Link-O-Rama …

Federal court rules that selling promo CDs does not violate copyright – Electronic Frontier Foundation

Will the new Coldplay album make or break Guy Hands’ EMI career? – The Guardian U.K.

Related: Coldplay’s Chris Martin says he’s fascinated by things that go bump in the night – The Mirror U.K.

Is Pete Doherty running out of money? – The Sydney Morning Herald / BANG Showbiz

Now you can shower with your iPod – Canada.com / Canwest News Service

Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett and Sheryl Crow might make it look easy, but songwriting is hardly a walk in the MacArthur Park – The Australian

Wanna guitar just like Joan Jett’s? Sure you do – Modern Guitars Magazine

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

George Michael wraps everything up in London with the last two shows of his 25 Live Tour. The London dates are August 24 & 25 at Earls Court.

Billy Currington updates today with August and September shows. New listings on Billy’s calendar include August 14 in Weston, WI; September 4 in Lowell, IN; and September 19 in Jim Thorpe, MA.

LeAnn Rimes keeps adding to her busy schedule. Today Ms. Rimes updates with September 28 in Jim Thorpe, PA (didn’t we just mention that town?) and October 4 in Yuma, AZ.

And we have one new date for Clint Black – September 21 in Grand Rapids, MI, at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center.

During the last couple of hours we also updated the schedules for Josh Grider, Kittie, Cory Morrow, Cowboy Troy, Charlie Souza, Phil Stacey, Shawn McDonald, Starfield, STD, Union Pulse, Blake Shelton and Brandon Rhyder.

And that’s the haps at the midway mark. Check out the afternoon data flow in Your Latest Update, coming up around 3 pm (PDT), from Pollstar.com!

This Day In Music History … (from Associated Press)

In 1949, Hank Williams made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry. His performance, with the audience demanding several encores of “Lovesick Blues,” is still considered one of the Opry’s greatest moments.

In 1966, Janis Joplin performed for the first time with Big Brother and the Holding Company in San Francisco.

In 1970, a U-S tour by Ginger Baker’s Air Force was cancelled eight days before the first concert because of what was termed the “political situation in America.” Not mentioned was that only 3,000 tickets were sold for the opening date. Baker, the former drummer for Cream, later opened a recording studio in Nigeria.

In 1986, The Police reunited at an Amnesty International show in Atlanta, performing five songs.

In 1988, a huge charity rock concert was staged at London’s Wembley Stadium. Sting, Stevie Wonder, Bryan Adams and other singers gathered to denounce South African apartheid and honor jailed black leader Nelson Mandela. More than 70,000 fans paid $45(U.S.) each to attend the nearly 11-hour concert. An estimated 750 million others watched on television in 60 countries, including Canada. The more than $3 million dollars U.S. in proceeds went towards British anti-apartheid activities and children’s charities in southern Africa.

In 1996, Garth Brooks signed autographs for 23 straight hours in Nashville. Some fans waited in line for up to 15 hours.