Dixie Chicks [ tickets ], Alanis Morissette [ tickets ], Maroon 5, The Donnas [ tickets ], Q-Tip, Jason Mraz, Kinky and Rooney are among the musical acts participating in this year's Rock the Vote campaign, which aims to register young people to vote.

The artists will take part in elements of this year's Rock the Vote bus tour, which will visit 50 cities over five months, beginning on June 16 in Los Angeles.

More details are available at the Rock the Vote website.

Stephen Malkmus [ tickets ] recently updated his fans about his future recording plans--which may or may not involve his band The Jicks--via a post on his official website.

"I've been down in the basement working on a different kind of record, the band has been contributing a bit, but it has more of a solo vibe than anything I've done in a long time," he wrote. "It looks like a January release, though [it] may come earlier. We're probably gonna do some group recording as well in June."

Beginning on June 7, the online music service Sony Connect will offer McDonald's customers a free digital download for each Big Mac Extra Value Meal purchased. The promotion runs for six weeks.

Country singer Clay Walker [ tickets ], the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Ambassador of the Year, was in Washington, DC, on Friday (6/4) to support the MS Society's annual Public Policy Conference and to raise awareness about MS.

Last year, Walker first revealed publicly his eight-year battle with MS. At that time, he also spoke to members of Congress about the need for Medicare coverage of all approved MS therapies.