Rockers Godsmack [ tickets ] issue an acoustic album on Nov. 18 featuring unplugged renditions of songs previously recorded by the band, as well as new tracks.

"We decided to do an acoustic record because we have always messed around with acoustic versions of our music and gotten great reactions to it," frontman Sully Erna said in a statement. "Reworking the songs this way shows a different side of the band."

Pete Townshend [ tickets ] has released via his eelpie.com website a two-CD set titled "Live: BAM 1993," which he recorded in Brooklyn, New York.

A judge rejected country singer Kenney Chesney's request for a nationwide ban on merchandise bootleggers outside of his concerts, the Associated Press reports.

The judge reportedly said that Chesney's failure to submit an "official" T-shirt into evidence was key in his decision.

Major music companies Warner Music and BMG are in negotiations to merge, and could announce a deal within a month, Reuters reports. If the companies combine, they would create the world's second-biggest music company, trailing only Universal.

If the deal goes through--and any deal would likely undergo antitrust scrutiny--it would leave just four major labels standing.