For All the Dogs (OVO/Republic Records) is Drake’s sixth U.K. Official Albums #1. Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” (FFRR) has finally reached #1 on singles.

Elsewhere on albums, Crop Circle 3 (Zino) from London rapper Nines is new at #2. It’s his second #2 set this year, following Crop Circle 2. Roger Waters’ The Dark Side of the Moon Redux (Cooking Vinyl) debuts at #4.

Joel Corry’s debut, Another Friday Night (Warner Music U.K.), rises 32 places to #5 following its release as an album (it arrived as an EP earlier this year). Sufjan Stevens’ Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty) is #7.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, “Strangers” is up one place to claim the top spot after a six-week climb, ending the five-week reign at #1 of Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” (Ministry of Sound).

Grace is one of just two female artists in Official Charts history to reach #1 with a track performed, written and produced entirely solo. The first was Kate Bush, who reached #1 with “Running Up That Hill” (Noble & Brite) in 2022 following its feature in Stranger Things.

“Strangers” is also the first debut single by a British female artist to reach #1 in nine years, the last being Ella Henderson’s “Ghost” (Simco) in 2014. cassö, RAYE & D-Block Europe’s “Prada” (Ministry of Sound) is also up one, to #2.

This week’s highest new entry, Drake f/J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter” is #4. Two more tracks from For All the Dogs grace the Top 10: “IDGAF” f/Yeat is at #5 and “Virginia Beach” at #6.

“Water” (Epic) by Tyla is up three to #7 and Sonny Fodera, MK and Clementine Douglas’ “Asking” (Solotoko) is up one to #10.

Elton John and David Furnish have participated in a $5m funding round for music tech company Audoo, which aims to improve public performance royalty payments.

Its latest funding round brings its total investment raised to date to $22m. John and Furnish join previous investors such as ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, MPL Ventures, Tileyard and Edinv.

“Working as a musician can be seen as all glitz and glamour but for the vast majority of artists, especially new and emerging acts, this isn't the case,” John said. “It's often brutally unfair and this sadly extends into being paid correctly. Right now, artists are not being paid accurately for their plays because the data simply doesn't exist.

"People have given up on their dreams and we've lost talent and future stars because of this disparity. That's why we've invested in Audoo and their world-class technology and data, to help create a more transparent system for everyone, and ultimately to keep the music alive.”

Via its Audio Meter, which has been installed in businesses around the world, Audoo identifies music that’s being played and reports usage back to PRO and CMO partners.

This round of investment follows key hires at Audoo, including music publishing exec Nigel Elderton as chairman and Melanie Johnson as chief commercial officer.

UMPG has inked Fred again.. to an exclusive global publishing agreement.

The Brit Awards’ youngest ever Producer of the Year winner, Fred has accumulated 15b+ streams, seven U.K. #1s and collaborated with Ed Sheeran, Brian Eno, Travis Scott and Skrillex, among others. He also co-wrote George Ezra's #1 hit "Shotgun," which was Top 3 for 12 consecutive weeks.

Releasing music under Fred again.. since the pandemic, the multi-hyphenate has worked with Headie One, Swedish House Mafia, Eno and Four Tet. He also headlined Coachella 2023 and performed at sold-out Madison Square Garden and Glastonbury, while his most recent tour announcement sold 173k tickets globally.

Fred is managed by his brother, Alex Gibson, and as Fred again.. is co-managed by Goodlife Management.

“All of us at UMPG are huge fans of Fred. I look forward to all he will accomplish globally as an artist, DJ, writer and producer,” said UMPG Chairman/CEO, Jody Gerson. “Additionally, I’ve been so impressed with Fred and Alex’s commitment to increasing the number of women working in music. They enthusiastically partnered with She Is the Music on our UK mentorship program for female producers and it was a big success.”

“I have watched the world realise [Fred’s] extraordinary talents as a songwriter, a producer and now an artist, and he’s just warming up,” added UMPG U.K. Head of A&R, Pete Simmons.

“Pete Simmons is one of the most exceptional A&Rs in the world, a brilliant creative collaborator and most of all a 12/10 friend. Jody Gerson runs a brilliant company, and we can’t wait to work closely with her and her team,” shared Fred and Alex in a joint statement.

Seen above hoping they won’t ever see us across the pond are (l-r) Fred and Simmons.

Seen sharing beat-matching tips are, back row from left, Gus Bell, Zakir Samad, Tara Nouroozi and Ben Hood; front row from left, AWAL Head of A&R Matt Riley, Red Light U.K. principal James Sandom, Funfair founder Tyler Brown, Brad Bennett and Francesca Curry.

U.K dance label Funfair Records, run by former Syco MD Tyler Brown, has partnered with Red Light and AWAL and announced two new hires.

The label sits under the Red Light umbrella, with investment from Coran Capshaw. It recently entered into an exclusive marketing and distribution deal with AWAL.

Ben Hood, formerly of RCA Records in the U.K., has joined as senior A&R manager. Fellow RCA U.K. alumnus Brad Bennett is marketing manager. In their new roles, they'll work with A&R Manager Gus Bell.

“Tyler’s entrepreneurial vision and focus on commercial success is magnetic,” Red Light Managing Partner U.K. James Sandom said. “The label’s ability to move instantly in a fast=paced environment with AWAL and Red Light’s support is already delivering.”

