Performing 'Freedom at 21' and chatting with Stephen

Jack White stopped by to visit his buddy Stephen Colbert on 'The Colbert Report' last night, performing Blunderbuss track 'Freedom at 21', and slipping backstage for a goofy chat with Stephen.

The performance was much more muted than his extravagant previous dalliances with Colbert-- if you recall, they once broadcasted a 'Rock Odyssey' , put out a kooky collaborative single on White's Third Man Records, and performed together in New York -- though the teasing interview was quite the spectacle. When Colbert quizzed White on how many of the balloons attached to copies of 'Freedom at 21' had been picked up, he sheepishly confessed that only 'five of them had been found.'

In other Jack White news, he's on track to have his first ever Billboard number one album with Blunderbuss . (Nope, the White Stripes never had a number one.) And don't forget to watch his live webcast (directed by Gary Oldman) from New York's Webster Hall tonight.

Poor health hasn't robbed Gregg Allman of his sense of humor. Just as it seemed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member was finally over the effects of his liver transplant two years ago, he's been forced to delay his upcoming book tour to promote his new memoir, 'My Cross to Bear,' for heart tests.

But in a phone interview Thursday afternoon, he seemed in good spirits as he described his latest health problem.

'It's just one of those make-sure tests, you know,' Allman said. 'My heart goes into A Fib (atrial fibrillation) and does those beats - you know, instead of going du-dun, du-dun, du-dun, it goes ta-da-dat-ta-da-doot-doot. There's a little reggae in there somewhere.'

Allman is scheduled to undergo tests Friday at The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. He had a liver transplant due to Hepatitis C at the same clinic in 2010 and has been steadily recovering since, though he's been forced to cancel or postpone performances from time to time because of setbacks.

He recently had hernia surgery related to the transplant and says he feels as well as he has in some time. It's unclear if his heart problems are related to the transplant.

The co-founder of The Allman Brothers Band and a key figure in rock 'n' roll joined his band mates at last weekend's Wanee Festival in Florida.

'That's our festival down there,' Allman said. 'The Allman Brothers started it. I didn't play the whole set, but I played both nights. In all I might've done 10 songs maybe. It was a lot of fun.'

Allman will begin his book tour May 8 if doctors turn up no significant problems. He also plans to hit the road this summer with the Allman Brothers, something he feels he owes his fans.

'I know there's been a lot of people that have had their hearts set - God bless `em - on seeing me and my boys perform and seeing me and the Brothers perform,' Allman said. 'And because of this virus and all these damned surgeries, I had to cancel. I've always really held that sacred and a no-show I am not. I'd like extend my apology to them. It's just kind of a bigger bump than I expected in the road, and as of this summer I'll be there with bells on in the future.'

The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney says that Napster co-founder and Spotify board member Sean Parker made his billions by stealing money from artists.

The beef between Ohio-based rock stars The Black Keys and Spotify just got personal. Following news that The Black Keys would not stream their new album , El Camino , on the increasingly popular music streaming service, the band has taken some direct hits at one of Spotify's most high-profile executives, Sean Parker.

When asked during an interview with WGRD radio in Grand Rapids, MI, whether the duo believed Parker, who founded Napster, when he said that Spotify could generate more revenue than iTunes for artists, drummer Patrick Carney told it like they see it.

“No,” said Carney. “Because, [Parker's] an asshole. The guy has $2.5 billion he made from figuring out ways to steal royalties from artists, and that's the bottom line. You can't really trust anybody like that.”

“The idea of the streaming service — like Netflix for music — I'm totally not against that, it's just that we won't put all of our music on it until there are enough subscribers for it to make sense,” Carney continued. ”There are only about a million-and-a-half Spotify subscribers, I think, but if there were like, 200 million…”

As interviewer Dave Kim explains, a song on Spotify must be played an estimated 66 times to equal the same amount of royalties received from a 99-cent iTunes download — about 12 cents.

“So that's what they're doing,” responded Carney. “Sixty six plays will get a 12-cent royalty. But then that goes to the label, and part of that is paid out to the artist from that. You can't make money on that.

“Trust me, [Keys frontman] Dan [Auerbach] and I like to make money. If it was fair to the artist we would be involved in it. I honestly don't want to see Sean Parker succeed in anything, really. I imagine that if Spotify does become something that people are willing to pay for, then I'm sure iTunes will just create their own service, and do it themselves. And they're actually more fair to artists.”

The number 66 might actually be somewhat low. According to some music industry estimates , the number of times a song must be played on Spotify for the royalties to equal one 99-cent download is between 80 and 200. Regardless, any number assigned is just an estimate, since it changes depending on the specific deal each music label struck with Spotify. Because of The Black Keys' massive popularity, it's likely that they would get about as good a deal as anyone.

Another thing to take into consideration is the conversion rate, from streaming to download. If a person hears a song on Spotify, it increases the possibility that they will download the track, or even the whole album. In those cases, the argument that Spotify just isn't worth it financially is rendered moot. Also, access to music on Spotify has also been shown to reduce piracy — a practice that gives neither the record label nor the artist anything whatsoever — according to the RIAA, at least.

Obviously, the math is extremely complicated — especially because those reporting the numbers (i.e. the RIAA) are not always honest about the facts and figures surrounding their business. Moreover, the digital music age is still in its infancy. Parker's Napster was the first iteration, iTunes the second, Spotify and similar services the third. Whether the music labels like it or not, how music fans get their tracks will continue to evolve along with the rest of consumer technology. If The Black Keys want to sit on their front porch and scream at kids, that's their choice. But they might one day find themselves old and alone.

Greg Ham of Aussie rockers Men At Work has died under mysterious circumstances.

The 58-year-old's body was discovered yesterday (April 19) at his home in Melbourne. Police have established a crime scene at the house, but are refusing to explain why his death is being treated as suspicious.

A multi-instrumentalist, Ham was renowned for the flute riff on Men At Work's huge hit, 1982's Down Under, even though a court ruling two years ago upheld claims that this had been partially taken from a 1935 children's rhyme called Kookaburra.

Commenting on the death of his one-time bandmate, vocalist/guitarist Colin Hay issued the following statement:

“I met Greg Ham 40 years ago, at [comedian/actor] Kim Gyngell's house in 1972. Last year of high school.

“He had blond hair, rosy cheeks, ridiculously bright eyes, and along with Gyngell, was the funniest person I knew. He was sharp, real sharp. We were friends from then on, we liked each other.

“He lived for a while in Park Street in St Kilda, in a communal household, which was the best of times. The best parties ever.

“Greg took up the saxophone and flute during this time, he was always practicing. He got really good. We shared countless, unbelievably memorable times together, from stumbling through Richmond after playing the Cricketers Arms, to helicoptering into New York City, to appearing on Saturday Night Live , or flying through dust storms in Arizona, above the Grand Canyon, or getting lost, driving aimlessly through the Gippsland countryside.

“We played in a band and conquered the world together.

“I love him very much. He's a beautiful man. He never lost his love and passion for music, and indeed taught music to kids over the last few years. He was a great teacher, and they loved him.

“The saxophone solo on Who Can It Be Now was the rehearsal take. We kept it, that was the one. He's here forever.

“I'm thinking about his family, and hoping they are receiving the love and support they need and deserve.”