plus: Beastie Boys [ tickets ]. Stevie Nicks. "I'm sure it's fine techno ..." TVT Records. Napster.

Prince [ tickets ] held a launch party for his new NPG Music Club at midnight on Valentine’s Day, but the service still wasn’t operating by Friday (2/16). A post on Prince’s NPG Online website says that website developer Tekadence "is very sorry 4 the delay it has caused all those waiting 2 sign up 4 this xperience! We here at the Park r as anxious as U r 2 gett underway. There is much jelly 2 deliver! Pray 4 Tekadence, u'all!"

Paul McCartney [ tickets ] has announced the May release of the TV movie "Wingspan," the story of his band Wings.

From nothing/Interscope: " Marilyn Manson [ tickets ] met up with Eminem [ tickets ] in Hamburg, Germany, joining him onstage during Slim's "The Way I Am.'' Go to Marilynmanson.com to download a clip of the performance ..."

Beastie Boy Adam Yauch told NME.com that his band is planning a Tibetan Freedom Concert to be held in the U.K.

"Trouble in Shangri-La" (Reprise), the first new Stevie Nicks album since 1994's "Street Angel" is due in stores on May 1. Nicks is expected to tour this summer.

We didn't know this: TVT Records (Ministry, Nine Inch Nails) was founded by Steve Gottlieb, who made his money selling "Television's Greatest Hits" CDs, according to the New York Observer.

Here's a question: if your friend has made a techno CD, and you don't like techno, do you have to buy it? We know the answer is probably yes, but okay, so like, let's say your friend made a coconut pie, and you don't like coconut, you can say, "None for me, thanks," right? We've heard a preview on MP3.com, and it seems like fairly accomplished techno. But it's still techno. You know?

Utah senator Orrin Hatch "again threatened the record industry with legislation if Napster is forced to close in the face of the record companies' law suit and a lower court's modified injunction," according to Inside.com, which reported that "[Hatch's] main concern was for the legion of Napsterians who would be denied access to digital music if the service doesn't resolve its differences with the record labels."

Now, to say that the demise of Napster equals denying access to digital music is ridiculous. It's spin. Hatch has chosen to spin for Napster. Hmm ...

Of course, Utah is so f---ed up (have you ever seen their Byzantine drinking laws? You'd have a better chance of understanding health care policy) that there may be a hugely disproportionate number of digital (read: underground) music fans, and maybe Hatch is trying to appeal to them.

According to the Associated Press, police in Brussels, Belgium, have been raiding homes of people suspected of using music file-sharing services to commit copyright violations.

All right, drop the mouse! Drop it! Keep your hands where I can see 'em! On the floor! I said on the floor, a------! Whaddaya got, Reilly?

We got him in mid-download, Lieutenant! ...

What's he downloading?

... Boy, this is a slow connection. You need to upgrade, scumbag!

What's he--

Tom Waits, sir. The "Alice" sessions.

Really? ... They never released those, did they?

No, sir.

[PAUSE]

... always wanted to hear those ...

Me, too, sir.

[PAUSE]

BLAM! BLAM!

[PAUSE]

I hated to do that.

I know, sir.

I'll plant the gun, you get the CD burner from the trunk.

Yes, sir.