Add Rhapsody to the ever-growing list of digital music retailers who have stripped DRM from their catalogs. The move is part of a multi-faceted initiative that the company hopes will make Rhapsody the default music provider on the Internet.

MOTU’s 896mk3 FireWire audio interface features 8 XLR/TRS combo-style analog inputs with preamps, high-impedance guitar inputs, 28 inputs and 32 outputs, 192 kHz analog operation, signal overload protection, a 32-bit floating point DSP for digital mixing and effects processing, and more.

PreSonus Audio Electronics’ FireStudio Lightpipe is a 24-bit, 96 kHz lightpipe to FireWire computer recording system with 32 inputs and 32 outputs. Convert up to 32 channels of ADAT or SMUX optical lightpipe I/O via FireWire.

HowAudio.com’s tutorial on Cubase 4 teaches you about integrating external audio and MIDI hardware, real multichannel surround sound, VST3 instruments and effects, Cubase’s Universal Sound Manager and Score Editor, notation and score printing, and more.

On the heels of Lil Wayne’s 1 million-plus debut sales week with “Tha Carter III,” Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” (Capitol) will post similarly lofty numbers and bow at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 next week.

Warner Music Group’s WEA sales and retail marketing division promoted Perry Bashkoff to VP of digital sales and marketing.

Warner Music Group’s WEA sales and retail marketing division promoted Perry Bashkoff to VP of digital sales and marketing.

ReverbNation embraces Twitter; MSN Radio is migrating from just being powered by Pandora; Kid Rock offers his thoughts on iTunes.

Hit country duo Montgomery Gentry has partnered with Southern California-based sport watch maker Reactor and retailer Dillard’s on a joint radio and in-store promotion, which coincides with Montgomery Gentry’s seventh album, “Back When I Knew It All.”

Hit country duo Montgomery Gentry has partnered with Southern California-based sport watch maker Reactor and retailer Dillard’s on a joint radio and in-store promotion, which coincides with Montgomery Gentry’s seventh album, “Back When I Knew It All.”