Kraftwerk co-founder leaves German group (AP)
AP - Florian Schneider, a co-founder of Kraftwerk, the German band that built the foundation for electro-pop and scored a chart-topping global hit with "Autobahn" in 1974, has left the group, its label said Tuesday.

Britney Spears' official Twitter account hacked (Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - An anonymous hacker has reportedly hacked into Britney Spears' official Twitter account, leaving an obscene message.

Pop singer Annie readies album after label split (Reuters)
Reuters - After a worldwide record deal with Island Records collapsed last year, Norwegian electropop songstress Annie is forging ahead with plans to release her second album, "Don't Stop," sometime in 2009.

The Dead to Roam the Earth (E! Online)

E! Online - The Dead have turned the page on their differences.

Stooges guitarist Asheton found dead in Michigan (Reuters)
Reuters - Ron Asheton, a guitarist and founding member of the influential rock band The Stooges, was found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Tuesday, police said.

Wii boosts UK games sales, music resilient (Reuters)

Reuters - British retailers sold a record combined number of DVDs, games and music in 2008 despite the economic gloom, boosted by the popularity of Nintendo's Wii and single downloads, trade bodies said on Wednesday.

Lisa Marie Presley defends Scientology (AP)

AP - Lisa Marie Presley is expressing her condolences over Jett Travolta's death and defending Scientology, the religion that Presley, John Travolta and Kelly Preston follow.

Big Bopper's coffin to be sold on eBay (Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - The son of iconic '50s rock n' roller the Big Bopper has said he plans to sell his late father's casket--which he was buried in for 48 years--on eBay in the next few weeks.

Aerosmith gets back to work after '08 break (Reuters)

Reuters - Aerosmith is ready to return to work on its next studio album, according to drummer Joey Kramer.

Apple to sell copy protection-free songs (Reuters)

Reuters - Apple Inc has reached a deal with major record labels to sell digital songs without the copy protection software that had prevented fans from sharing music bought from its iTunes store, the maker of the iPod and iPhone said on Tuesday.