Bill Armstrong AM, the pioneering Australian recording engineer, studio owner, producer and broadcaster who helped establish the country's modern recording industry and was a founder and managing director of Melbourne's EON-FM, has died aged 97.

Released in August 1976, *All I Can Do* marked the closing chapter of Dolly Parton's creative partnership with Porter Wagoner and set the stage for the commercial breakthrough that followed with *Here You Come Again* just a year later.

Thousands gathered inside and outside Dublin's St Patrick's Cathedral as family, friends and fellow musicians celebrated the life of Glen Hansard, with performances and tributes reflecting the Irish songwriter's influence across generations.

ZZ Top have cancelled their scheduled Hollywood Bowl concert with Cheap Trick due to what management has described as "unforeseen personnel matters", with automatic refunds to be issued for all ticket holders.

Internationally acclaimed composer, educator and researcher Professor Liza Lim AM will receive the Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music at the 2026 Art Music Awards in Melbourne on 19 August.

The Bures Band will release their third studio album Ozonia on August 28 through Love Police Records & Tapes, with new single "Delta" available now and an Australian east coast tour scheduled for October.

Long-time Australian entertainment and sports manager Ralph Carr, also known as Ralph Carnovale-Carr, has been publicly identified after abandoning a bid to extend a suppression order following his conviction on two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in the County Court of Victoria.

Vicki Wickham, the influential television producer, artist manager and music executive whose career helped shape British pop culture from the 1960s onwards, has died. Best known for transforming Ready Steady Go! into Britain's defining music television programme and for guiding the career of Dusty Springfield, Wickham remained an influential figure in music for more than six decades.

Melbourne International Film Festival has announced the nominees for its 2026 awards, with more than $300,000 in prize money to be presented across feature films, Australian directing, First Nations screen creatives, youth programming and short filmmaking.

Brisbane songwriter and producer STACKS has been named the recipient of the 2026 Diana Torossian Emerging Songwriter Award, receiving industry mentoring and songwriting opportunities valued at more than $20,000 alongside a $3,000 cash prize.

Australian music historian, broadcaster, author and longtime Billboard Australia editor Glenn A. Baker has died, with the news confirmed by his friend and longtime collaborator Stuart Coupe. Baker's influence on Australian music extended across journalism, broadcasting, artist management, publishing and music preservation for more than five decades.

Ninajirachi emerged as the biggest winner at the 20th Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Awards in Adelaide, collecting five awards as the annual event marked two decades of recognising Australia's independent recorded music sector.

V.Spy V.Spy's first two albums are returning on vinyl and CD through Songland Records, with pre-orders closing Friday 31 July 2026 before manufacturing numbers are finalised.

For the first half of The Beatles' recording career, fans in the United States often bought albums with different titles, different covers and dramatically different track listings from those released in the UK and Australia. The changes were driven by commercial decisions, royalty structures and differing market expectations rather than by the band themselves.

The collapse of Leading Edge Group into voluntary administration has raised fresh concerns about the future of Australia's independent retail sector, with regional record stores among the businesses facing immediate disruption after the buying group's central billing model was frozen.

APRA AMCOS and the National Film and Sound Archive have launched The National Songbook, a new annual honour recognising the Australian songs that have had the greatest cultural impact, with the first 10 works to be inducted in Canberra during Ausmusic Month this November.

New Zealand's long running Rhythm and Vines festival will stage its final event at Waiohika Estate in Gisborne this summer, bringing to a close a 24 year chapter that helped establish the event as one of the country's defining New Year's music festivals.

Australian music pioneer Mike Rudd and his seminal progressive rock outfit Spectrum are the focus of a new 40-minute documentary exploring the history of their 1971 chart-topping single, I'll Be Gone. Independent filmmaker Chris Franklin has released the documentary, titled Someday I'll Have Money, on YouTube, detailing how a simple, whimsical song written in Melbourne became a permanent fixture of Australia's cultural fabric.

Aviva Endean and Mindy Meng Wang have emerged as the most recognised finalists for the 2026 Art Music Awards, each receiving three nominations ahead of next month's ceremony in Melbourne.

The Red Hot Summer Tour has recorded another sell-out, with the Hunter Valley event at Roche Estate reaching capacity as demand continues for Australian Crawl's first official performances in 40 years and a rare reunion with Men At Work.

AXS will become the official ticketing partner for Sydney's Hordern Pavilion from 10 August 2026, expanding the company's Australian footprint while introducing its mobile ticketing and fan management platform to one of the country's best known live music venues.

The 2026 Red Hot Summer Tour has added two more sold out events, with Berry Showground in New South Wales and Sandalford Wines in Western Australia's Swan Valley now reaching capacity ahead of the national tour.

New Zealand actor Sam Neill, whose career spanned five decades across cinema, television and Australian productions, has died in Sydney at the age of 78, leaving behind one of the most respected acting legacies in the Southern Hemisphere and beyond.

Andy Bickers, the New Zealand born saxophonist whose powerful performances became an integral part of Cold Chisel's live sound and countless Australian recordings, has died aged 56 after a battle with cancer. His passing brings to a close a career that shaped Australian rock music on stage and in the studio for more than three decades.

Derryn Hinch, the outspoken broadcaster, journalist and former Victorian senator whose six decade career made him one of Australia's most recognisable media figures, has died aged 82 after a lifetime spent challenging authority, testing the limits of the law and campaigning for criminal justice reform.

Tributes have continued to pour in for Bonnie Tyler, with fellow musicians, actors and public figures celebrating the Welsh singer whose unmistakable voice made songs such as Total Eclipse Of The Heart, It's A Heartache and Holding Out For A Hero enduring international classics.

The Beatles' landmark performance at Shea Stadium on 15 August 1965 transformed the economics and logistics of live rock concerts, while exposing the technical limitations of concert sound that would reshape the industry for decades.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's apology over comments made during a comedy podcast has reignited debate about the standards expected of Australia's political leaders, while also raising questions about whether the controversy has been amplified beyond the significance of the original remarks.

Chocolate Starfish has premiered a new feature-length documentary, tracing the Melbourne band's journey from pub rock beginnings and chart success to personal tragedy and an enduring second act on the Australian live circuit.

Church Geelong will open this August inside a restored 19th century church, launching with a program of live music, comedy and original performances led by independent Australian artists, including an opening night show from Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers.