Norah Jones is set to receive the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award at the Grammy Hall of Fame Gala on May 8 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

Jones and Charles recorded a duet version of his 1967 hit “Here We Go Again” for his final studio album, Genius Loves Company. The track won two Grammys – record of the year and best pop collaboration with vocals – in February 2005, eight months after Charles’ death.

Jon Batiste was the inaugural recipient of the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award at last year’s Grammy Hall of Fame gala.

Warner Records will be recognized as the 2026 label honoree at the event, which is presented jointly by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum. Atlantic Records and Republic Records were the label honorees in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

“I’m so honored to receive the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award,” Jones said in a statement. “Ray Charles was my musical hero, and he changed the way so many of us hear and feel music.  To be recognized in connection with his legacy, and as part of a night that also celebrates such important recorded works, is special for me.”

“Norah Jones represents the kind of artistry that leaves a lasting imprint on music and culture,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Her work reflects a deep musicality, emotional honesty and a spirit of exploration that echoes the legacy of Ray Charles himself.”

“Norah Jones has created a body of work defined by emotional honesty, musical depth and a voice that is instantly recognizable,” said Michael Sticka, president/CEO of the Grammy Museum. “Her artistry has resonated across generations and genres, which makes her a remarkable recipient of this honor.”

“Ray Charles was a singular artist whose influence continues to reach across every corner of music, and this award was created to honor that same spirit of originality, excellence and lasting impact,” said Valerie Ervin, president of The Ray Charles Foundation. “Norah Jones is an artist whose work reflects those qualities so beautifully, and we are thrilled to see her recognized with this year’s Architect of Sound Award.”

Jones will perform during the evening, which will also feature performances from a lineup of artists to be announced soon. Jones is a 10-time Grammy winner. In 2003, she became just the third female artist (following Lauryn Hill in 1999 and Alicia Keys in 2002) to win five Grammys in one night. She won her most recent Grammy in 2025: best traditional pop vocal album for Visions.

The event will also honor the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame-inducted recordings, which were announced in February. The 14 titles being honored – 11 albums and three singles – span nearly a century of recorded music.

TV journalist Anthony Mason will again host the Grammy Hall of Fame Gala. The show will be produced by Ken Ehrlich, who produced or executive produced the Grammy Awards for 40 years, alongside Ron Basile, Chantel Sausedo, Lindsay Saunders Carl and Lynne Sheridan. Cheche Alara, Grammy and Latin Grammy Award-winning composer, producer and conductor, will serve as music director.

Losing is in the eye of the beholder. Take Diane Warren, for instance. The legendary songwriter has been nominated for an Academy Award 17 times and 17 times she has gone home empty-handed.

It happened again on Sunday night (March 15) when Warren put on her Oscar best and sat in the audience waiting to hear if her latest nominated track, “Dear Me,” from the doc Diane Warren: Relentless, would be the track to finally break the spell. The inspiring song sung by Kesha over the end titles of the film about the songwriter is a kind of pep talk to her younger self that, not for nothing, Warren said is the first tune she’s ever written about herself.

“I’m not gonna lie and say I wouldn’t like to win, especially with this song from this movie. Who knows, right?,” she told Billboard before the Oscars.

Well, it happened again and now Warren has the record for being the person with the most nominations without a win in Oscar history. And she’s totally fine with it.

Speaking to NBCLA, Warren embraced headlines she said dubbed her “the biggest loser like, ever, in the history of the Academy Awards.”

She said, “I’ll take it. That means I’ve been nominated all these times. But, again, if I won one and if I had the choice of winning an Oscar and, you know — and I’ve been nominated all these times — I’m taking the multiple [nominations]. I’m taking the mantle of the biggest loser ever. I’d rather have that than the competitive Oscar.”

Warren — who has been nominated for best original song every year but one since 2014 — did get an honorary Oscar from the Academy in 2022 for a lifetime achievement in music.

