April Rain:

All talk of an original GNR get-the-band-back-together leading up to their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14th has purportedly been debunked by a Twitter interview with a Future Rock Legends and Paul Shaffer, the Canadian-American musician with the task of musical director and producer duties since the Hall’s beginnings in 1986. Or rather, a dude speaking as Shaffer; said dude speaking as Shaffer replied to a question about how long the upcoming ceremony will be with so many inductees – it has since been deleted from Twitter – with the following: “Guns N’ Roses will not be performing, so not as long as you would think.” In other news, fellow inducteees, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have confirmed a jam session. Minus John Frusciante. Sad face (via Blabbermouth).

Digital Dollars:

Snowballing lawsuits have led to a settlement between Sony BMG and a handful of musicians from The Allman Brothers to Cheap Trick over digital music revenue, reports Billboard. Totaling near $8 million Sony has agreed to pay its recording artists and lawyers for discrepancies in contracts regarding digital music outlets, the main argument being that artists get the short end of the stick, as the format is garnering more revenue than physical formats, yet has a smaller pay-out ratio for artists, all surrounding the labeling of a digital download as a “sale” and not a “license.” Though the settlement hasn’t been fully approved yet, the tide is about to come in for artists facing similar issues.

Ten:

Following their 20th anniversary as a band, Pearl Jam, the famous “white male longhairs” that “play their guitars too long but not too well” are about to drop their tenth record, according to some tasty bits of revealings from guitarist Stone Gossard in the most recent issue of Rolling Stone, promising laissez-faire experimentation and “refreshingly cool” attributes. Gossard: “I think the main thing is that we’re not in a rush and there’s no urgency to it. The most important thing is that we put something out that continues to expand our boundaries rather than trying to follow what we’ve done in the past. I think it’s a good time to hopefully continue to experiment, and continue to shake it up” (via NME).

Class Clown Spots A UFO:

Midwestern lo-fi heroes Guided By Voices are readying a June follow-up to Let’s Go Eat The Factory, just two months after its retail drop in January. Dubbed Class Clown Spots a UFO, lead talent Robert Pollard teased its first single “Keep it in Motion,”a somewhat glossy departure from classic GBV, streaked with a crisp drum line, no tape-hiss and strings, are those strings? Yes those are strings. Then again, Pollard denotes its “pop” sensibilities right there in open. Thoughts, gritty production fans? GBV fans? Music fans? Lyric fans?

Lyricapsule:

Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G., a.k.a. Biggie Smalls, was fatally shot in L.A. on this day in 1997, end-capping a violent east coast-west coast hip-hop feud that also took the life of Tupac Shakur a few months earlier. Regarded as one of the finest rappers of all-time, Biggie’s first single “Juicy” is likewise considered one of the finest hip-hop debuts/tracks to drop, an autobiographical rags-to-riches tale that is basically required listening for aspiring protogees with many a brilliant line, including:

Now I’m in the limelight ’cause I rhyme tight
Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade
Born sinner, the opposite of a winner
Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEg8qdSocn0