Christmas break 2025 - News

02 January 2026 - Press release

News from the break will appeared here from 20 December to 4 January.
Most stories have now been moved to the 5 January daily email.

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NEWS

Kylie Minogue scooped the festive No1 single, beating Wham! to the top spot. (Mail, Sun)

The vibrant pulse of Britain's live music sector is under threat, with grassroots venues struggling to survive amidst rising costs and government inaction. (Express)

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DIGITAL

Sound Stock has entered the market with what it calls the world’s largest AI-cultivated royalty-free audio library, housing more than 10 million original assets. (DMN)

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COMMENT, ANALYSIS & REPORTS

Research shows that Wizzard top the “Christmas reliance” chart with 97% of their Spotify streams coming from holiday music. (Guardian)

Demand for CD and MP3 players is up 44 per cent since July compared with the January to June average. (Times)

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MEDIA

Podcast
Your Morning Coffee - with guest Will Page discussing his report Global Value of Music Copyright Hits New All-Time High.

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FEATURES

How Yungblud became Britain’s biggest rock star. (Guardian - Alexis Petridis)

The real David Bowie — by eight insiders who knew him best. (SundayTimes - Will Hodgkinson)

Self Esteem’s guide to writing a pop song. (Times)

Our 2026 listening resolutions: critics try to get into music they’ve never liked. (Guardian)

The high-octane, low-culture genius of indie duo Getdown Services. (Guardian - Kate Hutchinson)

In 2025, rock was still hanging in. As artificial intelligence infiltrates music, the genre’s handmade imperfections are more crucial than ever. (NYTimes) 

With the help of crowdfunding, a community-led trust is buying up venues, to keep live music going (Times - James Hurley) 

Pollstar asks several top executives to get their take on 2025.

The best albums of 2025 (Observer)

On my radar: Femi Koleoso, Ezra Collective (Observer)

Q&A: Jason Williamson, Sleaford Mods (Observer)

My year of gigs with my daughter. (Observer - Miranda Sawyer)

Streamers are accused of making megastars rich at everyone else’s expense. Now the staunchly independent Los Campesinos! are laying out exactly what they earn. (Times - Roisin Kelly)

Behind the Korean film crisis and why K-pop isn’t immune. (Guardian)

In 2025 British culture had a global moment – but can it last? (Guardian - Rachel Aroesti)

Honest playlist: KT Tunstall (Guardian) 

In Lazarus, the author Alexander Larman chronicles how David Bowie burst out of the doldrums of his mid-career years to have a last creative blast. (Times - Victoria Segal)

John Lydon on losing his wife of 44 years, supporting Brexit and why he feels let down by Nigel Farage. (Times - Ed Potton)

After 20 years playing around the world, Oi Va Voi had two UK gigs cancelled this year after protests from activists. It’s made them feel targeted for who they are, the band say. (Guardian - Gaby Hinsliff)

Despite the blockbuster gigs, music's cash-starved grassroots is on the brink. (Telegraph - James Warrington)

Japan’s dangerous hardcore punk scene looks back to its roots. (Guardian - Alex Deller)

The best old music we discovered this year. (Guardian)

The business of selling music has always been a source of grievance for those who create it. (FT - Ludovic Hunter-Tilney)

Zara Larsson has been fantasizing about this. (LATimes)

Data shows nostalgia for old songs (and ad campaigns) has replaced the melancholy covers that became a trademark for John Lewis. (Times)

Grief inspired so much of the year’s best music – and that’s something AI won’t ever feel. (Guardian - Alexis Petridis)

The return of wired headphones is restoring friction to our convenience-addled lives. (Guardian - Shaad D'Souza)

Songwriter Biff Stannard said both Kylie Minogue's XMAS and 2 Become 1 from the Spice Girls have "a special place in my heart" having co-written both Christmas chart-toppers. (BBC) 

Bold docuseries or dull branding exercise? What The End of an Era really told us about Taylor Swift. (BBC - Simran Hans)

Honest playlist: Beverley Knight (Guardian)

Chris Rea winced when I mentioned his hits. He shouldn’t have. (Telegraph - Neil McCormick) 

Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas is an evergreen, everyman anthem that captures the season’s true spirit. (Guardian - Michael Hann)

