Yusuf Islam cancels New York show in touting row

Cat Stevens, aka Yusuf Islam, has cancelled a show in New York, basically in protest at local laws governing ticketing which, he says, helps the touts, resulting in tickets for his show trading at vastly marked up prices online. Islam told fans: "I have been a longtime supporter of paperless tickets to my shows worldwide and avoiding scalpers [touts]. Unfortunately NY has a state law that requires all tickets sold for shows in NYC to be paper, enabling them to be bought and sold at inflated prices".

Electric Zoo halted after drugs deaths

The third day of New York dance festival Electric Zoo was cancelled after two deaths during the first 48 hours of the fifth edition of the annual event. It is thought the two deaths and four other festival-goers becoming critically ill were all drugs related. The New York authorities seemingly moved to shut down the third day of the event, due to include sets by the likes of Armin van Buuren, Diplo and Chase & Status, after the two fatalities were confirmed.