Dolly Parton's Musical Announces Cast
Legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton is dominating country music headlines as the official Broadway cast has been announced for the upcoming New York run of the highly anticipated theatrical production, "Dolly Parton's Musical". The announcement coincided with localised "Dolly Parton Day" celebrations featuring parades and book drives. Parton, a Country Music Hall of Fame inductee and one of the most prolific songwriters of all time, had spent decades expanding her empire from Nashville to Hollywood and Broadway. This new musical is set to bring her signature storytelling and timeless catalogue to a whole new theater-going audience this season.
Declan O'Rourke Releases Eighth Studio Album
Irish singer-songwriter Declan O'Rourke has just released his eighth studio album, "Oceanic", marking his first major product since he celebrated 20 years of his debut record "Since Kyabram" with a sell-out series of shows earlier this year.
New York Times Experiments With AI In Songwriting
The New York Times has just published a hands-on experiment exploring the boundary between human artistry and artificial intelligence titled "An A.I. Songwriting Experiment: Humans Against the Machine".
Led by reporter and occasional songwriter Matt Richtel, a team of four professional musicians locked themselves in a recording studio for a weekend to write and record fresh music entirely from scratch. Their goal was to see if human creative friction, spontaneous studio collaboration, and raw emotion could yield a song that listeners preferred over one generated instantly by a machine.
Ed Sheeran Updates Loop Tour Lineup
Following the removal of rapper Macklemore over comments regarding Gaza, Ed Sheeran has tapped former The Fray star Isaac Slade and American Idol contestant Brooks Rosser as new opening acts for his Loop Tour.
Czech Television Pulls Out Of 2027 Eurovision
The Czech Republic will not participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest. Czech Television said in a statement: "In light of the ongoing budget adjustments, Czech Television has decided not to participate in the 2027 edition. We assess each edition of the competition separately, and therefore do not want to speculate at this point about when Czech Television will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest again."
Ella Langley Abruptly Cancels Concert
Rising singer-songwriter Ella Langley has faced a whirlwind couple of days, addressing a serious security scare after being forced to abruptly cancel a concert due to a bomb threat. Langley, who has since safely returned to the stage, reassured fans and expressed her gratitude to local authorities for handling the situation swiftly. Despite the frightening setback, Langley's career is hitting historic highs as her country smash "Choosin' Texas" recently set an all-time high on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as breaking records as one of the longest-running country hits of all time.
Taylor Swift Upends The Music Charts
Taylor Swift has completely upended the music charts following the surprise announcement and release of her project, "The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore". Her new single, "Patient Zero," had debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, officially ending the historic 24-week streak at the top spot held by country artist Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas". Swift simultaneously claimed multiple spots in the top five, including "Cleveland!" at No. 3 and "Babylon" at Number 4.
Oasis Blocks Multi-Million Pound Vault Auction
Britpop icons Oasis have taken swift legal action to halt an unauthorised auction of archival music. The collection contains 63 concert recordings and over 100 hours of rare 1990s rehearsal material. Valued between £1.2 million and £1.6 million, the band's legal team stepped in to prevent the items from going under the hammer.
Glastonbury Sells Out In 42 Minutes
Demand for the legendary Glastonbury Festival reached a fever pitch as tickets officially went on sale. The entire allocation of tickets completely sold out in just 42 minutes, leaving hundreds of thousands of fans in the virtual queue.
Brian May Signals The End Of Queen Touring
In a bittersweet update for rock fans, Queen guitarist Brian May announced that the legendary rock band will likely never hit the road again. May reflected on the band's touring legacy, stating plainly that "50 years is enough".
Macklemore's Benefit Shows Sell Out Instantly
Following his departure from Ed Sheeran's stadium tour, rapper Macklemore announced a brief "Free Palestine" benefit tour. Shows scheduled for Dublin, Paris, and London sold out immediately upon release. 100% of the proceeds are being donated to humanitarian organizations supporting Palestinian aid.
Take That Announces Comeback Album
British pop mainstays Take That have officially announced their next studio album, titled "Dreamers". Frontman Gary Barlow shared his excitement over the project, which is expected to trigger a major tour cycle later next year.
