• Amazon.com is "likely" to power the music ecommerce transactions for the upcoming MySpace Music site. (TechCrunch)

• Billy Bragg writes for The Guardian about the new British plan to combat music piracy. He dismisses the plan to send letters to infringers (I agree) and suggests other ways to collect revenue from music. He throws out the idea of a "license" to download as much music as you want. A nicer way of saying "pay a tax." (The Guardian)

• The Killers have signed a deal with Bravado, Universal Music Group's merchandise unit. (Press release)

• What happens when today's heritage acts stop touring? Many think arena rock will be all but dead. "We're seeing more artists develop up to arena-level or amphitheater-headlining status for a couple of tours, then fade back down." (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

• Related: Evidence of the shrinking audience can be seen in Clark County, WA (north of Portland, OR). "When the (amphitheater) launched in 2003, promoters expected 38 concerts every year. But since then, the thriving U.S. concert market has lurched away from big-name, big-venue acts and toward niche musicians playing small to medium-sized clubs." Now the country is considering a bailout of the struggling amphitheater. (The Columbian)

• Looks like rising petroleum prices will cause vinyl record prices to rise. (The Oregonian)

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