Beabadoobee perform at London’s Outernet.

The BRITs Week of shows raised £411k across 15 dates in the U.K. this year to aid the charity War Child.

The sum takes the total amount of money raised by BRITs Week since its inception in 2009 to more than £5.5m. AEG Presents produced the series alongside the BPI.

This year, the Mastercard-sponsored series visited the most cities yet, with gigs in London, Manchester, Bristol and Glasgow. Artists on the bill included Beabadoobee, Cavetown, Kojey Radical, Rina Sawayama, Sea Girls, Sugababes, The Hunna, The 1975, The Snuts and Years & Years.

Proceeds from the shows support War Child’s work that helps children whose lives have been torn apart by war. The charity aims to reach children as early as possible when conflict breaks out and stay to support them through their recovery—keeping them safe, helping them learn and cope with their experiences, and equipping them with skills for the future.

Photo credit: Patrick Gunning/War Child UK

Take That have signed to EMI Records ahead of releasing new music and headlining BST Hyde Park. The band were previously with Polydor.

Now consisting of three members—Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen—Take That are working in the studio on new material, which is set to be released later this year.

Their last album was 30th anniversary greatest hits collection Odyssey, which hit #1 in the U.K. in 2018. It was followed by a U.K. and European stadium and arena tour.

"It feels like such an exciting time for EMI to be collaborating with Take That,” EMI co-Presidents Rebecca Allen and Jo Charrington said. “The new music is sounding exceptional, and it's amazing to see how much Gary, Howard and Mark have immersed themselves within the label.”

Take That will headline BST Hyde Park on 7/1. To date, the British band, which formed as a five-piece in 1989, have sold over 45m records worldwide and have 12 #1 hits in the U.K.

Lewis Capaldi is outselling the entire U.K. Official Albums Top 20 combined with his second set at today’s halfway point. Over on singles, Lana Del Rey has the highest new entry.

At the midweek mark, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (EMI) has shifted 68k sales. The set could very well become this year’s fastest seller so far; Ed Sheeran’s - (Atlantic) currently holds that title with 76k opening week sales.

Def Leppard’s team-up with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Drastic Symphonies (Mercury), could debut at #2 on Friday.

Other new arrivals in the Top 5 are Sleep Token’s Take Me Back To Eden (Spinefarm) at #3 and Ghost’s covers EP, Phantomime (Loma Vista), at #4.

Mirror to the Sky (InsideOutMusic) by Yes has started at #6, while Paul Simon’s Seven Psalms (Owl Records/Sony) is #9.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles midweeks, “Say Yes To Heaven” (Polydor) could become Del Rey’s first solo Top 10 single since 2012, starting at #6.

“Miracle” (Columbia) by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding looks set to remain at #1 for a seventh consecutive week.

Irish dance singer Jazzy is heading for her first Top 10 with “Giving Me” (Polydor) rising to #10. Rudimental with Charlotte Plank and Vibe Chemistry are new at #17 with “Dancing is Healing” (Room Two Records).

Commercial radio reach in the U.K. has hit a record high of 38.7m listeners tuning in every week, according to Q1 2023 Rajar figures.

The sector has 6m more listeners than the BBC, which tallied 32.2m. The top three commercial radio brands were Global’s Heart, Capital and Smooth. Global also recorded record numbers, hitting a reach of 26.7m.

Still, BBC’s Radio 2 continues its lead as the biggest station in the U.K. with a weekly reach of 14.5m (up by 1% on the last quarter) and a 15.2% share of all listening. Heart takes second place with a reach of 8.9m (up 3%).

BBC Radio 1’s weekly reach fell 3% to 7.6m while its share increased 4% to 4.9%, due to people listening for longer.

London venue The Roundhouse is opening a center, Roundhouse Works, to offer training to 15k young people each year in creative skills. It’s said to be the largest center of its kind in Europe.

The building in Camden, which opens next month, will include studios for music, circus, performance and podcasts as well as multi-use spaces, according to a report in The Guardian.

Sixty percent of those who join the program offered at the space will be from disadvantaged backgrounds. The center has cost £8m, funded by philanthropists, foundations and corporate donations.

The Roundhouse Chief Executive and Artistic Director Marcus Davey has called on the U.K. Government to assist in funding. "I do think public money should be put into this because it’s about investing in the future of young people, investing in growth for our society, investing in diversity within the creative industries," he told the Guardian.

At the same time, record label trade body the BPI has submitted a bid to the U.K.’s Department of Education for a new specialist creative arts college, which will be based in Bradford, in the north of England.

The school is inspired by London’s BRIT School and aims to help redress the balance of opportunity for 16-to 19-year-olds, which, until now, has largely been based around London.

“The BPI and our members want to ensure that the U.K.’s music industry, and wider creative industries, are reflective of society – both in the artists we listen to or the performers we watch, and the teams that support them behind the scenes,” said BPI Chief Strategy Officer and Interim Chief Exec Sophie Jones.

Warner Chappell Music U.K.’s Head of A&R Amber Davis has been promoted to SVP. In addition to continuing to oversee the A&R department, Davis is now tasked with shaping the publisher’s overall U.K. strategy.

“Amber is one of the industry’s most important executives, and her success and passion has helped Warner Chappell Music U.K. become a leading player in the music business,” U.K. MD Shani Gonzales said. “Her care, dedication and ability to read the market will make her an invaluable asset in her new role.”

Davis joined WCM U.K. in 2014 as creative director and was named head of A&R in 2019. During her time at the publisher, she has been pivotal in the signing and development of songwriters such as CeeBeats, Celeste, Dave, Fraser T. Smith, J Hus, Legendury Beatz, Skepta, Stormzy and Willow Kayne.

One of her earliest signings was Raye, who this year landed her first solo U.K. #1 single with “Escapism” and hit #2 with her debut album My 21st Century Blues. Davis has also signed buzzy new artist Nia Archives.

Ed Sheeran’s Subtract (Atlantic) is heading for a second week at #1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart. Over on singles, two Eurovision songs crack the Top 40.

Elsewhere on albums, Brighton band Lovejoy could claim their first Top 10 with Wake Up & It’s Over (Anvil Cat) starting at #2. Alison Goldfrapp is new at #3 with her first solo record, Invention (Skint). Jonas Brothers’ The Album (Polydor) is also new, at #4.

A 10th anniversary reissue of the final record from Daft Punk, Random Access Memories (Columbia) is #5. The debut from rapper Potter Payper, Real Back In Style (0207 Def Jam), starts at #6.

Two more new releases are in today’s Top 10: Good Lies (XL) by Overmono at #7, and The Last Rotation of Earth (Bella Union) by BC Camplight at #9.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles midweeks, “Miracle” (Columbia) by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding look set for a sixth week at #1.

There are new peaks for “React” (Relentless) by Switch Disco and Ella Henderson, up one to #6, and “Cupid” (Parlophone) by Fifty Fifty, also up one to #7.

After performing at Eurovision, Mae Muller’s “I Wrote a Song” (Capitol) has risen to #9 from #45. The winning song, “Tattoo” (Universal) by Swedish artist Loreen, looks set to debut at #28.

David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray could finally crack the Top 10 with “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” (Warner Music U.K.) at #10, while Zara Larsson’s “Can’t Tame Her” (Epic) is up 10 to a new peak at #20.