It looks like everybody loves Beyonce. The former Desnity’s Child frontwoman performed to 5,000 screaming fans in Ethiopia. The concert was noteworthy because Ethiopians aren’t known for being fans of Western music, let alone RNB.

Even teenagers who usually turn their noses up to this sort of music were impressed with Beyonce. It was amazing that Beyonce could perform in all of her outrageous costumes in a country where women normally wear plain, white clothes.

The Beyonce concert was part of Ethiopia’s celebration of 2,000 years of existence, according to its ancient calendar.

Last year, the Black Eyed Peas failed to woo a crowd in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We’re not surprised, because the Black Eyed Peas suck. It’s great that Beyonce could win them over though.

“Rap music doesn’t suit Ethiopia. Ethiopians need a melody,” said a local music promoter.

It wasn’t all fun and games though, as Ludacris opened for Beyonce to a luke-warm reaction. There must be something about Beyonce that charms people.

Reasons for the success of the concert varied from Beyonce being “hot” to how much she loves Ethiopia. Whatever, Beyonce is a phenomenon.

In yet another challenge to Apple’s crown, mobile giant Nokia is staking its claim in the race to Christmas sales with the launch of two new music cellphones. The Apple iPhone will launch in the UK on November 9, and both Apple and Nokia are already engaged in a war of advertising and product placement.

This battle for the British market has got to the point where Nokia is now opening a store on Regent Street in London, just a few steps away from Apple’s flagship store. These guys are serious.

It’s Nokia Vs Apple and the gloves are off. Nokia’s new phones will give users the chance to search for music online. The interface will be similar to that of an iPod. While the N95 and the N81 may not be Nokia’s most interestingly-named products, the two phones will be hot on the streets of London this festive season.

The main difference between the Nokia phones and the iPhone is that iPhone users can’t browse through music stores on their phones using their service provider – they have to be in a WiFi area. This difference isn’t too significant, however.

The iPhone will launch in the UK for the equivalent of $550. Nokia is yet to reveal the cost of its new handsets, but as usual, they will probably be given away free with certain phone plans.

Both the iPhone and the Nokia models will feature 8MB of memory and decent-resolution cameras.

It’s game on.

Not only are the aging rock legends getting back together, but Led Zeppelin could be about to record their first new material in 30 years. It’s every rock fans dream. Led Zeppelin are due to perform live on stage next month with their original lineup minus drummer John Bonham (who will be replaced by his son, Jason).

Jimmy Page has been telling people that the band recording new music is almost inevitable, although he admits to being cautious about what to do with regards to live shows and new music. After all, a bad run could seriously tarnish the career and reputation of one of the most-respected bands in the world.

“Look, I’d be really surprised if there wasn’t [new music] - you know, I mean I just know the way we are. We’re musicians…as we’re playing we’ll probably be coming up with all manner of things. And that will be fun. I mean that’s what it’s all about. Let’s do the O2 show, shall we? And then we’ll speak to you afterward,” aid Page to Jam! Music.

Although Page and Plant are taking it one step at a time, it’s an exciting time for music reunions. If they can produce music anywhere near as good as they did 30 years ago, we will be in for some real treats. Let’s just hope it doesn’t all go pear shaped.

2007 will forever be recognized as the year digital music took over the industry. Sales are set to grow 50% over the next 12 months, and with the digital music business becoming increasingly competitive, this can only increase.

At the moment, iTunes from Apple holds about 80% of the market, but this is all about to change. Amazon MP3 is looking to take a chunk out of Apple’s monopoly, while UK companies like Woolworths and HMV are also looking to get in on the action.

Then there’s Nokia, who will also be putting up their challenge. As more and more companies branch out into the digital music industry, the way we buy our songs and albums is going to change

Bands like Radiohead, Oasis, The Charlatans, Jamiroquai, Nine Inch Nails, and so on, are also joining in the fun and embracing digital downloads. The public is fed up of overpriced CDs and record labels are going to have to take note.

With CD sales plummeting, the digital music revolution is gaining strength.

One point of concern is how this will affect smaller bands. Radiohead can give away their music because they have enough fans to be able to do so, but newer bands don’t have this power. With fans now able to pick and choose songs at will, some analysts are speculating that people are actually spending less, despite the digital industry growing.

Only time will tell how this will shape the music business for us all.

It’s finally here, and what an album it is. Radiohead’s In Rainbows is everything we hoped it would be. It’s powerful, stirring, emotional, unsettling – it’s just so typically Radiohead. It has hints of all of their previous albums, amalgamated into one flowing entity.

The opening track is strange and leads into another odd track, “Bodysnatchers”, that throws back to The Bends. Thom Yorke and the boys really come into their own on tracks like “Nude”. You can tell that this is an album into which they have poured everything.

Feedback from the music press has been largely positive, but the real test will be what we think of this album in one month, six months, one year. You can’t judge a Radiohead album on a few listens. It requires time, but after 24 hours with In Rainbows, we’re certain it has the makings of Radoihead’s finest work.

We can’t get over just how moving the track “Videotape” is. In Rainbows is an emotional rollercoaster. It isn’t easy to listen to because it takes you to the very depths of feeling, but what else would you expect from Radiohead?

They’re the biggest band in the world, they have no record label, no executives to oblige, and they’ve come up with what is surely the album of the year.

