• The New York Post reported today Sony BMG and Warner Music Group are both near deals with MySpace for its new music site. One source said, "Everybody's operating with a sense of urgency to try to close it out." Major music companies are taking an equity stakes in MySpace Music and will share in the advertising revenue. Expect both ad-supported streams and paid downloads at the site. (New York Post)

• Universal Republic and India.Arie have launched a new record label called SoulBird Music. Not to be dismissive, but this looks like another standard record label model: big marketing expenses, independent radio promotion and hard days ahead. (Billboard.biz)

• Bands and labels beef up the extra content to prop up CD sales. "It's not enough to go and record 10 tracks and call it an album and call it a day. There has to be live content, B-sides, covers, EPK footage, web shorts, videos, podcasts, audiocasts, videocasts, you name it - everything and anything under the sun."(The Canadian Press)

• Morrison's Hotel, the music photography gallery, will open in the space previously occupied by CBGB's Gallery. (Plug In Music)

• A Q&A with Adam Gardner. Guster singer and co-founder of Reverb, a company that helps artists green their tours. "A lot of people think it's too hard or too expensive. For example, we've done some work with Warner Music Group. We have them looking at energy efficiency in their headquarters in New York City. They're going to save money by taking a closer at their energy and water usage. It's just a matter of getting the information out there and having people facilitate it." (Billboard)