Britain’s Got Talent bosses are facing are in a spot of hot water with claims of a fix after hit act Loveable Rogues admitted ITV1 bosses hand-chose them to perform for the judges.

Eddie Brett, Sonny Jay and Té Eugene booked their place in the BGT final after an impressive rendition of their own track Lovesick, but news has since come out that the band were specifically asked to perform for Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams after the production team’s talent scouts spotted their videos online.

Under normal circumstances, acts have to apply and are first slimmed down by producers before being seen by the panel, but the “Rogues” skipped the preliminary auditions and were put straight on the live stage in front of Simon Cowell and the judges

Loveable Rogues are Eddie Brett, Sonny Jay and Té Eugene. Eddie admitted to The Sun: “Yes, we did get approached.”

Co-star Sonny Jay added: “We never really thought about doing shows like this, but obviously an opportunity came along and it would be silly not to.

“We’ve been gigging constantly for 18 months, trying to build up our fanbase and working hard, but a show like this is an incredible platform – within weeks everyone knows who you are.”

Band mate Sonny confessed that the group subsequently skipped several stages of the audition process, avoiding the lengthy queues and pre-auditions endured by other contestants.

He told The Sun: 'The audition in front of the judges was the first we've done.'

The show has always been under scrutiny with evidence suggesting that that the show is manipulated to include the most marketable acts likely to sell scores of albums, and purposely include less talented acts for public ridicule by the audience.

Speaking after their performance on Tuesday's semi-final, Cowell further fuelled suspicion of manipulation by telling the band: “It was brilliant. I know who you should be working with on your first album, I can hear that single already.” 

When asked about the allegations, a spokesman for Britain’s Got Talent said: “We let people know about auditions in lots of ways, from ads in local papers to fliers distributed at festivals.

"As part of this normal process, we may inform some acts about the auditions. All acts are auditioned on their own merits and the judges then decide who goes through to the live shows.”

Check out the bands live performance of their track "Lovesick" below.

Instrumania are evolving! After years of being the only instrument price comparison site created by musicians for musicians, Instrumania are now inviting the best and most passionate instrument retailers to join their musical revolution.

The aim: To create a one-stop online musical marketplace, full of the latest news, reviews, discussions and musical products.

A musical instrument is a big investment and to get the very best from your flute, sax, electric guitar or xylophone your instrument has to be the ideal fit. Instrumania like to think of themselves as a dating site – fixing up the best instruments with their perfect musical partners at the best prices. With the exclusion of their brass experts Instrumania don’t like to blow their own horns, however, their helpful reviews system and musical expertise attract worldwide musicians of all levels, from beginner drummers to seasoned violinists.

Now Instrumania are looking to expand their musical instrument comparison service to offer the very best instruments and musical accessories from the top musical retailers on the web.

If you’re looking for a guaranteed, appreciative audience and a fantastic platform from which to sell your musical wares, Instrumania are throwing open their doors to all of the fantastic sellers out there. To introduce their brand new direction, the Instrumania team are making a real song and dance about it!

For a limited time only Instrumania are offering completely free set ups for new retailers and special fee-free months! Get involved in the vibrant Instrumania community and reap the benefits of a service which allows you to really engage with your customers.

To find out more about what Instrumania does, get in touch today by simply filling out the quick and easy ‘Join Us – Become an Instrumania merchant’ form at the bottom of our homepage. The Instrumania team can’t wait to make beautiful music with you!

Just two months after news of their collaboration was revealed, seen on Intrumania here back in June, Metallica and Lou Reed have set a date for the release for the album they recorded.

The official website of the project reveals the release dates are set for October 31st worldwide, and November 1st in the US.

The project, entitled "Lulu", will feature 10 tracks all based on the music and lyrics originally written out by Reed for a theatrical production in Berlin. Following on from Reed's concerts with Bay Area thrashers Metallica in 2009, for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, everyone involved had a hunger to make more music together, the efforts of which we'll be treated to this Fall.

Reed recently told New York magazine that the project is "maybe the best thing done by anyone, ever", perhaps a testament to how free from boundaries Lars Ulrich says Metallica feel about working with the legendary former Velvet Underground guitarist.

Detroit-based hip-hop artist MC Black Milk found himself in the unlikely position of being contacted by Jack White, inviting him to jam and record two tracks.

White, famed for his skills across guitar, bass and drums in bands such as The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and, currently, The Dead Weather, called Black Milk last April, and set about creating two tracks, Brain and Royal Mega, which will be released on Third Man Records by label owner White, as a Black Milk single.

On MC Black Milk's personal blog, he tells his audience how the collaboration came about:

"It's a pretty crazy feeling when you're going about your regular, every day routine in the studio and all of sudden you get a phone call that Jack White wants to work with you. The email to my manager came from Jack White himself. My first reaction was one of shock that an artist like him, who most people would categorize as a rock star, would want to work with an independent hip-hop artist. My second reaction was surprise that he even knew I existed, even though we're from the same city.

"Of course, my response was 'Hell yeah! When and where do I need to be to make this happen?' A few back and forth emails led to my band (keyboardist AB; drummer Daru Jones and bassist Malik Hunter) and I taking a trip to Nashville to record at Jack's home studio."

White played guitar, drums, and co-produced the single, picking up the axe on Brain, and bashing skins on Royal Mega. The single will also be released on iTunes, and both can be previewed on Black Milk's website.

Amplifier, effects pedal and accessories maker Line 6 have launched Spider Online, an online resource consisting of over 500 lessons, jam tracks and tones, all created by the company, artists and Line 6 community members.

All the Spider Online tones, lessons and tracks are free for those Spider amp owners who have registered their product.This encorporates the entire Spider series, from Spider I to IV, the Spider Valve range, Spider Jam and Micro Spider amps.

Scott Waara, Product Manager at Line 6, revealed:
"Players can share tones, play along to great sounding jam tracks, and access a terrific variety of lessons in a wide range of styles. We're grateful that over a million guitarists own Spider amplifiers, so to thank our customers and keep them inspired musically, we're excited to make this resource available to them!"

He continues: "Spider Online offers over 300 lessons covering all genres, styles, theory and application, and techniques. Every lesson includes tab, audio samples and tones. Users can also play along to over 100 jam tracks, bass and drum grooves, and drum loops played by LA and Nashville's top session musicians. Spider owners can access hundreds of new tones that can be downloaded directly to Spider amplifiers or displayed on screen."

So if you're an owner of any of the Line 6 Spider series amplifiers, it would be well worth your while registering your amp. Already registered? Not a problem, shoot  over to the Line 6 Spider Online section for more information, and to access the massive banks of content, all free!