Taylor Swift had 10 Top 10 singles; Australia had none by Jeff Jenkins No Australian song hit number one in 2025. In fact, an Australian single failed to crack the Top 20. It’s believed to be the first time in chart history that a homegrown hit has not reached the Top 20.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has added his voice to the 2026 Triple J Hottest 100, sharing his picks from a wide range of local and international artists. Albo's choices highlight a mix of rising stars and established names, from the indie-pop charms of Olivia Dean and Hatchie to the homegrown beats of Hilltop Hoods and Ocean Alley.

SXSW Sydney has come to an abrupt end, with organisers confirming the Asia-Pacific edition of the globally recognised South By Southwest festival will not proceed in 2026 or beyond. The decision follows the withdrawal of funding by the New South Wales Government, bringing the event to a close just three years into what was originally planned as a longer-term commitment.

Byron Bay Bluesfest has unveiled a major new wave of artists for its 2026 edition, confirming Parkway Drive, Erykah Badu and The Wailers as headline additions to an already formidable bill. The announcement reinforces Bluesfest’s long held reputation for programming that spans generations, genres and cultures, united by musicianship, legacy and the power of live performance.

Fed Square will again become Melbourne's summer living room this February with the return of Open Air At The Square, a free, month-long program that places music, film and performance at the centre of the city's cultural life. Running from February 2 to February 28, 2026, the festival draws together local voices and internationally recognised artists across live music, outdoor cinema and participatory performance, transforming warm summer nights into shared experiences in the heart of Melbourne.

Sydney Festival opens today, marking its 50th anniversary with a city-wide celebration of theatre, dance, music, visual arts and immersive experiences. From today until Sunday 25 January, Sydney transforms into a living stage, inviting residents and visitors to gather, reflect and reconnect through a diverse program of performances and installations that honour half a century of cultural innovation while looking to the future.

Australian music fans have delivered another brutal message to local artists in 2025, with streaming figures revealing that only one genuinely new Australian song cracked the Top 10 most streamed Australian tracks of the year.

As the New Year begins, streaming platforms have revealed the songs that defined 2025, highlighting a mix of blockbuster collaborations and K-pop influence. Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music's Replay charts show a global audience gravitating towards high-profile partnerships.

The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors has entered the history books for reasons far removed from artistic celebration, with the annual event recording the lowest television ratings since the ceremony began airing nationally. Broadcast on CBS on 23 December 2025, the Donald Trump hosted edition averaged 3.01 million viewers, a figure that represents a sharp year on year decline and has triggered a flurry of explanations from the Kennedy Center's new leadership and the White House.

The 2026 New Year Honours List has been unveiled, celebrating 1,157 individuals across fields as diverse as the arts, charity, science and community work. King Charles, on the advice of government officials and the prime minister, has recognised those who have made outstanding contributions to their professions and society, with honours including knighthoods, damehoods, and orders of merit. Among the recipients this year, several musicians and entertainers have been acknowledged for their achievements both on stage and off.

Beyoncé has officially joined the billionaire club, cementing her status as one of the most successful musicians and businesswomen of the 21st century. The announcement from Forbes Magazine follows a record-breaking period in her career, highlighted by the global success of her 2025 Cowboy Carter Tour and the commercial achievements of her latest album of the same name.

The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is facing one of the most serious crises in its history, as a widening group of artists, performers and cultural organisations cancel appearances in protest over Donald Trump's takeover of the board and the decision to attach his name to the institution.

Fleetwood Mac's 1977 classic Rumours has emphatically proven that great music endures, securing its place as one of the biggest selling albums of 2025 in the United States. According to year‑end sales tallies, Rumours finished 24th overall in album units across all formats for the year, and impressively ranked 10th in physical sales, the top echelon of CDs and vinyl, with 221,514 units sold. When streaming figures are included, the album's total equivalent sales for 2025 reached 1,064,163.

As 2026 approaches, the global music landscape is gearing up for a wave of major album releases spanning rock, pop, metal, indie and beyond. From long‑anticipated studio efforts by established acts, to fresh explorations from rising stars, the first half of the year promises some of the most eclectic offerings in recent memory. Here's a comprehensive look at the key releases set from January through April.

Gibson Gives has capped off 2025 with the most impactful year in its history, delivering record levels of instruments, funding, and support to music education and wellness programs around the world. The philanthropic arm of Gibson confirmed that 2,445 guitars were donated during the year, alongside more than $5.3 million enabled for global music education initiatives, reinforcing the company's long-standing belief that access to music can be transformative.

