From EMP: At 7 p.m. August 29 in Seattle, Jenny Toomey will be speaking at a FREE event with Dave Allen from the Gang of Four, Dave Dederer from The Presidents of the United States of America, Michael Bracy from the Future of Music Coalition. Krist Novoselic from Nirvana, Reggie …

There is a very interesting discussion ongoing on Slashdot about our interview with RIAA pres Cary Sherman. Don’t forget, we are doing interviews with industry people, artists, writers, authors and the like here on a weekly basis – who would you like to see interviewed?

California state legislators have called for a second hearing on record label accounting practices, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 24 in Los Angeles. State Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Norwalk, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said the second hearing is necessary because “a lot of serious questions were raised but were not answered.” …

We reported last week on the conflict developing between the major labels and the independent promotions companies over fees paid to get songs played on the radio. RCA and Atlantic had reduced fees paid as of last week, now Universal is slashing fees by 50%: Universal Music Group, the world’s …

Fellow Blogcritic Sheila Lennon metaphorically went back to Woodstock for today’s 33rd anniversary: August 15, 2002 — The Woodstock Music & Art Fair began 33 years ago today at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, N.Y. I had seen an advertisement in the July 27, 1969 Sunday New York Times …

Sirius says reports of its financial troubles are not really false, but not true either: Recent news articles, fueled by a misleading report from Reuters, claim that Sirius Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) could be forced to seek bankruptcy protection if it could not raise new funds by the second quarter …

Our good friend and fellow Blogcritic Emmanuelle sends on the frabjous news that the French dug Tuesday’s Blogcritics.com launch, and especially the interview with RIAA pres Cary Sherman: Les internautes n’ont pas toujours la politesse et la prudence des journalistes. Ainsi, lorsque l’on met plusieurs utilisateurs aguerris de Napster, Kaaza …

Drowning Pool lead singer Dave Williams found dead in tour bus...

Courtney Love and Geffen face off...

We reported yesterday on the British plan to create an office to foster another British Invasion. Simon Warner thinks mightily on the matter: the British Invasion effect, which kept UK music in the fast lane from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, has pretty well run out of juice. In fact, …