• The Vancouver Sun and Nettwerk Music Group have released a free, 15-song digital compilation that can be downloaded at the Sun website today only. Seriously Westcoast Life Vol. 1 has tracks by such Nettwerk artists Sarah McLachlan (live version of "Afterglow"), the Barenaked Ladies ("Wind It Up"), Great Lake Swimmers ("Your Rocky Spine") and The Format ("She Doesn't Get It"). (Seriously West Coast Vol. 1 at Vancouver Sun)

• Universal Music Group is targeting mixtape distributor BCD Music Group for copyright infringement. In a statement, UMG said, "BCD has built a significant business by capitalizing on the proliferation of unauthorized mixtapes. Despite our good-faith attempts to address these concerns with BCD, their use of our artists' music
- without permission and without any compensation to rights holders - has required us to file this complaint to protect our rights and those of our artists." Again, I'm perplexed by the majors' stance on mixtapes. They're a vital source of promotion for hip hop artists and one of the few things keeping the genre from being an overcommercialized money grab. (Billboard.biz)

• Great American Country will air a series called "The Hitmen of Music Row," a reality show consisting of four successful Nashville songwriters that looks into the songwriting process. The show premieres on September 26. (Music City Syndicate, via The 9513)