Dubai Ice Rink to bid for world DJ record

Also, Akon to release new albums with new app, The Martian maintains stellar performance, and Halloween weekend reveals flops at box office.

Dubai Ice Rink and World Top DJ to host Guinness World Record attempt. Courtesy Dubai Ice Rink

A total of 150 DJs will play back-to-back over a six-hour session in a bid to break the record for the longest DJ relay ever. Dubai Ice Rink has teamed up with talent platform World Top DJ to host the bid, which is open to the public, and will feature a mix of visiting international names and local talent. Organisers say invites have been sent to the world's top 10 DJs, so "you never know who you might get to see". Names confirmed to spin at the event on November 6 are Snoop Dogg's tour DJ Vlader Shaydyville, plus award-winners including USA's DJ Dragor, Germany's DJ Teekay and Holland's DJ Jamila. The rink will be open, as will a dance-floor area. Officials from the Guinness World Records will be on hand to certify the bid a record breaker. Dubai previously set the official Longest DJ Relay record when 119 decksmiths mixed one track each over a four hour, 16-minute session at My Music X in 2013 – a record that was smashed in Singapore last year when 133 DJs spun back to back. The bid takes place at Dubai Ice Rink, The Dubai Mall on November 6, from 3pm to 9pm. Entry to the event arena costs Dh50, or Dh125 for the ice rink and event area access. – The National staff

Akon to release new albums with new app

R&B star Akon is about to release his first albums in seven years – but you won't find them in stores or on streaming services such as Spotify. Instead, he plans to release four albums through a new app, making him the latest artist to experiment with bypassing big record labels and traditional music distribution altogether. The new app, called Stadium, will let fans stream Akon songs for free, although they'll have to put up with advertisements. But interacting with the app by clicking the ads or sharing with friends on Facebook will earn users credits they can use to "buy" digital goods such as ringtones, wallpapers and Akon-styled emoji or unlock more songs and unreleased videos. "It's going to definitely regenerate the music business," Akon said, calling his app "the ­answer" to the music ­industry's problems. "It's going to take someone like me to take the chance on it." – AP

The Martian maintains stellar performance

The Martian has topped the North American box office for a fourth weekend, following disappointing showings for star vehicles including the Sandra Bullock-starrer Our brand Is Crisis and Robert Redford's The Truth. The movie, which stars Matt Damon as a Nasa scientist accidentally left on Mars, has generated serious Oscar buzz as well as an estimated US$182.8 million (Dh671.4m) in the five weeks since it came out. The film earned $11.4 million in weekend ticket sales, pulling in just ahead of spooky children's flick Goosebumps, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. – AP

Halloween weekend reveals flops at box office

Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper – two of Hollywood's top stars – scared few moviegoers over the Halloween weekend. Our Brand Is Crisis, a political satire about campaign strategists in Bolivia starring Bullock, earned a scant $3.4 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Burnt, a restaurant drama headlined by Cooper, managed only an estimated $5 million. Ridley Scott's 3-D space adventure The Martian held on to first place for the fourth weekend. With Halloween falling on a Saturday, the calendar didn't line up well for Hollywood. But the weekend marked the second straight week where all new wide ­releases flopped. The horror comedy Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse fared worst of all, taking in just $1.8 million. – AP