–Could Google be readying itself for online music sales? Google Labs just released their music-oriented product designed to track preferences and musicians - called Music Trends. Similar to MOG’s Mogamatic, it works through the Google Talk IM interface and tracks global music consumption patterns through iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player and Yahoo Music Engine. Google archives listening habits and displays ranked results. Users can access artist information and buy the albums through direct online store links. But not only will they sell this data to the enormous music industries ad reps, they can also fold this into their new PayPay-esque Google Checkout for direct buys. Watch out iTunes, here comes Google.

One other note, let’s hope the RIAA doesn’t try to get its hands on Google’s index of user mp3 files. We’re sure they’re salivating at the opportunity to subpoena and peruse a catalog of stolen/purchased music from each of Google’s customers.

–Building on the success of their June album, Notes From the Underworld (our review), San Fran’s own Persephone’s Bees has announced a nice little August tour tour and are streaming the album here.

–We highly recommend Facebook’s Back To School Sampler Series this week. Sign in to Facebook and then join the Apple Students group to redeem the sampler. With that code go to iTunes and download away. You have your choice of 25 artists this week, including quality tracks from: Gomez, Murder By Death (interview), Metric, Josè Gonzàlez, The Submarines, Of Montreal, Calexico, Quietdrive and Under the Influence of Giants.