Robert Plant & Alison Krauss CD "Raising Sand" has earned three of the most prestigious nominations for the seventh annual Americana Awards. Besides being nominated for "Album of the Year", Krauss and Plant are also among those tabbed for "Duo/Group of the Year", and a tune from the CD earned a "Song of the Year" bid more

Speaking of Zeppelin, we have some news about the Zep tribute band that played the DVD release we put on a few years back that Axl Rose showed up at. That band Spirit of Zeppelin (featuring Frank Simes who has played with artists ranging from Mick Jagger to Stevie Nicks and Don Henley) will be performing at Di Piazzas in Long Beach, California on Friday, June 13, from 11:30 PM till 2:00 AM. If you mention "Spirit of Zeppelin" at the door the admission is free. There is no age limit. Di Piazzas is located at 5205 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA 90804. The cross street is Anaheim. Also of note, Mark Romans actually plays John Bonham's "Green Sparkle" drum kit at most SOZ gigs. more about Spirit of Zeppelin

The fourth installation in the Guitar Hero series has been announced as "Guitar Hero: World Tour." The new game is planned for a fall 2008 release for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2 and is to support a drum kit with cymbals, a new guitar controller, and a microphone. more

Maroon 5 are jumping on the "let have our fans buy our album twice bandwagon. Billboard reports that their 2007 album "It Won't Be Soon Before Long," will be reissued in expanded form July 8 via A&M/Octone. The package will include a bonus DVD with four music videos and a full concert shot last year in Montreal. more

Carrie Underwood has extended her maiden headlining tour, dubbed Carnival Ride, through mid-December. The new leg begins Sept. 23 in Cleveland. more

Industry speculation that Michael Cohl is out as chairman of the board for Live Nation is premature, but it's apparent that there is plenty of discord atop the world's largest concert promotion company. Even if he remains in place for now, some sources indicate that Cohl's departure from Live Nation is imminent. more

Founder and former Editor-in-Chief of Harp Magazine Scott Crawford today announced the launch of BLURT, a new music digital-magazine. He will be joined by Managing Editor Fred Mills, Senior Editor Randy Harward, Associate Editor Andy Tennille and Contributing Editor A.D. Amorosi. www.BLURT-online.com

The RIAA has voluntarily dropped the case of Warner Vs. Cassin, one of several suits that revolved around the question of whether making MP3s available for download qualified as copyright infringement. It's noteworthy that the RIAA dismissed the case itself, rather than waiting for the court to follow recent precedent more

So, M.I.A., why are you canceling your European tour? Are you hesitant to spend July hopping around Europe due to your visa issues? "I'm canceling because I feel like physically I just have to stop for a second," she told New York. more

The Polyphonic Spree, Ambulance Ltd and Universal Music Group all filed papers on Friday (June 6) objecting to TVT's attempts to sell its record contracts with bands that signed to the label before it went bankrupt. - more on this story

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