Despite his knack for slick pop, the principled and passionate Chris Rea never took the easy road. (Guardian - Alexis Petridis)

Haim talk about starting in their parents’ band, anxiety and break-ups. (Times - Will Hodgkinson)

Flamboyant, furious and full of hope: CMAT is the sound of 2025. (Guardian - John Harris)

Inside incredible rise of Olivia Dean from four singles in top 10 to topping Obama’s playlist & taking on Ticketmaster. (Sun - Tom Bryden)

After 37 years Kylie lands her first UK Christmas No 1. (Observer)

Trevor Nelson fell for Stevie Wonder’s music as a boy. He recalls the time they met — and he struggled not to cry. (SundayTimes)

Unzipped: Mel Blatt (SundayTimes)

Robbie Williams is calmer, fitter but just as funny, and back with his first new music in a decade. (SundayTimes - Jonathan Dean)

The best albums and songs of 2025. (BBC)

Lily Allen: aftermath of an album. (Observer - Kate Wiseman)

Kylie (and Amazon’s) victory proves Christmas number one is a farce. (Telegraph - Neil McCormick) 

Honest playlist: Beverley Knight (Guardian)

Au Pairs vocalist Lesley Woods on reforming the 80s punk pioneers – without her bandmates. (Guardian - Fiona Sturges) 

 

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SHOWBIZ & NEWS

The highest-grossing tour of the year and lucrative brand deals have propelled Beyonce to billionaire status. (Times, BBC)

Adele is said to have added more than £8.2m to her reported £200m fortune last year. (Mail)

Mariah Carey has been awarded $92,300 in attorney’s fees following the dismissal of a copyright infringement lawsuit that alleged her 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' unlawfully copied an earlier song of the same name. (LawCommentary) Sony Music and others received more than $14,000.

New company accounts show Dua Lipa's Radical 22 Ltd reported a record year in 2024 as pre-tax profits increased by 37% to £18.96m. The company generated £15.39m from sponsorship, endorsements and other income, £3.68m from publishing advances, and £3.57m from recording advances and royalties. (Connaught)

George Michael's firm, Nobby’s Hobbies Holding Limited, has turned over £74.7million since he died aged 53 in 2016. (Sun) 

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs seeks immediate release from prison in appeals argument. (HR)

Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary, has filed an appeal following a federal judge’s ruling last year that Cher is still entitled to 50% of the proceeds from her 1960s hits with Sonny. (DMN) 

An investigation by the police into chants made during a Bob Vylan performance at Glastonbury has concluded no further action will be taken as "there is insufficient evidential for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction". (BBC)

The Pussycat Dolls have seemingly “confirmed” their reunion by signing with a new talent agent. (Sun) 

Timothee Chalamet finally put the rumour to bed that he is not the same person as Liverpudlian rapper EsDeeKid. (Mail)

Beverley Knight has revealed that at the height of her fame, music bosses had a meeting about her weight, when she was going through troubles at home. (Mail)

 

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REVIEWS

ALBUMS
Dry Cleaning (Guardian - 4* Alexis Petridis)

Blue (Guardian - 2* Michael Cragg)

Pink Floyd - ‘Wish You Were Here’ (FT - 5* Ludovic Hunter-Tilney)

Buckingham Nicks (FT - 4* Ludovic Hunter-Tilney)

LIVE
Stereolab - Brixton Electric, London (Observer - Kitty Empire)

Trevor Horn - Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (Times - 3* Mark Beaumont)

FILM

Bowie: The Final Act (FT- 2* Jonathan Romney, Times- 5* Ed Potton, Guardian - 3* Steve Rose)

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INTERNATIONAL

The FTC claps back against Key Investment Group’s motion to dismiss their suit against the ticket reseller, asserting violations of the BOTS Act. (DMN)

Live Nation makes a high-stakes move to kill the US government’s antitrust lawsuit, claiming that prosecutors have failed to produce any evidence. (DMN)

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BIGGER PICTURE

As well as being the dominant platform in podcasting and having a growing presence in live sport, YouTube is now the leader in TV and streaming in the US. (FT)

BBC Sounds celebrated another record-breaking year with over 2.5bn plays of radio, music and podcasts between January and November 2025 – an increase of 8% year-on-year. (BBC)