Concert Business Remains Strong: Surprisingly, the concert business is hanging in there despite the economy and rising gas prices according to Pollstar. Bon Jovi grossed $56.3 million while Springsteen pulled in $40.8 million. Following Bon Jovi and Springsteen are:

Van Halen ($36.8 million)
Kenny Chesney ($35.3 million)
Michael Bublé ($32.5 million)
Kanye West ($31.6 million)
Jay-Z/Mary J. Blige ($30.7 million)
Rascal Flatts ($25. million)

Sales Record: Coldplay is breaking all kinds of records. Now, ‘Viva La Vida’ is the biggest paid download album in the United States with a sales total of 394,000. Also, Coldplay broke the record for first week pre-orders and first week album tallies on iTunes.

All Grown Up: Check out the article titled ‘A Grown-Up’s Guide To Summer Rock Festivals’ that discusses how concert promoters are beginning to cater to the needs of the older crowd who can afford multiday tickets costing between $150 and $250.

From Record Stores to Bloomingdales: According to Fashion Week Daily, Apple Records has given Bloomingdale’s exclusive rights to Beatles images and the store intends to create a Beatles clothing line. Bloomingdale’s also may sell Beatles iPods (limited edition) which will consist of their whole catalog.

Sales: My Chemical Romance who just released a live CD/DVD titled ‘The Black Parade is Dead!’ only sold 22,693 in its first week.

Shinedown’s new record sold ‘Sound of Madness’ sold 21,927 this week with a total of 72,359. Check out the Devour video here.

Kid Rock shows us that a hit single can still offer a sucker punch. Kid Rock’s ‘Rock N Roll’ Jesus leaped back into the top 10 selling 45,000 this week with a total of 1,102,807. The sales spike is due to the sampling single All Summer Long.

Kings of A&R: After a long extensive trip on the west coast, Kings of A&R will be returning with a crop load of new artists next week. Send new music to tips@kingsofar.com

Streaming Royalties: Last.fm is now offering streaming royalties to unsigned artists. Artists will now recieve royalties if their tracks are randomly streamed or played. Artists can register at www.last.fm/upload.com

“The young musician making music in a bedroom studio has the same chance as the latest major label signing to use Last.fm to build an audience and get rewarded. The Artist Royalty Program is another revolutionary step towards helping musicians take control of their music — and, more importantly, make a living from it,” said Last.fm co-founder Martin Stiksel.

This is true to an extent and it’s a good promotional tool for artists, just remember that bedroom studio records rarely make it out the box. Last.fm isn’t a free ticket to the pearly gates. ‘MAKING IT’ requires great songs, a unique singer, and an incredible live show. If you don’t have the goods, I would skip Last.fm. How many artists broke off of Last.fm?

TRL: Unsigned pop punk act The Friday Night Boys will be appearing on MTV’s TRL today.

The Knitting Factory is Moving: The Knitting Factory in NYC will be moving to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the former site of the Luna Lounge.

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Madden 09 Line Up: Here is a list of tracks that will appear on the popular EA Sports video game ‘Madden 09’.

Music Critics Ignored: A recent survey found that 8 in 10 consumers ignore music critics/ music reviews, instead, consumers seek recommendations from friends, family, online music stores and social networking sites.

“What this research shows is that today’s consumer is more informed than ever and that personalization will be critical for e-tailers looking to stand out,” said Avail Intelligence CEO Dr. Rolf Elmer.

Also, music mags lost trust among their readership. True genuine reviews were replaced with hyped artists. Another issue that caused music reviews to lose relevance are the amount of releases. Simply, music critics couldn’t keep up with the amount of releases and just gave up.

TV and Music: Another study from Park Associates says more people are listening to music on their TV than in the past.

“TVs are ubiquitous and increasingly capable of delivering a range of content, especially with new features like digital music delivery and place-shifting services. This is just the tip of the iceberg for TV applications”, says John Barrett, Director of Research at Parks Associates.

New Media Advertising Shows Signs of Explosive Growth: Online-video advertising will soar 45% to $805 million, making it “the fastest-growing emerging-media platform” according to MAGNA Global Worldwide. Mobile advertising is expected to grow 42.6% ($298 million) while social media is forcasted to grow 37.4% ($1.94 billion).

Live Nation World: Nickelback has signed a deal with Live Nation for recordings, touring, merchandise and other rights. Nickelback has signed more than 26 million record worldwide. Live Nation has struck deals with Shakira, Madonna, U2, and Jay-Z.

Signings: Cartel has left Epic Records to sign with Wind-Up Records. Wind-up Entertainment President Ed Vetri shared, “In the continuing evolution of the music industry, Wind-up has been and continues to be a leader in developing a business model that forms true artist partnerships and provides for long term development. We believe that bands like Cartel, and deals like this, are the future of this business. We are excited to begin working with a group that has proven hard work, great songwriting, and a commitment to touring provides the basis for a long term career. We are excited to be in business with Cartel, and look forward to building on their already sizeable fan base.”

Madison, Wisconsin based metal band Luna Mortis have signed to Century Media Records. Legal is Ben McLane and management is Neil Sheehan.

Folk rock artist The Avett Brothers have signed to American/ Columbia Records and have begun working on a new full length album with Rick Rubin.

ADA; New President: Warner Music has named Mitchell Wolk as the new president of its independent distributor, ADA.

Sirius, XM Merger Deal Almost Finalized: Sirius Satellite Radio acquisition of XM Satellite Radio may be finalized this month and cleared by federal regulators.

New Music Label: The New York Times featured Jermaine Dupri and his new label which is funded by pharm company Proctor and Gamble. These big corporations are entering the music business to promote their products. Read more here..

Mercy #1: Duffy has both the best selling album and single of 2008 in the UK. Following Duffy’s single ‘Mercy’ is Nickelback’s single ‘Rockstar’.

More Changes at EMI: More executive changes at EMI, for instance, Veteran exec JF Cecillon is out as President and Billy Mann, EMI Chief Creative Officer based in New York, will assume the additional role of President.

Idol News: Contestants who didn’t make the top 24 cut are elgible for American Idol Season 8. You can only think that the Idol crew is starving for new talent but can’t seem to find any