Funfair Records’ debut release, “Lauren (I Can’t Stay Forever)” by Oden & Fatzo, was recently certified Silver in the U.K., surpassing 70m streams. Releases this year include “AH TXE TXE” by Giant f/Tyson, which is sitting at over 7m total streams and 300k creations on TikTok. “Grind Pon Mi” by FS Green arrived at the end of August, generating 2m streams in under three weeks.

Funfair has also just signed a deal with Tommy Farrow, whose debut record was named Hottest Record in the World by BBC Radio 1 and has had support across the board at radio and in club land.

“Respect to Matt Riley and Paul Hitchman at AWAL for believing in our vision and ambition for Funfair Records,” Brown said. “I couldn’t have wished for a better long-term partner alongside Red Light. It’s been a great start for our young and passionate team but we’re now ready to take on the world.”

For All the Dogs (OVO/Republic Records) is set to become Drake’s sixth U.K. Official Albums #1 on Friday. Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” (FFRR) by is leading the pack at singles.

Elsewhere on albums, Nines is heading for a #2 debut with Crop Circle 3 (Zino). Roger Waters’ The Dark Side of the Moon Redux (Cooking Vinyl) is set to land at #3; Sufjan Stevens’ Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty) is #4.

Joel Corry’s debut, Another Friday Night (Warner Music U.K.), is in the Top 10 for the first time at #6 following its official release. The Darkness are on course to land at #7 with a 20th anniversary release of their debut, Permission to Land (Warner).

On the U.K.’s Official Singles midweeks, “Strangers” has lifted one place to #1. The top spot come Friday could be up for grabs as there are just 600 sales separating today’s Top 3: Grace’s “Strangers,” cassö, RAYE & D-Block Europe’s “Prada” (Ministry of Sound) at #2, and this week’s highest new entry, Drake’s “Virginia Beach,” at #3.

There are two more tracks from For All the Dogs in the Top 10: “First Person Shooter” f/J Cole at #4 and “IDGAF” f/Yeat at #6.

Sonny Fodera, MK and Clementine Douglas’ “Asking” (Solotoko) is expected to rise into the Top 10 for the first time at #7. Billy Gillies & Hannah Boleyn could lift three to #15 on “DNA (Loving You)” (Big Beat Records).

Ed Sheeran has secured his seventh U.K. Official Albums #1 with Autumn Variations (Gingerbread Man). Over on singles, Doja Cat reigns for a fifth week.

R&B artist Jorja Smith is #3 with her second set, Falling or Flying (FAMM), while The Harmony Codex (SW Records) by Porcupine Tree leader Steven Wilson is #4.

Black Stone Cherry’s Screamin’ at the Sky (Mascot) is new at #6. Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence (Polydor) is back at #7 thanks to a new 10-year anniversary vinyl release.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart, “Paint the Town Red” (Ministry of Sound) by Doja Cat is still #1 with over 5m streams this week.

Kenya Grace’s “Strangers” (FFRR) is just 2k sales behind at #2, while “greedy” (Ministry of Sound) by Tate McRae rises two to #3.

“3D” (BIGHIT) by Jung Kook and Jack Harlow is this week’s highest new entry at #5.

Rising South African artist Tyla’s breakthrough track, “Water” (Epic), reaches a new peak at #10, while Sonny Fodera, MK and Clementine Douglas’s “Asking” lifts three to #11.

“Flowers” (Columbia) by Miley Cyrus has retained its title as the biggest-selling song of the year in the U.K. so far, while Lewis Capaldi has 2023’s biggest new album release.

“Flowers” has tallied 1.5m U.K. chart sales—178m streams and 87k downloads—since its release in January, recording 10 weeks at #1. It has the biggest week of any track so far this year (121k sales during its second stint at #1) and ties with “Sprinter” (Neighbourhood) by Dave and Central Cee for the longest run at #1. “Sprinter” is the one new arrival in the singles Top 10 since the Official Charts half-yearly report, coming in at #5. The track claims the biggest first week for any song in 2023 (108k sales) and set an all-time record for the most weekly streams for a rap track in the U.K. with 13.4m.

At #2, “Escapism” (Human Re Sources) by RAYE f/070 Shake tallies almost 1m chart units.

The Weeknd’s The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) remains at #1 on the Official Albums Top 10 YTD. Capaldi’s Broken By Desire to be Heavenly Sent (EMI) is the best-selling album released in 2023 at #8. It’s the most physically purchased album as of Q3, selling 100k copies.

New arrivals in the albums Top 10 since mid-year are: AM (Domino) by Arctic Monkeys at #9 and Gold - Greatest Hits (Polydor) by ABBA at #10.

Sony is still leading the Top 20 singles tally with five entries, where there are two independent releases and one each from Universal and Warner. Universal also still dominates the albums Top 10 with five, where Sony has two and there’s one entry each from Warner and Domino.

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Ed Sheeran has become the first British artist to receive a GOLD BRIT Billion Award from the BPI after surpassing 10b career streams in the U.K.

More than 1b of those streams came in the last 12 months alone, according to the Official Charts Company. Sheeran was presented with the award at Banquet Records in London.

Sheeran has made Official Charts history countless times, breaking records including becoming the first artist to have four albums in the Top 10 for a year, and the first British solo artist to claim a full year at #1 across his catalog on the singles chart.

With an untarnished streak of six U.K. #1 albums, seven BRIT awards, and 14 U.K. #1 singles, Sheeran recently broke the ticket-sales record playing his Mathematics tour for 81k fans at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. His latest album, Autumn Variations (WMG/Gingerbread Man), is heading for #1 in the U.K. on Friday and will have the top debut on this week’s HITS Top 50.