London - Unsatisfied with the sound quality of MP3 and other current digital audio formats, veteran rocker Neil Young has been talking with record companies on "licensing an alternative digital platform that he had been working on -- something, he claimed, of far higher quality that could provide an alternative to the download world and perhaps even a new business model for music," the Financial Times reported.

Los Angeles - Starbucks will test a new digital audio format, developed by veteran producer T-Bone Burnett and a team of engineers, on a forthcoming John Mellencamp album due for release via the Hear Music imprint, Digital Music News reported. The album, "Life, Death, Love and Freedom" is due for release on July 15, and will come both on CD and in the new "CODE" format -- which attempts to "closely mirror the fidelity of original, master recordings" -- on an included DVD that allows for transfers to computers and portable devices.