NME - The Bands Blog — Florence Welch on bizarre rumours, deranged fans, and dressing like a Grecian space-witch The 'NME academy' is more than just a learning experience The January issue of NME was my first ever cover. I was terrified, but luckily there were other fa... more info

People.com — Fibbing and telling secrets gets Kim in trouble with her sisters on the show more info

Guardian Music — • HMV paying £46m to secure Mama and trump rival bid• Mama behind UK's best-known live music venuesMusic-to-books retailer HMV has ramped up its bid to capture more of the entertainment pound with a deal to buy the company behind some ... more info

Guardian Music — HMV's bid for Mama comes in the retailer's busiest week of the year as it works flat-out to serve Christmas shoppers. So why the rush? If it can trump a rival bid from Mama shareholder SMS Finance, HMV will acquire venues including Heaven nightclub ... more info

NME - The Daily Download — So The Daily Download is taking a little break until January 5, but before we go we wanted to load up your iPods with new tunes as a little early Christmas present. See you in 2010! ---First up, Xmas goes Krautrock as '70s pioneers Can take on 'Sile... more info

Stereogum — Violens is a band with great taste. That, and it's not often a pop group can include Ulver and Burzum in their list of influences and find a way to back it up sonically. Outside the metal, their frozen blend of Durutti Column's spacious post-punk ... more info

Guardian Music — Confused by the Beeb's list of next year's pop contenders? Then tell us who you think will be making a big noise in 2010If other music journalists are anything like me, they dread being asked: "So, who is going to be big next year?" Sometimes you kno... more info

NME — 'The Art Of Music 2009' also features work by White Lies, Friendly Fires and Ladyhawke more info

NME - Radar — Chapel Club are the smoldering noir-rock quintet that have defied anything that's going on in the music industry, or the outside world for that matter, to literally have comedy sized sums of cash thrust vigorously into their faces. The gossipy storie... more info

NME — Bands to DJ at north London bash more info