So there is a god. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), who we love dearly, finally saw sense and dropped its lawsuit against the granny who had suffered enormously at the hands of Hurricane Rita. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Christmas spirit that made the RIAA see sense in this latest filesharing lawsuit.

Granny Crain had previously claimed that she had never used filesharing services and that she had had her home displaced by the hurricane. That wasn’t enough to deter the RIAA. The case would have continued by for a counter-claim by Granny Crain that the RIAA had played dirty by sending an unlicensed investigator to snoop on the old lady.

MediaSentry, hired by the RIAA, is apparently not allowed to investigate people in Texas – not even in filesharing cases for the mighty RIAA Vs The People. The RIAA is now shaken as it could potentially lose a number of filesharing cases based on this ruling. The RIAA has likely dropped its case out of fear that if MediaSentry snooping is ruled illegal in this lawsuit, a host of other filesharing cases will fall apart – we can but hope.

Granny Crain had been accused of using the filesharing services Kazaa. Demands to settle out of court for $4,500 were rejected by the pensioner.

The RIAA also suffered a setback in a filesharing case when Tanya Andersen and her 10-year-old daughter left the RIAA on the ropes after more claims against MediaSentry investigations. The RIAA stalked and hounded Anderson for three years, but it appears that there is some justice in the world.

There haven’t been many great albums recently. Aside from Britney Spears doing her thing and Radiohead releasing their album on the Internet, there has been very little of interest in the music world. Timbaland is one of the few artists making great pop music in the current climate. Could Timbaland be the savior of contemporary pop music?

Timbaland’s album Shock Value is groundbreaking on so many levels. Here is an artist respected as a hip hop producer, defying all genre boundaries and throwing in shades of electro, hip hop, RnB, house, rock, indie – everything.

Timbaland is unique in that his music appeals to a wide range of people. You’ve got hop hop joints like “The Way I Are” sat next to the beautiful ballad “Apologize”. The real telling sign of how great Timbaland is will come if and when he releases his next album, but if it’s anything like the stuff he has been working on over the past three years, we’ll know Timbaland is here to stay.

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.