Here & There …

Country singer Hank Thompson dies at 82 – Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The writers affects musicians too – Rolling Stone

Remember the report that came out last week claiming file-sharing hasn’t negatively impacted CD sales? A University of Texas prof. says the report doesn’t pass “the laugh test” – The Globe and Mail

Yesterday’s premier punk venue to become tomorrow’s upscale men’s clothing store – NY1 News

Peter Gabriel and the future of music – Macworld

Cracker’s David Lowery says the couch circuit is alive and well – Des Moines Register

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

New dates for Kansas include 2008 shows in Texas, California and Arizona; Kanye West adds a Glasgow stop and Foghat slowride into the Big Apple in February.

Look for Bob Mould at New York’s Highline Ballroom in December; Dickey Betts & Great Southern in Richmond, VA, in February and Karla Bonoff in Homer, NY, next month.

Little Big Town travels to Worcester, MA, next spring; Olivia Newton-John books the Bahamas for January and Richard Buckner plays NY, PA, CT, MA and VA in December.

Sugababes all over the UK next April; Survivor bring the eye of the tiger to Albuquerque in February and The Nields add CT, NY and MA ’08 dates.

During the last 2 hours we also updated the schedules for Tracy Grammer, The Machine, The Roches, Sara Groves, Red Molly, Pierce The Veil, Lake Trout, Mark Erelli, Neal McCoy and Chubby Checker & The Wildcats. Be sure to check back around 3 PM (PST) for Your Latest Update from Pollstar.com!

Today in Music History … (Associated Press)

In 1968, Jim Morrison asked fans at a Doors concert to stand up. Police charged him with inciting a riot.

In 1969, The Rolling Stones opened their first U-S concert tour in three years with a stop in Denver. The group had ceased performing because of repeated drug arrests and other problems.

In 1979, The Rose, which starred Bette Midler as a Janis Joplin-like rock star, opened in the U.S. and Canada.

In 1986, Bruce Springsteen’s first authorized live album was previewed on radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. The five-record, five-cassette or three-compact disc set went on sale three days later.

Also on this date in 1986, rock star Prince made a surprise appearance at a high school football game in Hawthorne, California to crown the homecoming queen.

In 1988, a jury in San Francisco ruled that former Creedence Clearwater Revival lead singer John Fogerty did not copy one of his own songs when he wrote his 1984 hit “The Old Man Down the Road.” Fantasy Records had alleged the song was essentially the same as Fogerty’s 1970 composition “Run Through the Jungle,” recorded by CCR. The record company owns the rights to many of Fogerty’s earlier songs.

In 1993, Diana Ross was honoured in London by the Guinness Book of Records as the most successful female pop artist of all time.

In 1995, the world’s third-largest music publishing company was created when Michael Jackson merged his music catalogues with those of Sony Music Publishing. None of Jackson’s own songs were included in the deal. But Jackson, through his company ATV, held rights to 251 Beatles tunes, r&b classics such as “Lucille” and “Long Tall Sally,” plus numerous other hits. Jackson was said to have entered the merger because he needed the money after his settlement of child molestation allegations. His reported take in the deal – close to $100 million dollars.