Guardian Music — Maker of 1980s chart tapes holds 500 house parties to launch service allowing fans to make and download own compilationsBack in the dry-ice-swept and pre-digital days of the 1980s, their endless series of twin-packed cassettes supplied the latest in ... more info

Guardian Music — Zach Condon's ever-eclectic Gypsy, Balkans and world music "orkestar" Beirut return (2-16 Sep, tour begins End Of The Road Festival, Dorset) ...Don the pork-pie hats and get skanking at the London International Ska Festival (21-24 Apr, Clapham Grand,... more info

Guardian Music — Hammersmith Apollo, LondonIn the wake of Chris Brown's fall from grace in 2009, the music industry needed a replacement: a photogenic male singer appealing to teenagers and adults. Trey Songz, a hitherto third-tier R&B crooner, found himself filling ... more info

Guardian Music — Days after arrest of dissident artist Ai Weiwei, singer who became synonymous with protest movement plays BeijingIn China, irony is usually just around the next corner. In the week that Ai Weiwei, the artist and activist, was arrested, Bob Dylan was ... more info

E! Online — Could Usher really be going out on the road with Britney Spears? Sounds like an April Fools Joke. Joe Jonas would seem to make a little more sense. But after the embarrassment that was... more info

ContactMusic — Britney Spears is campaigning for R&B superstar Usher to step up and join her on tour after Enrique Iglesias pulled out of plans to hit the road with her this summer (11). The Toxic hitmaker's live comeback plans were dealt a... more info

Big Apple Music Scene — Some celebrities love you back and they're not afraid to show it. Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and even Usher... all masters of the hand-heart. Check out our gallery and bask in the glory of more info

Unreality Music — If you thought Usher had the monopoly on songs with OMG in the title, think again! Far East Movement are back (though they never really went away) with a third single in the form of If I Wa... more info

Scotsman.com — Royal Scottish National Orchestra Usher Hall, Edinburgh more info

ContactMusic — Music mogul L. A. Reid has handed over the reigns of his record label to Britney Spears' boss Barry Weiss after signing up to be a star judge on Simon Cowell's The X Factor. The record executive and producer, who gave Usher and Justin Bieber... more info