Fans of British electro-rockers Curve can get a taste of what the band's been working on, thanks to a free download of the melodic new song, "Perish," available at www.curve.co.uk. The group is recording material for the follow-up to 1998's Come Clean. ...

Dark rockers Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are previewing tracks from their 11th studio album, No More Shall We Part, on www.nickcave.net. The site offers 40-second clips of all 12 songs. No More Shall We Part is due April 2. ...

Bruce Springsteen can't lay claim to brucespringsteen.com, a site registered to Jeff Burgar and the Bruce Springsteen Club, Reuters has reported. The World Intellectual Property Organization determined Tuesday that Burgar neither registered the name nor used the site in bad faith, and that he hasn't attempted to sell the site for so-called "cybersquatting." Sting also lost a similar case, while Madonna and the estate of Jimi Hendrix won back their domain names. Springsteen's representatives were unavailable for comment. ...

Former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft has posted acoustic performances of two tracks, "I Get My Beat" and "You on My Mind in My Sleep," which aired last month on Detroit radio, on his Web site. ...

The Internet Underground Music Archive (www.iuma.com), which showcases unsigned, independent and local artists, announced Wednesday (February 7) that the site may be forced to shut down after more than seven years. In a statement posted on the site, founder Jeff Patterson and General Manager Antony Brydon explain that major cutbacks in funding from Emusic, the company that bought IUMA in 1999, has forced the pioneering site to eliminate its entire staff. In the statement, Patterson said they will continue to look for new partners, but until then the site will stop selling featured bands' CDs, and it will not accept any new acts. ...

Fans curious about Kid Rock's acting chops can watch two clips from his film debut, "The Adventures of Joe Dirt," on his recently revamped Web site. "Joe Dirt" will hit theaters on March 9. ...

The Scour Exchange file-swapping service — or at least a version of it — is on its way back. CenterSpan Communications, which acquired the assets of the bankrupt Scour in December, is beginning beta testing of the new, still-unnamed service, and it hopes to launch the service in late March, according to CNet. CenterSpan hasn't announced what the user fee would be to access music and video files. ...

Primal Scream singer Bobby Gillespie and electro-folkie Trashmonk are among the celebrity reviewers on Poptones.com, the Web site for British record company mogul Alan McGee's latest label. McGee himself reviews "The Creation Records Story," an unauthorized biography on the legendary label he founded. Movie reviews and political editorials are also included. ...

Media mammoth Clear Channel Communications Inc. announced Wednesday (February 7) the purchase of Web radio network Enigma Digital, whose stations include popular dance music outlet Grooveradio.com, Los Angeles metal station KNAC.com and lounge specialists LuxuriaMusic.com. The San Antonio, Texas, company said it would incorporate Enigma Digital into its Clear Channel Internet Group and focus on integrating digital broadcasting with publication and retail. Clear Channel Communications operates more than 1,120 radio and 19 television stations in the United States. ...

PJ Harvey has posted the video for "A Place Called Home," from her sixth album, Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000), on her Web site. The video was shot in an 18th century church in East London that is rumored to be haunted. ...

Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, the famous Nashville watering hole on lower Broadway next to the Ryman Auditorium stage door, is instituting live broadcasts from the club on WSM-FM and on www.wsmonline.com. They will present an industry showcase on Wednesday (February 7), Michael Peterson will perform February 13 and the Warren Brothers appear February 27. Showtimes are at 9 p.m. CT. ...

British rockers Suede are documenting their progress on the follow-up to 1999's Head Music on their Web site, www.suede.net. The band has posted pictures and movies of its work in a Wales studio, including a clip of frontman Brett Anderson singing the song "Asda Town." ...

A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin is selling her DIY solo debut, Yellow My Skycaptain, for $15 on her Web site, www.pazlenchantin.com. The album compiles songs she has written and recorded (primarily on four-track) since she was a teenager. ...

The Capitol Records Radiohead page is offering live versions of the Kid A tracks "Permanent Daylight," "The National Anthem," "Everything in Its Right Place" and "Morning Bell" for free download. ...

MP3.com's star-crossed My.Mp3.com service has sparked yet another lawsuit — this time from fellow online-music pioneers EMusic and several of the company's affiliated independent labels. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for New York's Southern District, alleges that the My.MP3.com service allows users to listen to albums online that are licensed exclusively to EMusic. A spokesperson for MP3.com, which has settled similar lawsuits from the five major label groups, did not return a call for comment by press time. ...

An MP3 clip of a solo track from former Kula Shaker frontman Crispian Mills is available at ElectricArtists.com. The song, "Anti-Material," is the first solo work from the singer since his split with Kula Shaker in 1999. ...

Music and video clips by English pop quintet Quickspace are available on the Matador Records Web site. The page features video of the band performing "They Shoot Horse Don't They" at London's Electric Ballroom on Nov. 2, as well as MP3s and RealAudio clips of other tracks from The Death of Quickspace, released in March. ...

British punk-pop anarchists Chumbawamba have released a song online that features unauthorized samples of Metallica, Eminem, Dr. Dre, the Beatles and Madonna, among others. The band is encouraging fans to download the song, titled "Pass It Along (MP3 Mix)," from chumba.com and share it with their friends. The song is structured on Metallica's "Enter Sandman" and includes the voice of drummer Lars Ulrich condemning Napster. "It's not passing music around for free which is killing music; no, it's the industry which is stifling creativity by only ever thinking in terms of dollars and pounds," Chumbawamba vocalist Dunstan Bruce said in a statement. "This is about commerce rather than art or integrity." ...

— sonicnet.com staff report