Tame Imapala mastermind Kevin Parker has further diversified his role within the music industry, this time launching a new musical “ideas machine”.

Dubbed Orchid, the new device is less of an instrument and more of a digital polysynthesizer designed for musicians and producers to explore new ideas.

Per a press release, the way Orchid works is “by employing a unique chord logic system, combined with a multitude of ways to shape and alter the chords to maximize creative musical expression”.

“All this is brought into sonic existence by a lush and powerful 16-voice polyphonic synth engine with onboard ambience and modulation FX, plus a separate bass synth engine solely for bottom end,” it continues.

Designed by Telepathic Instruments co-founder Ignacio Germade, Orchid largely operates as a chord generating system. A ’70s-styled product video shows Orchid in action and illustrates how an operator can choose a root note from its single-octave keyboard, and utilise a its eight “chord-type selecting and chord modifying keys”.

Put simply, hitting the ‘E’ on the keyboard and the ‘Minor’ chord modifying key will provide an E minor chord, with the ability to modify it further.

Orchird also utilises a patent pending voicing system which uses a rotary encoder to “re-pitch and re-position chords”, ultimately expanding the chords’ potential outside of the 12 keys found on the unit. The Strum, Slop, Arpeggiator, Pattern and Harp performance modes also add versatilty to the way the aforementioned chords are ‘played’ by the user as well.

“While other chord generators deliver a static and rigid outputting platform, Orchid paints a new landscape,” the press release adds.

Orchid is set to be released in December, with 1,000 units made available to US buyers at a cost of $549. A wider launch will follow in 2025.

Parker’s Tame Impala project last released an album in 2020, with The Slow Rush peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100 – one position higher than its Platinum-selling predecessor, 2015’s Currents.

After more than 60 years in the music industry, Cher has claimed her forthcoming record will “probably” be the last album she releases.

Per U.K. publication The Sun, Cher made her recent comments while at London’s Lyceum Theatre in support of her recently-released biography, Cher: The Memoir, Part One. While discussing the first of her two-volume release, she turned her attention to her forthcoming 28th album.

“This is probably my last album that I’m gonna do,” she admitted. “I’m really excited. They are great songs and I’m just really excited that I’m doing it.”

Though no specific details have been announced as yet, Cher confirmed her intentions to make a new record while speaking to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. A new record of entirely original material would be her first since 2013’s Closer to the Truth, though some new compositions arrived on 2023’s Christmas, which topped the Top Holiday Albums chart.

“I’m really excited to be doing anything now,” Cher told the English crowd. “I’m older than dirt now, OK? I’m the oldest person I meet in almost every room unless I’m in an old folks’ home.”

Releasing her first album in 1965 as one half of duo Sonny & Cher with then-husband Sonny Bono, Cher launched a solo career that same year, and embarking upon a journey which would eventually see her crowned the ‘Godess of Pop’.

In October, Cher was honored with an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony which also saw Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Peter Frampton, and others inducted.

During her well-received speech at the ceremony, Cher recalled the advice that she had been given by her mother from a young age that guided her career to where it is today. “She said to me, ‘You might not be the prettiest, you might not be the smartest, you might not be the most talented, but you’re special,’” she said. “She kept instilling it into me: ‘If you’re down and you’re out, you get up again.’”

Cher continued her speech by ensuring the women in the audience were paying attention to her words. “The one thing I have never done, is I never give up. And I am talking to the women, okay — you guys are on your own,” she offered. “We have been down and out, but we keep striving, and we keep going and we are somebody. We are special, as my mother would say.”

Universal Music Group’s Virgin Music Group struck a global distribution and marketing partnership with Brooklyn-born independent label Partisan Records, which is home to IDLES, PJ Harvey, Blondshell, Cigarettes After Sex, Laura Marling, Ezra Collective and more. Partisan also includes the imprints Desert Daze Sound and section1. The deal follows Universal’s acquisition of Partisan’s longtime partners [PIAS] and [Integral] last month. “The combination of the Virgin and [Integral] teams allows for Partisan to marry the best of the [PIAS] and [Integral] teams that helped get us here with the extra resources of Virgin required to meet our ambition to be the most trusted music company for artists of all genres, worldwide, said Partisan COO Zena White in a statement.

