plus: A major label attempt at an online subscription service. John Lewis. Raffi. A fan writes about meeting Springsteen.

Loretta Lynn [ tickets ]--who had been undergoing treatment for pneumonia since March 20--was released from a hospital near her home on Saturday (3/31), according to her publicist. Her doctors have advised her to curtail her work for at least another month.

Mariah Carey [ tickets ] has signed the most lucrative recording contract in history with Virgin, Wall of Sound reported. According to the article, Carey was seeking $25 million per album; the actual amount was not disclosed.

According to CNet, "In a widely anticipated move, RealNetworks on Monday (4/2) formed a pact with AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann and EMI Group to create a company that will develop an online music subscription service, dubbed MusicNet."

John Lewis, pianist for Modern Jazz Quartet, died on Thursday (3/28) at age 80, CNN.com reported.

Country Standard Time reported that country artists such as Asleep at the Wheel, Billy Gilman, Kathy Mattea and Marty Stuart, among others, are recording album of songs by childrens performer Raffi, with the proceeds going to the Children's Environmental Health Network.

A New Jersey resident (we assume) wrote at length on liveDaily's message board about Bruce Springsteen [ tickets ]'s surprise appearance at a local record store on Tuesday morning (4/3), the day his new live album was released. Click here to read the post.