Mighty Sparrow Dead At 91
Mighty Sparrow, the Trinidadian singer-songwriter whose real name was Slinger Francisco and who was widely recognised as the "Calypso King of the World", has died.
Born in Grenada, his family moved to Trinidad when he was a child. After some initial succes in Trinidad, he moved for a period to London where he recorded for Trojan Records,
During a recording career spanning 65 years, he scored such hits as "Jack Palance", "No Doctor No", "Sailor Man" and "Crawford", while releasing more than 60 studio albums on such labels as RCA, Warner Bros and Trojan, as well as numerous compilation and live LPs between 1956 and 2021.
Mighty Sparrow died in hospital in Queens, New York City, USA on the 27th September 2026. He was 91.
Morris Ballen Dead At 88
Morris Ballen, who operated the southeastern Pennsylvania company Disc Makers since 1959, has died at his home in Philadelphia at the age of 88.
The firm he created supplied songwriters and bands with everything they could need to put their music before the general public, including short runs of vinyl records, cassettes and CDs as well as a top-quality graphic design service and free bar codes.
Ian Hunter Honoured By Home Town
A blue plaque honouring the singer-songwriter Ian Hunter, has been unveiled at the house in which he was born on York Street, Oswestry.
Ian Hunter, who founded the rock band Mott The Hoople, wrote a number of the band's hits, including "All the Way from Memphis","The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll", "Roll Away the Stone", "Honaloochie Boogie" and "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" (originally released as his debut solo single, but which later became a massive hit for Great White in 1989).
He also penned "Ships", a semi-autobiographical song about his relationship with his father which Barry Manilow turned into a top ten hit in the USA, as well as “Cleveland Rocks”, the theme tune of the TV series "The Drew Carey Show".
Ian, who now lives in the New Milford area of Connecticut, was unable to attend the ceremony, but said: "I am both surprised and honoured. I'm still a Shropshire lad at heart. I'm eternally grateful for your love and your support - it's been 50 odd years, and when you're 87, you do need a little support."
Neil Henderson Dead At 73
Neil Henderson, the Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist for both The Bay City Rollers and Middle Of The Road, has died in Glasgow, at the age of 73 following a short illness.
Neil penned a number of songs for Middle of The Road, including their hits "Rockin' Soul" and "Everybody Loves a Winner".
Estonia Seeks A Song For Eurovision Song Contest
Estonian broadcaster ERR has confirmed that its annual song competition Eesti Laul will once again be choosing the country's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027.
A 12-song Eesti Laul will hit the Unibet Arena in Tallinn on Saturday 30 January, with the winner receiving the opportunity to represent the Baltic nation at the 71st Eurovision Song Contest.
The window for song submissions will close on Thursday 8th October.
Karmel Killandi, Editor-in-Chief of ERR’s Entertainment Programmes, said: “Estonia has shown the world that we can sing and dance, rap and rock. How we will surprise the world this time is in the hands of our outstanding songwriters and performers.”
Aligning with new Eurovision Song Contest rules, all participating artists must be at least 18 years old by the time of the first Eurovision rehearsal (born on or before May 1, 2009).
Submitting an entry confirms the artist's willingness to represent Estonia at Eurovision if they win. If a winner declines, the right to represent the country passes to the runner-up.
At least one songwriter or composer must be an Estonian citizen or resident. The performer(s) of the song may be citizens, residents or non-residents of the Republic of Estonia.
The song together with other materials must be uploaded to ERR's website at
https://eeter.err.ee/eestiLaul
while information in English on how and what to submit can be found at
https://eeter.err.ee/1610119966/eesti-laul-2027-in-english
Duncan Sheik Dead At 56
Duncan Sheik, the New York singer-songwriter, who earned a Grammy nomination for his hit "Barely Breathing" before winning Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations for the musical "Spring Awakening", has died in New York from cardiac arrest.
He was 56, and was being treated for an undisclosed illness at the time of his death.
Febu
Ireland To Shun Eurovision Yet Again
Irish broadcaster RTÉ has announced its decision to abstain from both broadcasting and participating in the Eurovision Song Contest of 2027. This will be the second consecutive year in which the broadcaster has opted not to engage in the competition.
