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AdeleAdele has finished work on her third album.

The "Skyfall" singer has been busy in the studio, and fans won't have to wait long for her much-anticipated new record with reports it has been completed and is ready for release.

"The album is written, recorded and finished. Theoretically it could be released tomorrow if she wanted," a source said.

It is said Adele and her label are considering bringing out the album with little fanfare and no "publicity campaign," in a similar way to how Beyonce released her self-titled record earlier this year. "The plan is to release internationally on iTunes as a complete surprise without any previous promotion or build-up publicity campaign. The shock tactics worked amazingly well for Beyonce and the feeling is Adele's new album is so widely anticipated it doesn't need a long promotional build-up," the insider added.

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Pharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams is streaming his new album G I R L online for free.

The "Get Lucky" hitmaker says he is "happy to share" an early preview of his second studio album, ahead of its official release on March 3, and all the tracks have been made available to listen to on iTunes radio.

Taking to Twitter, Pharrell wrote, "Thankful for the opportunity to share my new album with everyone [sic]."

The ten-track follow-up to Pharrell's 2006 debut In My Mind features his Oscar-nominated hit, "Happy," along with a collaboration with Justin Timberlake on the track "Brand New," while Alicia Keys teams up with the star for "Know Who You Are." Pharrell, 40, worked with Miley Cyrus on her controversial #Bangerz album last year she has returned the favor by lending her vocals to his song "Come Get It Bae."

Click to continue reading Pharrell Williams Streams ‘G I R L’ for Free

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Britney Spears playing in Las Vegas

"We're too smart for our own good. We're at the point where the simplicity of buying a CD and the specialness has gone. I think it's a shame. The whole process of buying a record was so special."

- Britney Spears reflects on the demise of records and CDs.

(Make sure to check out our other notable quotes.)

Read More | USA Today

Gallery: Quote of the Day: Britney Spears on Digital Music


Beyonce KnowlesBeyonce recorded "about 80 songs" for her surprise album.

The 32-year-old singer released her self-titled record earlier this month following a year of hard work, and she admits she had a hard job of whittling the tracks down to a selected amount.

Speaking in her Part 3 Run 'N Gun video chat on YouTube, she said, "When I started picking the songs that I gravitated towards, because I recorded about 80 songs, it was the songs that were more effortless to me that stuck around." The album features a collaboration with her husband Jay Z - whom she shares two-year-old daughter Blue Ivy with - on the song "Drunk in Love," and she believes the track worked well because they just had fun: "I kind of free-styled the verse, and Jay went in and he started flowing out his verse. We just kinda had a party. It was so great, because it wasn't about any ego, we weren't trying to make a hit record. we were just having fun. and I think you can hear that in the record."

Click to continue reading Beyoncé Recorded 80 Songs for Surprise Album

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BeyonceBeyonce was "really nervous" about the surprise release of her self-titled LP.

The "Drunk in Love" singer, who is celebrating selling more than one million copies of her fifth studio record, admits it was a "huge risk" releasing it without any prior promotion. She answered fans' questions via her Instagram account at the weekend at a screening for the record's accompanying music videos.

"I was terrified. I was so scared. I already envisioned like the worst things that could happen. Honestly, I was at a point where I felt like, you know, everything feels the same. That's how I felt and if I could not challenge that, then maybe it's time for me to do something else or develop more artists, which is something I want to do," she posted. "I just hope that I continue to move forward and challenge myself, and I think now that I've become a mother, I just want my legacy to inspire people."

Meanwhile, retailers such as Amazon and American company Target are refusing to stock Beyonce after it was released exclusively on iTunes. The digital giant were given a one week exclusive window to sell the 14-song, 17-video album, which features contributions from Drake, Jay Z and Justin Timberlake.

Gallery: Beyoncé: I Was Really Nervous About Releasing New Album


BeyonceBeyonce's surprise fifth album has become the fastest-selling record in iTunes history.

The self-titled record, which was released without any warning last week, shifting 828,773 copies in just three days. The majority of those sales came from America, where it has racked up 617,213 sales since Friday.

Beyonce's own first-week sales record was also broken, after her 2006 second record B'day sold 541,000 copies in seven days.

The "Love On Top" hitmaker stealth-released the record exclusively on iTunes, shocking fans by unveiling 14 new songs and 17 videos without any promotion.

The 31-year-old said she was inspired by Michael Jackson's Thriller video premiere in 1983, which is why she made such a "visual" record: "I miss that immersive experience. Now people only listen to a few seconds of a song on their iPods and they don't really invest in the whole experience. It's all about the single, and the hype. I felt like, I don't want anybody to get the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it's ready and from me to my fans."

Click to continue reading Beyonce’s Album Smashes iTunes Record

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BeyonceBeyonce has surprised fans by releasing her fifth studio album on iTunes today.

The "Grown Woman" singer shocked her loyal fan base - who have been eagerly anticipating her new record for some time - by unveiling her self-titled "visual album" exclusively on iTunes in the early hours of Friday morning.

The record, which is being labelled as Part 1, features 14 songs and 17 accompanying music videos. Collaborations on the album include Beyonce's husband Jay-Z, her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, rapper Drake, Justin Timberlake, and her former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Beyonce announced the album on Instagram with a teaser video, which she simply captioned, "Surprise!"

Click to continue reading Beyonce Releases New Album on iTunes

Gallery: Beyonce Releases New Album on iTunes


Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is launching a free app to coincide with her ARTPOP album's release. The 27-year-old singer revealed details about the new interactive app during a Twitter chat with fans, explaining it can be downloaded via iTunes and Google Play from November 11, the same day as her third studio album goes on sale.

"The ARTPOP app is Free, available in App Stores on your device. You can purchase the music through the ARTPOP app once it's downloaded," she wrote on Twitter. "Or you can purchase the album at the music store+download the free app separately at the app store. -GAGA (sic)," she added.

Click to continue reading Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP App Will Be Free

Gallery: Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP App Will Be Free


Twitter #music

The rumored Twitter Music service has become a reality, launching this morning. Twitter #music seems to be a natural step for the service, which sees hundreds of millions of users regularly discussing music on the service, as well as a bunch of  popular musicians as well. Twitter #music aims to help you find music you'll like, based on your Twitter activity. You can access #music through a web browser, and there's also a new dedicated #music iOS app that lets you easily view and listen to music that's popular and trending on Twitter, undiscovered artists, music that it knows you like, and a #NowPlaying area that shows what others are listening to.

One important note here is that Twitter #music isn't a streaming music service. Instead, it's a layer that allows you to access your Rdio, Spotify, and iTunes tracks, using Twitter #music as your navigation mechanism. You simply connect your accounts to #music, and you are all set. The iOS app is slick, and we hear the Android version will be on its way soon. You can download Twitter #music for iPhone now.

Read More | Twitter #music

Gallery: Twitter #Music service launches on web and iPhone


Justin Timberlake 20 20 experience free streaming

iTunes is allowing everyone to stream the new Justin Timberlake album, The 20/20 Experience (his first in 7 years!) for free, right now. The album release date is March 19th, but you can play it right now in its entirety, a full week early. The only catch? The album is pretty much one full track, so you can't skip around or put a song on repeat. Head on over to iTunes to listen to the 20/20 Experience.

Gallery: Stream Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience for free on iTunes right now


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