SoundExchange and the South African Music Performance Rights Association (SAMPRA) reached a reciprocal agreement that will see U.S. and South African performers paid royalties for the use of their recordings in the U.S. and South Africa, respectively. This will be the first time U.S. performers are paid neighboring rights when their music is used in South Africa. “This agreement is a result of SoundExchange’s efforts to ensure American creators are treated the same as their South African counterparts in the country,” states a press release on the deal. The multi-lateral agreement, which also includes the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund, is retroactive to the 2022 distribution period and will also benefit non-featured artists including studio musicians and backup singers. Those non-featured artists will also see South African royalties deposited into the fund, which is administered by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and SAG-AFTRA. “This is similar to how, in its U.S. collections, SoundExchange distributes 5% of collected royalties to non-featured artists through the Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund, 45% to featured artists, and 50% to rights owners,” the release adds.

Live Nation acquired a majority stake in Lisbon, Portugal’s 20,000-capacity MEO Arena, marking a major investment for the touring giant in the country. First opened in 1998, MEO Arena will soon be renovated to upgrade premium seating, skyboxes, dressing rooms and concessions. Live Nation also plans to build on the arena’s sustainability efforts to focus on reducing its environmental impact. Daily operations at MEO Arena will remain under its current leadership team. The acquisition follows formal approval by the Portuguese competition authority and is subject to closing conditions. The agreement is expected to be finalized late this year or early next.

Warner Music Group’s merchandise and fan experience division WMX has signed on as the official merch partner for Oasis‘ upcoming comeback tour, Oasis Live 25. The merch offering for the show will include pop-up stores, fan experiences, exclusive brand collaborations and event merchandise. The band is slated to hit stadiums in the U.K., Ireland, North Americ, South America and Australia next year.

Create Music Group acquired Manchester, England-based record label and music publisher Ostereo, which has worked with artists including Joel Corry, J.Fla and Shania Yan. As part of the agreement, Ostereo founder Howard Murphy will exit the company to focus on a new venture, leaving his longtime partners, Ramin Bostan and Nick Kirby, to oversee day-to-day operations.

Dallas-based Regional Mexican label Elegante Records signed a global distribution pact with Warner Music Group’s ADA. The Elegante roster includes Conjunto Rienda Real, La Pócima Norteña and Distinto Norte.

The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) partnered with artist, songwriter, indie label and distributor funding platform beatBread, effectively providing A2IM members with beatBread’s data-driven funding solutions that enable artist or catalog acquisitions, new release funding and support for general operations and growth. Other benefits include free distribution via Too Lost, free OpenPlay subscriptions and discretionary A&R funds on top of any advances taken (up to 20% of the advanced amount).

Downtown-owned business-to-business distributor FUGA signed a partnership with L.A.-based independent label Mind of a Genius Records (MOAG). FUGA will provide MOAG with its suite of comprehensive services, including digital and physical distribution, synch and licensing opportunities and advanced data analytics. MOAG’s roster includes Mindchatter, Kwaye, Karnaval Blues, Peter $un, and Jordan Astra alongside its frontline releases.

Independent distributor IDOL struck a global partnership with London-based label Full Time Hobby and its alt-rock imprint Hassle Records. IDOL will handle global distribution, marketing and audience development for both labels’ frontline and catalog releases, excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Over 21 years, Full Time Hobby has developed artists including GHOSTWOMAN, Michael Nau, Squirrel Flower, The Saxophones and Casey. Under the deal, IDOL will service new Full Time Hobby releases from artists including Bananagun, Canty and Tunng and new Hassle Records releases from BRUTUS, Dead Pioneers and Jools.

