News …

Sirius / XM merger moves closer to reality – The New York Times (registration may be required)

MySpace to launch music service in September – CNN Money / Fortune

Would you be interested in downloading as many songs as you want regardless of the source for an annual fee? They’re considering it in Britain – The Independent U.K.

Pete Townshend says he once told Eddie Vedder to keep on rockin’ – Rolling Stone

Aussie pays big bucks to get into Sting’s pants – Sunshine Coast Daily / AAP

And he’s painting a stairway to … heaven … for charity – Town Crier Today U.K.

Views …

Chaka Khan in London – “Unleashing her still-mighty voice with impressive ease, the 55-year-old Chicago-born diva served up a sloppy, syrupy mix that combined 35 years of hits with tracks from her latest album, Funk This.” – The Times Online U.K.

Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick in Oklahoma City – “A potent brew of crowd-pleasing hits, dynamic showmanship and bone-rattlingly loud rock ‘n’ roll cast a spell on the Zoo Wednesday night.” – The Oklahoman

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in Minneapolis – “His audience contained a contingent of teens and 20-somethings to go along with all the baby boomers.” – Minneapolis Star Tribune

Jimmy Buffett in Pittsburgh – “Pittsburgh is way away from any real beach, but you wouldn’t have known that from Jimmy Buffett’s elaborate stage setup Tuesday night.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ted Nugent in London, Ontario – “He roared into Harris Park last night with his guitar ablazing like the guns he loves and his mouth spewing non-stop music and talk of hunting with his Canadian buddies.” – The London Free Press

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy with the San Francisco Symphony – ” … delivered an energetic and crowd-pleasing performance, bringing a louder sound to the Davies Hall than any Mahler symphony could ever hope to accomplish.” – The Daily Californian

Jarvis Cocker in NYC – “There’s no mercy for the comfortable in the songs of Jarvis Cocker, the English songwriter who brought his band to Terminal 5 on Tuesday night. It’s not because he’s some revolutionary outsider, but because he’s one of them.” – The New York Times (registration may be required)

They Say It’s Their Birthday … (Or so says Associated Press)

Gallagher is 62

Pam Tillis is 51

Jennifer Lopez is 40

Kristin Chenoweth is 38