• Six banks are reportedly near a deal to finance the private equity acquisition of Clear Channel. (Deal Journal)

• Chicago promoters are facing proposed legislation that could make it more difficult to hold concerts at licensed venues. "The ordinance as it stands requires independent promoters to apply for a license at a cost between $500 and $2,000 every two years, submit to fingerprinting and a criminal background check, secure as much as $300,000 in liability insurance and be at least 21 years old." (Chicago Sun-Times)

• Related: An interview with Chicago alderman Brendan Reilly. "Unfortunately, there are bad apples in this industry as well who are ruining it for those folks with a good business model. I know that law enforcement is in favor of passing an ordinance that will help us better regulate these folks and license them so we can track the bad actors and get them out of the industry." (Time Out Chicago)

• Starbucks' Hear Music is going to release a CD/DVD package for the next John Mellancamp album, Life, Death, Love and Freedom. The DVD will contain the entire album in CODE, a high-quality audio format developed by musician/producer T-Bone Burnett and a group of engineers. (Digital Music News)

• Seen at Billboard.com: An ad for the Zune Pass subscription service with the text, "Hurry, before they make this illegal. Discover unlimited music for the price of one CD a month." If the Zune Pass really is endangered, it's nothing a few more rounds of charity couldn't fix.

• The struggles of France's "three strikes" law. (EFF Deep Links)

[music jobs] Brand and Online Marketing Manager at The Ascot Club/Am Only; Brooklyn, NY.