the listenerd

*Streaming: MySpace Music streamed a billion songs within days of its launch. Whatever this MySpace Music monster is, it is LARGE. I had a fake MySpace page once. I thought I should admit that.

*Success: Classical music is kicking ass. Among other numbers on the rise: “Ticket-sale income from orchestra performances grew almost 18%, to $608 million, between the 2004-’05 and 2005-’06 seasons.”

*Videogames: Queen Latifah is obsessed with playing mah-jongg on her iPod Touch. And that is NOT a euphemism, assholes.

*Crowdsourcing: Another experiment in putting elements of the music business directly in the hands of the people, SongVest lets fans invest in the works of songwriters. [licensing plate]

*Politics: Jay-Z is doing (did?) a free concert in support of Barack Obama in Miami tonight.

*Rights: Rhapsody grabbed the exclusive rights to sell Kid Rock’s catalog online. Bawitaba. (That’s lobotomenglish for “I don’t know what further to say in this context.” Look it up.) [coolfer]

*Weird Al: Weird Al Yankovic will begin releasing his songs on iTunes as soon as he’s done recording them. Or so he says on his MySpace. Yes, Weird Al blogs on MySpace. [waxy]

*Art (or whatever): The New York Times profiles Shepard Fairey: “I don’t need to do street art anymore. But I enjoy it. It’s not insidery. It’s an opportunity to ire or inspire. And it’s free.”