MegaBail:

Hollywood copyright infringement tale to be, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom is back on the intrawebs, since granted bail back on February 21, and yes, it’s true, people, is actually following through with his “history in the making” album that he and production cohort Beets & Produce VP Joseph “Papo” Besson so infamously promised the world. Since succumbing to house arrest, Dotcom has impressed New Zealand Judge David Harvey with “exemplary” behavior. So exemplary he is now permitted to not only access the internet and travel twice a week to an Auckland studio to record said record, but he is also being granted the ability to “go swimming once a day,” and go meet with fellow Megupload cronies ahead of their August extradition hearing. The world is waiting Dotcom (via the AP).

Speech:

The annual Rock Hall of Fame induction nearing its April 14 run in Cleveland, words are starting to leak regarding who will be delivering speeches for who, as is the custom for inductees. The Red Hot Chili Peppers will get a nod from Chris Rock. Public Enemy‘s Chuck D is set to usher in the Beastie Boys, and for pop-punk kicks, Green Day will take on Guns N’ Roses. In addition, Bette Midler will set up the late Laura Nyro, ZZ Top for Freddie King, John Mellencamp for Donovan, the E Street Band‘s Steve Van Zandt for Small Faces and Carole King for Don Kirshner, among a handful of others Rolling Stone has the deets on. And no, GNR haven’t changed their mood on an original line-up performance (via NME).

Pono:

Taking time off from Crazy Horse reunions and 37-minute jam sessions, Neil Young is acting on his persistent vitriol for digital audio, filing for a series of patents on a hi-res studio quality format in leu of the notorious chopped lows and highs of MP3s, reports Rolling Stone. Apparently a division of Penguin Publishing Group, Blue Rider Press, of whom will house the rock icon’s forthcoming memoir inadvertently leaked the info to the world via the following press release bit: “Young is also personally spearheading the devopment of Pono, a revolutionary new audio music system presenting the highest digital resolution possible, the studio quality sound that artists and producers heard when they created their original recordings. Young wants consumers to be able to take full advantage of Pono’s cloud-based libraries of recordings by their favorite artists and, with Pono, enjoy a convenient music listening experience that is superior in sound quality to anything ever presented.”

#LOLLA Part II:

Chicago’s annual Grant Park-based music gala, Lollapalooza, has unveiled another round of its cryptic advert campaign, this time alluding to another handful of artists from Sigur Ros, to the Black Keys – really, again? – to Santigold, Kimbra, The Big Pink, Dawes, Washed Out, M83, Bloc Party and Twin Shadow, teasing some lyrics and a wee little trending #LOLLA hashtag via Time Out Chicago, the RedEye and CTA platforms. There’s still time to predict what the final bill will look like. Consequence of Sound has a little starter kit for you.

Lyricapsule:

The late great blues dynamo Muddy Waters would have turned 99 today. Heed this sage economic and metaphorical advice from one of the masters of the weeping guitar lead on 1964 single “You Cant Lose What You Ain’t Never Had:”

Well you know, you can’t spend what you ain’t got
You can’t lose what you ain’t never had