What Else? Google vs. Spotify, Lohan vs. Pitbull, Kanye vs. et. al., RIP Magic Slim, 7digital, AEG, Ticketfly, Beck, Sonos, Post-SF…

What’s transpired over the last 48 or so…    

This is where that ‘two Googles‘ thing becomes a problem.  According to a report surfacing in the Financial Times, Google now wants to create a streaming service in the style of Spotify.  Which, of course, requires generous major label licenses and healthy cash outlays.  Other 800 lb. gorillas also pondering a dip in the stream include Apple and Amazon (not to mention Beats).

Frivolous and stupidly overreaching? Yes. Great for billable hours? Also a resounding ‘yes‘.  We bring you to New York, where a federal judge has now dismissed a lawsuit filed by Lindsay Lohan against Pitbull, one based on the ’emotional distresses’ caused by an unfavorable (and mostly innocuous) lyric.  Turns out the quip, “I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan,” is actually protected by the First Amendment (among other statutes).

And the real kicker?  According to the Hollywood Reporter, Pitbull’s defense team tried to get Lohan sanctioned for frivolously wasting court time and resources.  That never happened, though Lohan lawyer Stephanie Ovadia was slapped with a modest fine for plagiarizing pieces of her court briefings with information already published by other sources, including newspapers.  And she still got paid!

No, looming fatherhood isn’t mellowing Kanye West.  In a recent rant in London, West attacked corporate sponsorship sellouts, business-obsessed approaches to music, Jay-Z+Justin Timberlake, and of course, the Grammys.  “Since when is making music about getting rich? Since when is making art about getting rich?  Remind me again why we in this s–t! Remind me again why the Grammys couldn’t s–k my d–k!”

That’s the no-so-funny thing about great bluesmen: they don’t live forever.  Like Magic Slim, a pioneer of Chicago electric blues who just passed away at 75.  Slim actually opened for Pearl Jam in the mid-90s; here’s a clip from just a few years back.

On the global expansion front, 7digital has just announced beachfronts in Brazil, Argentina, India, Colombia and South Africa.  The brings the footprint to 42 countries, with 7digital frequently a behind-the-scenes, backend provider for a large number of device manufacturers and services.

And that AEG buyout process?  Apparently the bids are dipping on the lower side, at least according to the sometimes-correct but oft-errant New York Post.  The Post pointed to sub-$7 billion offers for the massive cluster of venues, teams, entertainment assets and real estate holdings.  Which may be exactly the problem here: “Some insiders suggest a breakup is the only way to sell it,” the Post writes, while noting that owner Phil Anschutz is likely to walk if the price isn’t right.

Which brings us to yet-another ‘Ticketmaster killer,’ Ticketfly, which is preparing some heady stats and announcements on the EDM front.  Stay tuned.

And somewhere in Los Angeles, Beck was busy tickling an assembled audience at a recent Sonos Studios shindig.  At the svelt Studios, the Beck Song Reader Exhibition Opening was emceed by KCRW’s Jason Bentley, with attendance by Agyness Deyn, Giovanni Ribisi, John C. Reilly, and Nora Kirkpatrick from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (among others).

And, there are more notes and presentations to talk about from SF Musictech Summit, including all sorts of initiatives and startups that haven’t seen the light of day.  More post-coverage ahead.