Several artists have fallen foul of authorities in Beijing for publicly supporting the Tibetan religious leader who has been exiled since 1959 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Icelandic singer Bjork was criticised after calling for Tibet's independence during a 2008 show in Shanghai while Oasis were reportedly forced to cancel shows in China after Noel Gallagher performed at a Free Tibet concert in New York. In 2011, rock band Linkin Park were barred from China after they attended a youth media conference in Los Angeles and were photographed with the Dalai Lama.
Last month, the Dalai Lama appeared at Glastonbury to encourage fans at the festival to seek inner happiness. Artists including Kate Bush, Elbow and Lorde all appear on a new album The Art of Peace: Songs for Tibet II.
After the Gold Rush - Neil Young says he will not allow his music to be on streaming services anymore, because he is unhappy with the sound quality offered. He wrote on his Facebook page,"I don't need my music to be devalued by the worst quality in the history of broadcasting or any other form of distribution. I don't feel right allowing this to be sold to my fans. It's bad for my music."
Young has repeatedly complained about digital audio quality. He has developed his own portable music player called Pono, which he says gives a higher audio quality than streaming or MP3s. He insisted that his decision to withdraw from streaming services was not related to money, but added, "My share (like all other artists) was dramatically reduced by bad deals made without my consent...When the quality is back, I'll give it another look. Never say never."
With Latitude - Ed Sheeran played two unannounced sets at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk. The singer-songwriter appeared on two of the festival's smaller stages - the iArena on Friday night and the Other Voices stage on Saturday. His low-key appearances came a week after he played three sold-out solo shows at Wembley Stadium. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds closed the festival's 10th anniversary event with a headline slot on Sunday.
What's New Pussycat? - A musical based on the life of Tom Jones will tour the UK next March. The show, Tom - A Story of Tom Jones, features a cast of actors and musicians, and features the songs It's Not Unusual, What's New Pussycat?, and Delilah. It is written by Mike James and directed by Geinor Styles, with musical direction by Ben Goddard. It opens at the Wales Millennium Centre on March 7 and continues to venues including Curve in Leicester and the Lowry in Salford. The set design is by Sean Crowley, and it has sound by Mike Beer.
South Street Petition - Thousands of people have signed a petition protesting against the proposed closure of Reading's South Street Arts Centre, which stages theatre, music and comedy events, is one of the local authority-funded services under threat as Reading Borough Council seeks to make budget cuts of £39m. Discussions over the building's future come only three months after the town revealed it was to stage a "year of culture" in 2016, with South Street planned to be one of the venues hosting arts events.
Priceless Classics - Audience members will be invited to pay what they like for what they hear at an upcoming Halle Orchestra concert. Priceless Classics on 6 September will see the orchestra play 10 short pieces at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall. Holders of pre-booked
