NEWS WRAP

* Sony Music this week announced the launch of the online forums for Idol winner Wes Carr. (You'll fine it HERE) The forum launch coincided with the release into stores of Wes's debut single (which is a four track CD EP). Must admit though, we were a bit disappointed that the EP has been placed into stores at a premium $6.99 price point.
* Sales records are being broken in the UK this week, some digitally and some physically. Leona Lewis's new single 'Run' earlier this week became the fastest selling UK digital track on record. By midnight on Tuesday night UK time, the track had sold just shy of 70,000 copies, almost 20,000 copies more than the previous record.
* It had been dubbed 'The Battle Of The Circuses', but according to reports filtering out of the UK, there's really no battle between the new albums of Britney Spears ('Circus') and Take That ('The Circus'). Take That have been outselling Britney at some retail stores in Britain by 15 to one and sold almost 140,000 copies of 'The Circus' in just it's first day. There are predictions within some circles that the new Take That LP could sell more than a million copies before Christmas.
* Back home, according to a Sony sales rep we chatted with today, although some retailers are experiencing strong sales of the deluxe version of Britney's new album 'Circus', Brit's new album is not selling enough to knock labelmate Pink off the top spot of this Sunday's album chart.
* Rumours continue to abound that all might not be lost for boutique Aussie dance label Central Station Records, which although profitable, was dragged into administration last week with it's parent company Destra. We'll keep you posted.
* We nattered briefly to former So You Think You Can Dance contestant and up and coming Aussie pOpstar Rhys this week about his forthcoming album - and he tells us that he's taking a hands-on approach with it, writing material for his debut long player, due for release in the new year.
* Is there enough support for a New Kids On The Block Australian tour? Universal Music Australia this week placed a story on their OFFICIAL WEBSITE, telling us about a tour petition started by fans. Bizarrely, the petition was started in May and has so far only garnered 707 signatures, so why would Universal Music post about this now? To build interest? Do they know something we don't know...? Could the fivesome be planning to tour Australia in '09?