alternative outfit’s single ‘Actors’ will preceded the release of the new album (out digitally on September 21). ‘Priorities’ drops on October 26.
• The new version of David Guetta’s album ‘Nothing But The Beat’ hit stores this Friday. Version ‘2.0’ features all the tracks from the original release, together with the new single with Sia – ‘She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)’, plus ‘Play Hard’ (featuring Ne-Yo and Akon), club banger ‘Wild One 2’, ‘Just One Last Time’ (ftg. Taped Rai), ‘In My Head’ (ftg. Nervo) and ‘Every Chance We Get We Run’ (featuring Tegan & Sara).
• Universal Music has confirmed the forthcoming release of the seventh edition of DJ Havana Brown’s acclaimed ‘Crave’ compilation series. Volume seven is due at retail on Friday October 26.
• Another releases popping up on Universal’s schedule this week means good news for Australia’s Ellie Goulding fans. We’ll also be getting the deluxe edition of her album ‘Halcyon’ when it drops on October 12.
• The Rolling Stones will release a brand new best-of compilation in November. Entitled ‘Grrr!’, the new release will encompass the best of the band’s 50 year career, alongside two brand new tracks called ‘Gloom And Doom’ and ‘One Last Shot’, which were recorded in Paris earlier this year. Four versions of the best-of will be released – a 50 track three disc edition, a 50 track three disc deluxe edition (in DVD-sized casing), an 80 track four disc super deluxe boxset and a vinyl boxset containing five vinyls. All versions are set for release on Monday November 12.
• Plenty of new tunes delivered to Australian media this week, including Oh Mercy’s new single ‘My Man’, the aforementioned new Alicia Keys track ‘Girl On Fire’, a Peter Bjorn & John remix of Norah Jones’ latest single ‘Miriam’ and the new Matchbox Twenty single ‘Put Your Hands Up’.
• We’ll publish a more comprehensive list of the tracks serviced to media this week on our FACEBOOK wall tomorrow afternoon.
• Looks like Aussie dance/pop purveyor Kaz James is moving in some rather fine circles these days, after being asked to DJ at Sir Elton John’s ‘Tiara White Ball’. He rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in music including George Michael, Florence & The Machine, Grace Jones and even The Gossip’s Beth Ditto (pictured).
• MAX Channel will air an INXS special later this month. ‘Kick : The 25th Anniversary Special’ will take a behind the scenes look at each of the tracks on INXS’ classic album ‘Kick’, with interviews with the Farriss brothers – Andrew, Jon and Tim. It’s set to air on Monday September 17 at 9:30pm.
• Big Day Out organisers have announced an easier way for fans to pay for their tickets to next year’s event. The ‘P.O.T.T.’ (or ‘Pay Over Time Ticketing’) option was launched this week and will allow fans to pay for their tickets in four installments. More details are available at the OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
• Last year’s winners of the British version of ‘The X Factor’, Little Mix, have debuted at No.1 on this week’s UK singles chart with their brand new track ‘Wings’. It’s the foursome’s second No.1 hit, following on from their debut single ‘Cannonball’, released late last year – or their third if you count the single ‘Wishing On A Star’, released collaboratively with JLS and One Direction. Public Enemy’s ‘Harder Than You Think’ is up into the top ten (so too Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘Good Time’), while 2012 ‘X Factor’ starlet Lucy Spraggan’s self-penned audition song ‘Last Night’ narrowly missed the top ten (up from No.70 to No.11) before it was removed from iTunes at the request of producers of the show.
• Rita Ora’s album has debuted in the top spot on the UK albums chart. Of Monsters & Men’s ‘My Head Is An Animal’ debuted at No.3, with Elbow’s ‘Dead In The Boot’ placing at No.4. Fun.’s album ‘Some Nights’ edged to No.8 (from No.35 last week) and Alanis Morissette’s new album ‘Havoc & Bright Lights’ just misses the top ten – premiering at No.12.
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