It’s probably too early to know if Kelly Clarkson’s 8-year-old son Remy inherited his mom’s talent, but he’s definitely got her charm and confidence.

As his mom recounted on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Wednesday (Nov. 27), “[He] just walked right in today and said, ‘Who do I need to speak to to sing my song?’ I said, ‘OK, sir.’ They’re so much fun. I love my kids so much.”

Clarkson played about 25 seconds of video of Remy warming up the studio audience prior to that day’s taping with a cover version of – of all things – the Frank Sinatra classic “My Way.” Clarkson’s 10-year-old daughter, River, provided backup vocal support (and, no doubt, moral support) from the audience. The studio audience gave Remy a warm round of applause.

The song is generally performed by performers at midlife – Sinatra was 53 when he cut it – looking back at their lives and taking stock of their successes and failures. The English lyrics, written by Paul Anka, include this gem: “Regrets, I’ve had a few/ But then again, too few to mention.”

Sinatra’s version reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1969 and received a Grammy nod for best contemporary vocal performance, male. His recording was selected for the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000. R&B star Brook Benton and Elvis Presley also had Hot 100 hits with the song. (Presley’s version, released after he died in 1977, climbed even higher on the Hot 100 than Sinatra’s version had – No. 22.) Sex Pistols‘ bassist Sid Vicious recorded a punk rock version of the song in 1978. In 2018, Willie Nelson recorded the ballad as the title song of a Grammy-winning collection of Sinatra covers.

“My Way” was an adaptation of the French song “Comme d’habitude,” which was composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François. It was first performed in 1967 by François.

Watch young Remy show his talent and his moxie on his mom’s TV show below.

Liam Gallagher has shared a response to a series of comments that original Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock made about Oasis in a wide-ranging new interview. 

Speaking to NME over the weekend, the 68-year-old described Oasis’ live show as “boring,” claiming that he would “never” go and see them perform again. He also compared the Manchester band to classic rock band Status Quo, saying that “to hear one song once is enough.”

Oasis are currently set to kick off their Oasis Live ‘25 reunion tour next summer, starting at Principality Stadium, Cardiff (July 4) before performing dates in major cities across the U.K., Ireland, Europe, North America, South America, Australia and Asia. The run will mark the first time the Gallagher brothers have performed together since 2009, following years of public rivalry.

“If you’re a fan, it’s understandable. They’ve got lots of fans,” Matlock said of the excitement around the forthcoming reunion, before later opening up on his time in Sex Pistols, as well as sharing his thoughts on Danny Boyle’s “cheesy” Pistol TV biopic for Disney+.

“I’ve always seen Oasis as a bit Status Quo,” he continued of the long-running U.K rock band best known for such hits as “Pictures of Matchstick Men” and “Down Down.” “[With Quo], to hear one song once was enough. It’s a bit like that with Oasis: to hear one song once is enough. I just find them kind of samey. I know the guys. Nice blokes. I’ve gotta be careful what I say because I bump into Noel [Gallagher] quite a lot. He lives around the corner from me.”

He added: “I think Liam is fantastic. He sings great – he’s like Johnny Rotten, but can carry a tune. He’s got a magnetic stage personality: he can just stand there and it’s riveting. The rest of the guys? No. I think they’re boring live. I’d never go to see ‘em.”

When asked if Matlock had seen Oasis live in the past, he responded by saying that in the mid 1990s, he left a London show of theirs early. “I got invited to see ‘em at Earl’s Court. I left. It was boring. I went again to see ‘em in upstate New York with [Blondie’s] Clem Burke. Nah – I couldn’t wait to go.”

Now, Gallagher has responded to Matlock via Twitter/X. “F–K HIM SID WAS THE PISTOLS,” he posted, referring to Sid Vicious, the legendarily outrageous bassist who performed with the Sex Pistols after Matlock initially left the band in 1977. 

The Oasis singer, meanwhile, is known to be a huge fan of the Sex Pistols, even naming his adopted kittens Sid and Nancy after the band’s late member and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.