• Forrester analyst Josh Bernoff offers five points on Viacom's lawsuits against Google. #3 says that the Grokster decision will "embolden" Viacom. #4 gets to the most likely result, in my opinion: a settlement that includes some sort of copyright protection via fingerprinting or filtering. This isn't about money. (Groundswell Blog)

• The European Union's consumer chief backed away from her harsh statements on Apple's closed iPod/iTunes system. She simply wanted to start a debate about developing the nascent digital music market. Job well done. (Reuters)

• Willie Nelson has partnered with his manager and producer James Stroud to launch Pedernales Records. After Nelson's final Lost Highway album (due out March 20), he plans to record for the label. (Billboard.biz)

• Meet Slacker, a free web radio product that is supported by video ads. The company will also offer a portable radio device that works through unused commercial satellite radio signals and will support MP3, WMA, WMV and MPEG-4 files. (News.com)

• BurnLounge unveils new digital download software and BurnPages, a social networking service. (Press release)

• The Village Voice's Chris Parker has an article on payola settlements and an agreement by broadcasters to play more indie music. My thoughts: Last year, Spitzer's payola investigations were supposed to open the indie floodgates. This year, it took a pledge by broadcasters to get indie artists some airtime. In effect, the free market did not materialize and indies have received a subsidy instead. (Village Voice)