Music headlines you might have missed over the break

Welcome to a new decade, as those of you who may have been lucky enough to get a break start to return to offices around the country.

The team at The Music Network are back online too, and we hope you had a happy (and safe) summer break.

But there wasn’t complete radio silence over the past couple of weeks, so we’re wrapping up some of music’s biggest headlines:

Musicians Dig Deep For Fire Relief

The music community has gotten behind rural fire services around the country, with several high profile musicians donating huge sums for bushfire relief.

Country star Keith Urban together with wife and actress Nicole Kidman have pledged a whopping $500,000 to rural fire services across Australia.

Australia’s struggles have also copped overseas attention, with Aussie favourite Pink (who has a huge fanbase here) donating another $500K and sharing links to each state’s local fire services.

The fires haven’t just threatened lives and homes of people, but of animals too. Aussie producer Flume has donated $100,000 of his own money to WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services).

Falls Festival Cancels Lorne Leg

The devastation of Australia’s summer bushfires was felt by musicians and punters alive when the Lorne edition of Falls Festival was cancelled.

The festival kicked off December 28 with sets from the likes of John Farnham on the first night.

However, after consultation with local and regional fire authorities, Falls had to send punters home the next day.

“It is clear that we have no other option,” organisers said on Facebook.

Falls was one of two festivals to be canned over the break, with NSW Central Coast’s Lost Paradise cancelled a few weeks out from its scheduled start due to fire risk.

Mariah Interrupts Dance Monkey’s ARIA Run

All Mariah Carey wanted for Christmas was another #1 single, and she got her wish in Australia, with ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ topping the ARIA Singles Chart.

The holiday track ended a mammoth, recording defying run from 2019’s breakout star Tones And I. It’s the second year that Carey has gone to #1 on the chart at the same time of year.

It’s her third #1 in Australia, with ‘Fantasy’ and ‘We Belong Together’.

Notably, Tones And I has since returned to the chart’s summit, racking up her 22nd week in the #1 position.

On the ARIA Albums Chart, Michael Buble returned to the #1 spot for the sixth time with his album Christmasˆ. No other album has peaked at #1 on six separate occasions.

Following the achievement, Harry Styles climbed back to the top of the chart with Fine Line.

Tencent Buys 10% of Universal Music Group

In one of the biggest business deals of 2019, a deadline day agreement between a Tencent-led Consortium and Vivendi saw a 10% stake in Universal Music Group change hands.

The deal is worth US $3billion, and MBW reports the consortium to be made up of Tencent Music Entertainment Group and some undisclosed global investors.

Vivendi is very happy with the arrival of Tencent and its co-investors. They will enable UMG to further develop in the Asian market,” said a joint statement,

“Tencent and the Consortium members are excited to support UMG’s growth through this investment. Together with Vivendi, Tencent and TME will work to broaden the opportunities for artists and to enrich experiences for music fans, further promoting a thriving music and entertainment industry.”

Lizzo Goes #1 On Aussie Radio, Again

Ahead of her arrival in Australia for the FOMO Festival tour, Lizzo briefly interrupted the run of Maroon 5 atop the TMN Hot 100 powered by Radio Monitor.

The remix of ‘Good As Hell’ featuring Ariana Grande re-summitted Australia’s radio chart, ending the year at #1 in chart issue #1269 and remaining top for the first issue of 2019 (#1270).

Last Friday’s Hot 100 was Lizzo’s sixth non-consecutive week atop the chart.

Mariah Carey’s holiday single also cracked the Top 10 of the Hot 100, reaching #1 in the final charting week of 2019.

On the Country Hot 50, Morgan Evans ended the year at #1 with ‘Diamonds’ jumping ahead of Melanie Dyer’s ‘Memphis T-Shirt’.

The first chart of 2020 saw Dyer reclaim the top spot, so expect the tit-for-tat by the two Aussies to continue on the next edition of the chart.

*Chart Issues #1269 and #1270 will be published on The Music Network over the coming days, ahead of the next official chart date this Friday, December 10.