» In Con Cert: Details are still emerging, but it seems a local promoter in Brownsville, TX has been duped into underwriting a bogus Garth Brooks and Shania Twain comeback concert in the city. Houston-based Empire Media Group is allegedly behind the show, after an earlier attempt to get the local Ronald McDonald House to wire a deposit for a Taylor Swift concert that was never going to happen. The alleged schemes have been sniffed out, in part, by KTEX/McAllen PD Jo-Jo Cerda, who checked with reps for Swift, Twain and Brooks before the station became involved. However, reputable local promoter Leap Entertainment is said to have already issued $46,000 in Brooks/Twain deposits to Empire, which also happens to have a Boys II Men concert deal with the City of Brownsville on a show planned for this weekend. We'll let you know next week what happens. "Jo-Jo Clouseau is on the case," Cerda says.

» World Ride Web: Country radio has played a big role in the rush to get Toby Keith's new single "American Ride" released before the Independence Day weekend. After recording the song last week, Keith wanted to try it out live and worked it up with his band at soundcheck prior to his Tampa show last Friday. No sooner had the song been played than Show Dog regionals started getting text messages from staffers at WQYK and WFUS asking to get the song on the air that night. As veep Rick Moxley tells it, same thing happened in West Palm and Jacksonville. "The crowd went nuts, and the stations were demanding to get it on the air ASAP," he says. And the rest is about to be history.

» Second To None: Kudos to CMT as the network ends its most-watched second quarter ever, buoyed by the 2009 CMT Music Awards and The Singing Bee premiere. Total viewers were up 14% total day, and 13% primetime, which makes it the most-watched quarter since 2006. Adult (18-49) viewership was also up 6% total day and 9% primetime.

» Appy Trails: Former Shane Media consultant and KXKC/Lafayette PD Renee Revett joined onseeker music as Dir./Business Development in May. The company is launching a free iPhone app by the end of July, which connects fans, artists, venues and radio. More info here.

» Cover Song: Big Machine's Taylor Swift is Glamour's August cover girl. In the issue, Swift dishes on being a workaholic, making time for friends and about where she'll be in 20 years. "I hope I'm still touring," she says. "I'd love to always be present in music, writing songs, but I'm not the kind of person who will hang around if I become irrelevant. I'll bow out gracefully, raise my kids and have a garden." Read more here.

» Mo' Money Less Problems: The Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic raised $550,000 for Ally's House to help Oklahoma's pediatric cancer patients and their families. More than 40 sports and music celebrities attended the sixth annual event, including comedian Rodney Carrington, pitcher Roger Clemens, gymnast Bart Conner and OU football coach Bob Stoops.

» Claymation: The Gala event at the 2nd Annual Clay Walker Charity Classic Golf Tournament raised more than $56,000 for Band Against MS. Proceeds will benefit multiple sclerosis research, support and education programs for patients. Jeff Foxworthy performed at the Gala yesterday (6/30). The Tournament ends tomorrow (7/2) at Pebble Beach Resorts in Pebble Beach, CA.

» Pass Happy: Lyric Street's Rascal Flatts will be the first country artist to offer an iTunes Pass allowing fans access to exclusive content including live recordings, lost demos, studio rehearsals and more. New audio will be released each week throughout the summer after the July 21 launch. Price structure was not available at press time, but some other iTunes Pass artists offer the content for $16.99.

» The Check Is In The Mel: A 20% pay raise and contract extension has been given to Sirius XM Chairman/CEO Mel Karmazin, whose salary rises from $1.25 million to $1.5 million per year, starting Jan. 1, 2010. Karmazin's employment, which could have ended this November, has been lengthened through 2012. He also receives vesting options to purchase 120 million shares at 43 cents. SIRI stock, which rose 7% today to 46 cents, traded for $4.72 the day Karamzin joined Sirius in November 2004.

» A Ploy Named Sue: A coalition of independent music publishers have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee against Yahoo! (via Yahoo! Music), Microsoft (via Zune) and RealNetworks (via Rhapsody) accusing those online stores of offering streams and downloads without copyright clearances. Ninety of the 104 pages in the filing are lists of 200 tracks in dispute. The plaintiffs seek removal of the songs and a staggering $150,000 for each act of infringement, which could total billions of dollars. Compositions involved include performances by Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea, Joe Nichols, Daryle Singletary, the Statler Brothers, George Strait, Conway Twitty, Lee Ann Womack and many others.

» Air Flo: The Board of Commissioners of Miami-Dade County have voted on a resolution calling on Congress, Florida legislators and the state Attorney General to investigate the impact of the PPM on minorities and to pass laws benefiting minority interests regarding its deployment. Timing is clearly an issue here, as Miami-Ft. Lauderdale receives its first PPM currency monthly ratings July 16. Arbitron has already settled with three state AGs, while the PPM is being investigated by Rep. Ed Towns (D-NY), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

» Life Note: Best wishes to promoter Anne Weaver on her upcoming nuptials to Steve Price. Weaver tells Country Aircheck that she's registered at Mediabase. Send your regards to here.