This Week In Entertainment News 3 July 2026
Music and entertainment news from Australia and around the world, plus new music releases and tour updates.
The UK government is likely to challenge the $110bn Paramount-Warner Bros merger, which has already been cleared in most global regions. British culture minister Lisa Nandy said she was “minded to intervene”, citing concerns about the impact on media diversity. Paramount needs to secure the approval by September when a deal-sweetener kicks in adding 25 cents per WBD share per quarter to the deal until it gets approved. Regulators in the EU look set to approve the merger.
Suno faces another AI training copyright lawsuit, this time from music production firm Jamendo, which is the licensing subsidiary of the Winamp Group The company alleges Suno violated its intellectual property rights through unauthorised use of its content to train Suno’s AI music models. It is the second lawsuit Jamendo has brought after filing similar claims against chip maker Nvidia
Sony PlayStation is hastening the end of media ownership with the surprise removal of more than 500 movies and TV shows. From 1 September, Sony will be deleting hundreds of movies and TV shows from PSN accounts that consumers have paid for. Sony is offering no refunds for content that was purchased. It comes as a major agreement between Sony and distributor StudioCanal ends. Despite consumer outrage, the PSN terms and conditions users agree to stipulate they are purchasing a licence to view the content, not own it.
Metallica’s M72 world tour hit Wales this week and the metal lords made a huge impression with a $26,000 donation to Cardiff Foodbank. On stage at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Metallica also performed Tom Jones’ 1968 classic ‘Delilah’, a song that was banned at the venue in 2023. The song is about a man who murders his wife after discovering she is having an affair with another man. It was often sung before football matches but was removed from the stadium’s halftime playlist in 2015.
English singer-songwriter Lily Allen has responded to audience criticism of her new live show ‘West End Girl’, the album inspired by her high-profile divorce from actor David Harbour. Fans were critical that the show runs for just over an hour and that Lily offers no interaction with the audience. “The show has always been advertised as ‘Lily Allen performs West End Girl’,” she stated.
“I was a few mins late as my tights were laddered and I had to change them. The show is just over an hour as it’s just the album in its entirety. It’s my artistic choice not to talk to the audience, the fourth wall helps with the storytelling. Most people find it to be effective.” Lily brings the ‘West End Girl’ tour to Australia in October.
Continuing to build on momentum struck on their last visit to Australia in 2025, Auckland indie firebrands No Cigar are levelling up, announcing their biggest run of Australian tour dates yet. Taking place across September and October, No Cigar’s Australian return comes off the back of a string of successes in the international market, including sold out shows in the UK; as well as additional impact made on fans and industry alike with the release of their acclaimed third album, ‘Under The Surface’.
Cargill Australia – Nourishing the world
Created as a way to navigate moments of personal and artistic uncertainty, growth and redefinition, Melbourne’s Day Dreamers stand strong with their new collection of work: their self-titled EP, ‘Day Dreamers’. A furious blend of alternative, punk and indie influences form the bed of this new material from which their songwriting and storytelling has been able to flourish
Ahead of the release of much-anticipated debut album ‘Life In The Front Seat’, Queensland’s Laura Frank has announced her return to venues on a brand-new run of live shows: the ‘You Played Where?!’ tour. Through September and October, the talented songwriter and musician will be headlining venues in Queensland and New South Wales as part of a new live touring experience that keeps local talent and community at the fore.
Geelong / Melbourne, Australia band Beans (fronted by The Murlocs drummer Matt Blach) release new single ‘My Room’ – the second taste of their incoming ‘Less Louder’ album out 11 September 2026 on Fuzz Club. Written and recorded around the time as its predecessor, 2024’s ‘Boots N Cats’, ‘Less Louder’ is that album’s more mellow and laid-back counterpart.
As she prepares to take the stage next week with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Vera Blue delivers a fresh preview to her forthcoming album Modern Rituals, released 21 August. Receiving its first play on triple j, Vera Blue releases her new single ‘Maze’, a cinematic dance moment from her third studio album. Expansive and euphoric, ‘Maze’ captures Vera Blue in full flight, pairing her unmistakable vocal presence with glistening production and a sense of movement.