Martin Talbot is stepping down as CEO of the Official Charts Company, the U.K.’s charts compiler.

A former journalist and editor, Talbot took the reins at the OCC in 2007, a time when appetite for physical soundcarriers was in sharp decline and the likes of Spotify and other streaming brands had yet to announce their arrival.

In the years since, Talbot successfully navigated the organization through that period of unprecedented transition, as consumer tastes shifted from physical, to downloads, and now streaming, and secured agreements to produce the official charts in Ireland and France, in addition to the United Kingdom. Also, Talbot has overseen the negotiation of five successive BBC contracts.

With Talbot at the helm, the Official Charts announced almost 1,000 No. 1s.

Talbot departs as the OCC prepares for the launch later this year of a new, state-of-the-art data system, following the largest infrastructure investment in the company’s history, reads a statement.

Prior to joining the OCC, Talbot served as editor of Music Week, the U.K. music trade title where he learned the ropes as a reporter back in 1990.

“It has been a privilege to head the Official Charts for the best part of two decades, to establish it as a leading entertainment brand and player in the international market. But, with the company ready to take its next step forward with a brand-new state of the art data platform later this year, I feel it is time to step away,” Talbot explains in a statement.

“When I joined Official Charts, legitimate downloading was only a couple of years old, the download market was five years away from its peak, streaming was yet to emerge and vinyl sales were at an all-time low. To have steered the ship which has tracked and navigated that evolution from the inside has been hugely rewarding.”

Talbot is expected to exit towards the end of April. In his absence, he’s confident OCC commercial director Becca Monahan, operations director Chris Austin and digital & brand director Lauren Kreisler can help “take the business to new heights.”

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Martin for his outstanding leadership and commitment over the past 18 years,” comments Drew Hill, chair of the board. “Under his stewardship, the company has grown significantly, navigated major industry shifts and made the investments that will underpin its future success. We are extremely grateful for his contribution and wish him every success in his next chapter.”

The OCC, 50/50 joint venture between labels’ association BPI and the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA, formerly BARD), publishes a suite of more than 50 weekly charts, including the flagship Official U.K. Singles and Albums Charts. The Official Chart is said to captures over 99% of all U.K. singles consumption, 98% of all albums and over 90% of all videos and DVDs, and counts sales and streams from 8,000 sources each day.

SYDNEY, Australia — Qudos Bank Arena shifted its 15 millionth ticket, a major milestone that was notched up at last weekend’s Linkin Park concert.

For those keeping track, the result was a relief. Linkin Park canceled a concert last week in Adelaide due to illness in the band. By the time the Sydney leg rolled around, the nu-metal band had a clean bill of health, and had the honors for cracking the milestone.

Sydney engineering student Jared Garwood, 20, held the golden ticket.

Qudos Bank Arena is owned by TEG and operated by Legends Global, and, with a 22,000 capacity, it’s the country’s biggest arena.

The venue officially opened in November 1999 with a special performance by Luciano Pavarotti, and went on to host basketball, gymnastics and trampolining competition at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Music highlights over the years have included P!nk’s Beautiful Trauma World Tour, which sold 147,970 tickets sold across nine shows; Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, which established a new single-event attendance record of 21,001 guests, besting the previous mark set by Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveShow Tour; RÜFÜS DU SOL’s 48,865 tickets sold across three shows last November, setting a new benchmark for an electronic music act at the venue; and TWICE’s 29,572 tickets sold over two shows for their This Is For World Tour, a new high mark for a K-pop artist at the arena.

Originally built as the Sydney SuperDome, the venue hosts 120 events in a typical year. Up to 1,000 people work on each event.

“The arena has played host to so many of Sydney’s most memorable entertainment moments over the past 27 years and now regularly ranks in the top 10 in ticket sales for large indoor arenas anywhere in the world,” comments Legends Global chairman & CEO Harvey Lister.

Sydney became a one arena town when, in early 2016, the Sydney Entertainment Centre was demolished to make way for the Darling Square residential development.