Link-O-Rama …

Record labels demand big bucks from Pirate Bay operators – The Local

ISP Virgin Media considering “3 strikes” plan for disconnecting music pirates – The Register U.K.

Madonna in Vanity Fair – “”I wasn’t a hippie or a stoner, so I ended up being the weirdo.” – Vanity Fair

Keith Richards doesn’t like the U.K.’s new smoking ban – The Sun U.K.

Mos Def to play Chuck Berry in film about Chess Records – The Hollywood Reporter

Springsteen A through Z – The Vancouver Sun

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

Bob Dylan heads up to the Maritime Provinces for a few May gigs. New listings include May 19 & 20 in Saint John, New Brunswick, May 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and May 23 & 24 in St. John’s Newfoundland.

The Skid Row touring calendar is always a work in progress. New dates include June 18 in Monterrey, Mexico, June 28 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, July 18 in Sioux Falls, SD, and September 19 in Chicago.

And Southern Culture On The Skids update today with a few new listings for May. New dates include May 8 & 9 in Kill Devil Hills (North Carolina), May 17 in Carrboro (North Carolina), May 24 in Dayton (Ohio) and May 25 in Louisville (Kentucky).

During the last couple of hours we also updated the schedules for Sweet Honey In The Rock, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, The Calling, The Blue Method, Tea Leaf Green, Leon Russell, Lucy Kaplansky, Marco Benevento, Karla Bonoff, Girl In A Coma, Dan Bern, Ellis Paul, Cowboy Mouth, Carolyn Wonderland and California Guitar Trio.

And that’s the story at the halfway mark as we move into Monday afternoon on the West Coast. More fresh concert data coming up in Your Latest Update, scheduled for around 3 pm (PDT), from Pollstar.com!

This Day In Music History … (from Associated Press)

In 1995, Tejano music star Selena was shot to death at a motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, by a former president of her fan club. Yolanda Saldivar allegedly embezzled money from a boutique she ran for the singer. She was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Also on this date in 1967, at a London concert, Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire for the first time.

In 1982, The Doobie Brothers broke up after a farewell tour. They began a series of reunions five years later.

In 1994, Madonna’s appearance on “Late Show With David Letterman” caused headaches for CBS censors. The network deleted 13 offending words from the audio track before the show aired. An obviously annoyed Letterman told the singer “people don’t want language like that coming into their living room.”