Western Australia's longest running and most revered David Bowie tribute event will return in January for what may be its final and most emotionally charged chapter.

Jerry Kasenetz, the New York born songwriter and producer who helped invent and commercialise bubblegum pop in the late 1960s, has died aged 82. Kasenetz passed away on December 6, 2025, in Tampa, Florida, following complications from a fall at his home.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has launched a fresh legal bid that could dramatically alter the course of his incarceration, with attorneys filing an expedited notice of appeal seeking his immediate release from federal prison. The filing asks the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to either enter a judgment of acquittal or vacate his conviction and return the case to the trial court for resentencing.

Australia's festival season is heating up, but for music fans, the cost of entry is rising faster than ever. New analysis by Culture Kings of ticket data from 11 major Australian music festivals shows that prices have surged dramatically beyond inflation and are projected to continue climbing over the next decade.

Spotify has confirmed that a third party unlawfully scraped large volumes of music data from its platform, after an activist group claimed it had backed up almost the entire Spotify catalogue. The incident centres on Anna's Archive, an open source “shadow library” project, which says it has assembled metadata for 256 million tracks and accessed 86 million audio files spanning music uploaded between 2007 and 2025.

One week after verbally abusing a fan during Garbage's set at the Good Things music festival in Melbourne, Shirley Manson addressed the incident directly, delivering a heartfelt apology during a show at the Palais last night. The confrontation, which took place in front of thousands, had sparked widespread debate among fans and ignited discussions about concert etiquette and artist-fan interactions.

Brisbane's riverside concert series, On the Banks, has unveiled a new wave of international and Australian talent set to perform at the Cultural Forecourt at South Bank across February and March 2026. The series, a collaboration between Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and South Bank Corporation, promises warm summer nights filled with music, food, and community energy along the Brisbane River.

Twilight At Taronga will enter its 29th year in 2026, once again turning Taronga Zoo's waterfront amphitheatre into one of Sydney's most cherished summer destinations. With demand stronger than ever, new shows have been added for Sons Of The East on 12 February and Xavier Rudd on 22 February, joining an already packed program that has produced a string of early sell-outs.

The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition has unveiled its 2025 Top 50 Finalists, marking a historic year for the prestigious initiative named for legendary Australian writers Harry Vanda and George Young. More than 4,000 songs were submitted from 52 countries, a milestone that confirms the competition's position as one of the most recognised international platforms for contemporary songwriters.

SongMakers, the collaborative songwriting program designed to develop young Australian creators, will undergo a significant expansion in New South Wales in 2026 and 2027, following a major funding commitment from Sound NSW. The initiative, operated by APRA AMCOS, has become a core development platform for emerging talent, with a track record of embedding professional creative practice inside Australian schools.

Next year's Eurovision Song Contest has entered its most turbulent phase in decades, as Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands confirm they will boycott the 2026 event in Vienna, after the European Broadcasting Union confirmed Israel is cleared to compete. The decision came during a tightly guarded general assembly in Geneva, where the EBU declined to hold a vote on Israel's participation, a move that triggered immediate withdrawals from several major broadcasters.

A diverse lineup of Australian artists, community advocates and humanitarian organisations will come together at PICA in Port Melbourne, Naarm on Sunday 21 December for A Gathering For Gaza, a one-day fundraising event created to support urgent relief efforts in Gaza. The event will run from 2pm to 11pm and will raise funds for four frontline organisations, with all net profits directed to Olive Kids, PANZMA, PARA and Médecins Sans Frontières Australia.

It is officially that time of year again: triple j has opened voting for its iconic Hottest 100 of 2025, with the countdown to be broadcast live on Saturday, 24 January 2026. Fans from around Australia will join the nationwide listening party, tuning in from 12 pm AEDT to relive their favourite tracks of the year.

Laneway Festival has announced five new additions to its 2026 national lineup, with each act selected through the annual triple j Unearthed competition. The initiative continues its long history of elevating breakthrough talent across Australia, with the winners set to perform across Laneway's February run in the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The program has been a launchpad for many rising acts, and the 2026 group reflects the depth of new Australian music.

Steve Cropper, who shaped the sound of American soul from the heart of Memphis, died on 3 December 2025 at age 84, leaving behind one of the most consequential bodies of work in popular music.