By Glenn Peoples, Nashville

In a new feature, Billboard analyzed sales after the introduction of variable pricing and found that unit sales had slightly decreased but overall spending at retail and net revenue to labels had increased.

While total track sales dropped about 5% in the six-week period following the switch, the top 200 tracks had dropped 8.5% while the top 40 tracks fell 10.8%. Even so, selling those amounts of units is fine given 30% increase in retail price.

EMBARK ON A MONTH-LONG HEADLINING TOUR IN EARLY FALL
SONATA ARCTICA, TAKING DAWN SUPPORT

New York, NY: DragonForce will be back to administer another ‘Ultra Beatdown’ upon American venues. The band will embark on a month-long, headlining tour this Fall, which kicks off on September 18 in Hollywood and runs through October 11 in Philadelphia. This will probably be the band’s final US tour in support of their most recent album, Ultra Beatdown.

Starting June 23, MySpace will be featuring LA COKA NOSTRA’s new single “Bang Bang” ft. Snoop Dogg. The explosive new song is the latest track from the group’s upcoming A Brand You Can Trust album to be posted online at www.myspace.com/lacokanostra.

BAND TO PLAY SELECT DATES TO MARK 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF LANDMARK DEBUT ALBUM

Bret Michaels’ injuries from his Tony Awards collision forced the rocker to cancel two solo performances in California this weekend. “The trauma caused by the now infamous accident at the Tonys continues to take its toll on Mr. Michaels throat as well as other physical conditions,” reads a post on Michaels’ official Website. Both affected dates have since been rescheduled.

Kiss are wrapping up their first new LP since 1998’s Psycho Circus, guitarist Paul Stanley revealed in a post on the band’s official Website yesterday. “We’re about four days from finishing the new Kiss album. Eleven tracks, and it IS everything I’ve told you. It IS classic. It IS all written within the band. And IT ROCKS BIG TIME!,” Stanley writes.

Green Day’s video for “21 Guns,” the second single off the band’s acclaimed 21st Century Breakdown, premiered last night on MySpace Music. The video was directed by music video vet Marc Webb, who previously helmed clips for Weezer and My Chemical Romance and will make his feature film debut later this summer with (500) Days of Summer.

By Ben Sheffner

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The recording industry secured a resounding victory last week when a Minneapolis jury awarded the four major labels $1.92 million in damages after unanimously finding that a 32-year-old mother had willfully infringed on their copyrights by downloading and sharing 24 songs on the Kazaa peer-to-peer network.

By Jason Lipshutz

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The trouble with fronting a constantly touring rock outfit is that it leaves little time to finish a novel.

That's what Mikel Jollett, singer/guitarist of the Airborne Toxic Event, came to realize as the momentum behind his band's self-titled debut album stalled his prose output.

"I want to finish it, but I keep going on tour," he says. "I like writing at home late at night, when I've just finished reading a good book. It's hard to write on a bus; it's a whole other lifestyle."

By Mariel Concepcion

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Sade did it. It's been nine years since she released "Lovers Rock," which sold 3.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

D'Angelo did it. It's been the same amount of time since he put out his platinum-selling set "Voodoo." Lauryn Hill did it. "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" -- six-times platinum -- came out 11 years ago.