An archive of early Coldplay recordings — studio tapes, alternate mixes and demos from the formative sessions that predated and helped shape the band’s debut album, Parachutes — is heading to auction this week through Wax Poetics, offering a rare look at the band before it broke worldwide.

The bulk of the collection comes from British producer, mixer and engineer Chris Allison and centers on Coldplay’s “Blue Room” sessions at London’s Orinoco Studios, recorded shortly after the band signed to Parlophone.

The auction house describes the material as a window into the period that laid the groundwork for Parachutes — including “High Speed,” which would become the only track on the album not produced by Ken Nelson; Allison produced it alone. The song first surfaced on the Blue Room EP, Coldplay’s first release for Parlophone, in October 1999, before being re-recorded for the album.

The lots also include original DAT mixes, unreleased alternate versions, a previously unheard take of “We Never Change,” and a nine-track cassette holding some of the band’s earliest known recordings — two of those songs never released in any form.

Among the more unusual items, the auction house says the archive contains an acoustic demo that Chris Martin recorded as a pitch for the title song of the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough. The assignment ultimately went to Garbage, whose “The World Is Not Enough” became the official theme; per Wax Poetics, Martin’s version has never been released or documented.

“This is a window into the writing, recording, production and promotion of some uniquely celebrated music artists – pieces of music history that deserve to be in the hands of fans, not gathering dust in a storage unit,” Allison said in a statement.

The tapes document Coldplay at its absolute starting line. Parachutes was released in July 2000, peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified double platinum in the U.S., later winning the Grammy for best alternative music album. From there, the band became one of the defining stadium acts of the century, stacking up Billboard 200 No. 1 albums and one of the highest-grossing touring runs in history.

The wider Alt/Indie, Rock & Pop collection also features material tied to the Beta Band, the Wedding Present and Red Hot Chili Peppers, with bidding open through July 19. A percentage of proceeds is earmarked for Restore the Music, a charity funding instruments and equipment in under-resourced state schools.

Beyoncé’s label and management company, Parkwood Entertainment, has defeated a copyright lawsuit over the EDM sample that opens her hit 2022 Renaissance track “Alien Superstar.”

A Friday (June 26) court ruling, first obtained and reported by Billboard, dismisses the lawsuit brought against Parkwood last summer by a company claiming to own the 1998 John Holiday song “Moonraker.” A sample of that track serves as the introduction to “Alien Superstar”: “Please do not be alarmed, remain calm/ Do not attempt to leave the dancefloor/ The DJ booth is conducting a troubleshoot of the entire system.”

Parkwood cleared this sample from Holiday; the house musician is listed in the lengthy Renaissance credits and was paid $10,000 plus 0.5% of the royalties from “Alien Superstar,” which hit No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. But in the July 2025 lawsuit, Florida-based Hirose Enterprises LLC alleged that it is actually the owner of the “Moonraker” copyrights and thus should have been part of that licensing process.

Hirose Enterprises LLC is owned by Shuji Hirose, the co-founder of now-defunct indie label Soundmen on Wax. The lawsuit claims Soundmen on Wax bought the “Moonraker” copyrights in 1998. Parkwood argued in response that there’s no paperwork documenting that purported transfer of rights, and thus it properly cleared the “Alien Superstar” sample from Holiday directly.

Judge Mark C. Scarsi did not need to address those arguments in order to dismiss the lawsuit on Friday, however. That’s because it turns out Hirose Enterprises was not actually formed until a week after the lawsuit was filed — a major legal defect that bars it from suing in the first place.

“Please do not be alarmed, remain calm: like the DJ booth referenced in the works at issue, this district judge must conduct a troubleshoot test of the entire system — that is, a jurisdictional inquiry — before reaching any of the parties’ merits arguments,” wrote the judge, quoting the “Moonraker” lyrics. “Plaintiff had no legal existence at the time it brought suit, so it cannot have held a stake in the outcome of the litigation at the time it filed the complaint.”

Judge Scarsi thus threw out the entire case against Parkwood, as well as Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell. Beyoncé herself was not targeted in the lawsuit.

Reps for the various litigants did not immediately return requests for comment on Monday (June 29). Hirose Enterprises has the right to appeal Friday’s dismissal ruling if it wants another chance at pursuing the copyright claims.

Teyana Taylor was honored with the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday night (June 28).

Janet Jackson, who’s Taylor’s main artistic inspiration, made a surprise appearance to present the Harlem-bred polymath with the award, which caught Taylor off guard and saw her immediately break down in tears.

“It seems like only yesterday, our rose from Harlem grew out of the concrete and blossomed into our Icon of the Year. I’ve enjoyed watching you, as you know, over the years,” Jackson gushed. “Watching you defy expectations, rewrite the rules and lead with an unstoppable work ethic.”

Rocking a 2Pac T-shirt, the pop icon continued: “The world is made more luminous with the art that you have given it. This year, it belongs to you.”

Overcome with emotion, Taylor wiped her tears and hit a Janet Jackson-esque strut across the stage in a blue dress to accept the Icon of the Year Award, but made sure to give Jackson her flowers before turning the spotlight to herself.

“I love you so much,” Taylor said to Jackson. “Thank you for always seeing me. Thank you for every text, every hug, every talk. You are my biggest inspiration. Everybody who I know knows how I feel about you. The fact you even took out the time to be here and celebrate with me, this is crazy. I love you so much. There would be no me without you.”

Taylor went on: “Tonight they handed me a title and that title is Icon of the Year. For a little minute, I wondered if I was supposed to be feel uncomfortable saying that title out loud. But nah, I worked my a– off 20 years for this. So I’m not what I’ve earned with arrogance, I’m accepting what I’ve earned with gratitude.”

Taylor urged the importance of pouring into others, as she believed that helping others doesn’t mean she has to dim her own light. “So tonight I will wear this title loud and proud because I promise to continue to earn it,” she added.

Teyana Taylor is coming off a banner 2025, which included her starring in the Oscar-winning One Battle After Another. For her performance as Perfidia, she picked up a Golden Globe Award and a nomination at the Academy Awards. The 34-year-old also released her Escape Room album, which debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard 200.

Spike Tee also picked up an additional three BET Awards, for video director of the year, the fashion vanguard award and best actress.

Watch Taylor’s full speech below.