• Finally, somebody other than a technology writer or music critic takes a good, long look at the music industry. (No offense meant, but those two camps tend to enter the discussion with a bias that prevents whatever objectivity could have existed to begin with.) I expect a balanced and thoughtful post from the writers of the New York Times' Freakonomics blog, and that's just what Stephen J. Dubner has given his readers. (Freakonomics, via Digital Audio Insider)

• An update from the hearings in Brussels: Vivendi chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy told reporters that Universal Music Group's contract with Apple is "indecent" and that its "contracts give too good a share to Apple." (Reuters)

• Clive Gardiner, a former BMG Music executive, has been named VP of Digital Content for upstart download store We7. The innovative site, with backers that include musician Peter Gabriel, offers ad-supported downloads with the audio advertisements embedded into the actual sound files. (Press release)

• Well lookie here...pitting one artist against another results in higher sales for both parties (something the British have long known). The "battle" between Kanye West and 50 Cent has Billboard.biz looking at the upcoming street date "battles." On October 2 we'll get a battle royale between Bruce Springsteen, Dashboard Confessional and Matchbox Twenty. A better three-way fight occurs on November 6 as Alicia Keys, Garth Brooks and Jay-Z will release new albums. (Billboard.biz)

• For a good overview of the secondary ticketing market, check out this article. Here's a fun fact I didn't know: Only six states still outlaw the reselling of tickets. (Tickets News)

• The WMA-based Virgin Digital will shut down next month. It never had a chance and was never on the radar. After a few years of download stores opening in numbers not seen since video arcades in the '80s and bagel shops in the '90s, it's high time the market thins out a bit and rids itself of the weakest players. Evolution is a natural and positive force in business. (PC World)

• Billboard.biz is currently streaming a video of an interview with SpiralFrog chairman Joe Mohen. He expects to have the other majors signed up "pretty quickly." When asked about the files' lack of compatibility with the iPod, Mohen spoke about a new generation of music-enabled, flash storage cell phones that will work with SpriralFrog. Another thing he mentioned was labels' fear that SpiralFrog would canniablize sales at places like iTunes. Mohen thinks he has convinced them that SpiralFrog that won't happen and the site will result in incremental revenue. I'm not sold on the business model, but the site is in its infancy and should improve over time. (Billboard.biz)