• AEG, one of the largest entertainment presenters in the world, has opened an office in San Diego that will be headed up by two former employees of independent promoter Viejas Entertainment. AEG is now the exclusive booker of the San Diego Sports Arena. (Billboard.biz)

• The Telegraph details the upcoming changes at HMV and Rough Trade: "The stores will include so-called refreshment hubs where shoppers can browse the internet. HMV is also considering introducing a manufacture on-demand service, allowing shoppers to burn their own CDs in store. ... Rough Trade is also aiming to be more than just a record store: it is planning a series of regular events about the music industry by insiders, including an art exhibition by Pete Fowler, the sleeve designer behind Welsh rockers Super Furry Animals." (The Telegraph)

• An updated FairUse4WM claims to strip DRM from Vista and Zune software. I haven't tried it but will take their word for it since the last version worked like a charm in my very limited test. (Engadget)

• NME has a track-by-track review of the Price CD that was available for free as a Mail on Sunday covermount, while The Guardian has a better, broader critique. (NME.com and The Guardian)

• The Guardian says Prince's CD was distributed in "about three million" copies of the Mail on Sunday. That means an additional 700,000 to 800,000 or so newspapers were distributed above normal circulation numbers. That also means way, way more people got Prince's new album than bought his previous one. (The Guardian)

• And now Prince's Planet Earth has made its way to the Internet. (BBC News)

• I hate to pass along rumors, but....there's discussion of Apple starting a record label with Jay-Z and Beyonce. (MacRumors)