Order now from InRainbows.com

Wow! Britney is back with some serious bite. As if Britney Spears’ comeback single going top five wasn’t enough, the next single is shaping up to do even better, thanks to some cutting lyrics aimed at the media frenzy that follows her daily.

As if to say, “Enough is enough,” Britney has slammed the media and given the world an insight into how she has been struggling to cope with her A-list profile.

I’m Mrs. Lifestyles of the rich and famous

I’m Mrs. Oh my God that Britney’s Shameless

I’m Mrs. Extra! Extra! this just in

I’m Mrs. she’s too big now she’s too thin

Now if that’s not edgy then we don’t know what is. “Tryin’ and pissin’ me off, hopin’ I’ll resort to startin’ havoc, and end up settlin’ in court.” This is the first time that Britney has written such powerful lyrics, and we must say, we like it. It’s as if she’s finally telling the world what’s on her mind. This new gnarly Britney could be what we see more of in the future. Is our pop princess dead? Perhaps a duet with Avril Lavigne is on the cards.

“Piece of Me” has been leaked onto the Internet already, so if you really want to hear it, you know where and how. The forthcoming Britney album Blackout is slated for a November release.

Despite all the problems she’s faced, could it be that Britney’s comeback is actually bearing fruit? The real test will come when the album drops and touring begins, but this is a good start.

We’d forgotten Puff Daddy even existed. Oh wait, he doesn’t. We’d forgotten P Diddy, umm, Diddy even existed until this latest bit of news came in. Apparently rap’s blandest performer is being sued to the sum of $19 million by a former associate for music recorded by the late Notorious B.I.G.

James Sabatino apparently flew Biggie to Miami in 1994 to record some material, which was then supposed to belong to Sabatino because he had paid for the flights and expenses.

Diddy bought the music and video footage after Biggie’s death in 1997 for $200,000, although he only paid $25,000 up front. Because Sabatino was initially linked to the death of Notorious B.I.G., Diddy was reluctant to give him money at such a sensitive time.

In another twist, Sabatino eventually ended up in jail on unrelated charges, and that’s where he remains today, still asking P Diddy Sean Combs for his money. Somehow, lawyers have assessed that all this adds up to $19 million.

This case makes so little sense on so many levels. For a start, it’s been 10 years since the material was first sold. Secondly, how does $200,000 turn into $19 million? While we aren’t big fans of Puff Daddy (yeah, let’s call him that), we think Sabatino must have a few wires crossed.

The case continues, and we still don’t know who killed Biggie either.

Another music reunion is on the cards. This time it’s Blur who might be hoping to rekindle some of that lost magic. Uber-geek and the coolest member of the band, Graham Coxon left Blur in 2002 and pursued a moderately successful solo career. Blur were never the same without their main guitarist, and Damon Albarn continued focusing on weird tribal music that nobody could really understand.

Well, Damon, Graham, and the other two blokes from Blur sat down for lunch October 1 for the first time in five years. The foursome met to discuss a possible reunion.

Don’t get your hopes up just yet though, because the band announced on their official website that the music won’t arrive for a long time yet. There aren’t actually any plans for Blur to record any new material or play live together again – yet.

Together since 1989, a Blur reunion would be kind of cool, but it’s certainly not the most exciting prospect to look forward to in the next few years. Does the world really need Blur to get back together?

Damon Albarn’s side projects have always been interesting, if a little strange. The only one we liked was his Gorillaz outfit, although the concept of that lost its shine some time ago. We’ll have to wait and see if the Blur guys can still make decent music.

Amid all the controversy, after that her disastrous performance at the MTV Awards, after getting charged for driving without a license – even after all of that, Britney Spears’ latest single “Gimme More” has reached number one in the Billboard Digital Song Chart with 179,000 downloads. The song also sits at number three in the Billboard Hot 100.

How does she do it? It seems that the negative publicity has actually benefited Britney Spears, because she really couldn’t have hoped for anything better than this for her comeback. Although her live performances are still looking shady, at least her single is doing well.

Now we can hope that Britney starts seeing sense and gets her ass in gear and back in shape to become the pop princess we once adored. The new album is slated for release November 13 and we’re really excited about the prospect of it.

Although she’s had a terrible week in which she had to give up custody of her children to rapping idiot Kevin Federline, this should give Britney some positive to build on so that she can avoid going completely insane.

While he’s got the kids, K-Fed must be a little jealous, because there’s sure no way he could ever notch up a top five single. Suck on that, Kevin.

Remember Jammie Thomas? Yeah, you know, the woman taken to court by six large record label for making music available for people to share on the Internet. Well, get this: she’s not only been found guilty, but she’s been ordered to pay $220,000 in compensation. $220,000!

Thomas was fined $9,250 for every song she illegally made available on her Kazzaa account, which she said she didn’t own in her defense. She was found guilty of sharing 24 songs, although what these songs are was undisclosed. Apparently she shared some 1,702 songs in all.

The lowest she could have been made to pay was $750 per song, so you can be sure that they are trying to make an example out this poor woman with the massive amount of money they’ve called her out for.

This is a landmark ruling, and it’s one that’s sure to send ripples through the music industry. Are we to all live in fear now that the record labels are starting to bite back? This is just the beginning, and you can be sure that more cases will follow.

What’s big news here is the excessive amount of money Jammie Thomas has to pay. The 24 songs are worth, what, $24? Thomas did the same as millions of people around the world do every day.

The world has gone mad.