In 2026, RTÉ withdrew from the Eurovision contest held in Vienna, following the confirmation by the European Broadcasting Union that the Israeli public broadcaster KAN would be permitted to take part in the event.
In a formal statement, RTÉ articulated its stance, asserting: "RTÉ feels that Ireland's participation cannot be justified given the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk."
Furthermore, RTÉ expressed its profound concern regarding "the continued denial of independent access to international journalists to the territory".
In a response to the decision, Martin Green CBE, Director Eurovision Song Contest said:
“We regret that RTÉ will not be participating in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, but we fully respect their decision and recognise the huge contribution they have made to the Contest. They remain a valued part of our family and will be missed.
The Eurovision Song Contest is at its best when broadcasters and their artists from different countries come together to share music, celebrate creativity and create connections between audiences. That power to bring people together is at the heart of what makes the Contest so special, and is even more important now in an increasingly difficult and divided world.
All broadcasters decide on an annual basis to participate in the following year's Contest. We will remain in dialogue with RTÉ and hope to welcome them back to the Contest in the future.”
EBU Report Lauds Eurovision
The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest Brand Impact Report, published this week, demonstrates the massive economic, digital and musical reach of the event well beyond the three Live Shows each year.
The Brand Impact Report contains some extraordinary numbers.
• 583 million streams of 2026’s songs.
• 2.1 billion digital views.
• 148 countries voting.
• 87,000 ticket holders from 86 countries.
• 22 languages on one stage.
• 583 million streams.
For artists and songwriters, the Eurovision Song Contest is a lot more than just three minutes on stage.
• The 35 songs from the Class of 2026 generated 583 million global streams across audio and video platforms between their release and the first week of August.
• 16 of this year's songs passed 10 million streams each. And most listening happens long after the Live Shows.
• 85% of streams of Eurovision songs take place outside the three-week period around the Contest.
• Across the 190 Eurovision songs released between 2021 and 2025, there have now been 15 billion global streams.
Some of those songs have travelled an extraordinarily long way from their Contest debut. Rosa Linn's "Snap" has reached 3.5 billion, and Loreen's "Tattoo" has passed 2.2 billion. And 2026's winner, Bulgaria's "Bangaranga", had 21% more listeners than JJ’s "Wasted Love" and reached number one on Apple Music in 12 markets.
Brexit Costs UK Music £208 Million
The UK is estimated to have lost £208 million and 2,490 jobs within the touring sector, according to research published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS).
The Economic Benefits of Touring and the Impact of EU Exit report, underpinned by PRS for Music data and supplemented by interviews and evidence from across the creator economy spotlights the economic and cultural impact of Brexit red tape on touring for performers, crews, promoters, venues and local economies in both the UK and EU. This includes live music touring, orchestra, theatre, dance, and visual arts.
The research finds that the decline in touring by UK musicians across Europe is estimated to have resulted in losses of £1.04 billion in EU member state economies. The impact was highest in Germany largely driven by a lower number of stadium and arena tours, with smaller and mid-scale tours disproportionately affected in Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland.
John Mottram, Chief Strategy, Communications and Public Affairs Officer at PRS for Music, said:
“Behind these figures are real people — songwriters and composers who are being held back by costly red tape, missing out on chances to connect with new audiences, progress their careers and earn a living from performances across Europe.
“We now call on the UK Government to redouble its efforts and deliver on its manifesto commitment to make it easier for UK artists to tour in the EU. This would help creators earn a living, bring real value back into the economy and create thousands of jobs across the touring industry.”
© Jim Liddane
ISA • International Songwriters Association (1967)
internationalsongwriters@gmail.com
The Small Print
This International Songwriters Association 1967 site is a non-profit non-commercial re-creation of portions of the full site originally published by the International Songwriters Association Limited, and will introduce you to the world of songwriting. It will explain music business terms and help you understand the business concepts that you should be familiar with, thus enabling you to ask more pertinent questions when you meet with your accountant/CPA or solicitor/lawyer.
However, although this website includes general information about legal issues and legal developments as well as accounting issues and accounting developments, it is not meant to be a replacement for professional advice. Such materials are for informational purposes only and may not reflect the most current legal/accounting developments.
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