Material Girl Show Signs Of Rust: Live Nation is on the defensive about the health of its $120 million Madonna deal according to the New York Post. The concern is over Madonna’s lackluster album sales and the large number of tickets available for her shows, including the November Los Angeles Show. Live Nation handed out big bucks to aging stars which eventually led to a dispute among the top executives.

Arista Drops Idol: Blake Lewis has been dropped by Arista. ‘Blake’s debut album Audio Day Dream failed to chart any singles, and by Idol standards, underperformed, selling 98,000 its first week and 299,000 to date.’ (MJS)

Recommended Listening: Receive by The Wedding. The band released an EP on Brave New World Records on June 1st. Check out live video here. The band’s mission? To bring the rock back.

Gas Prices Put The Brakes On Bands: Gas prices at $4 a gallon is taking a toll on indie bands. CNN has an article titled ‘Gas prices thwart indie band tours‘ and cites instances where bands are spending $150.00 between shows. Make sure you merch is designed well and that your selling LOTS of it to make up the difference in the rising gas price…It’s a long way to the top if you want to Rock N Roll…

Old School: Coldplay will defy the current musical landscape by debuting #1 on the Billboard Charts with expected sales of 700k.