Jack White’s Third Man Records is reissuing the 1969 prog-rock classic Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. The deluxe reissue, which will be sent to users who subscribe to the label's Vault package subscription by April 30, will include a remastered version of the album on "fish scale" colored vinyl, a 7" single of "Pachucho Cadaver," a print of White's epitaph for Captain Beefheart band leader Don Van Vliet, and other goodies — but the real kicker is that the reissue will include an actual trout mask replica, as seen on the album cover. (Pitchfork)

K-pop diplomacy

On Sunday, Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader to preside over a performance by South Korean musicians in the North's capital city of Pyongyang. In what Kim called a "gift for Pyongyang citizens," K-pop artists including Red Velvet, the South's most popular girl band, performed at the East Pyongyang Grand Theater.

As the New York Times reports:

The performances by the South Korean troupe that flew in on Saturday with great fanfare to Pyongyang were done in the name of international diplomacy.

The show occurred just weeks before Mr. Kim is scheduled to meet with South Korea's president, Moon Jae-in, at a border village on April 27, and ahead of a planned summit meeting with President Trump in May.

They were the first South Korean singers to perform in North Korea in more than a decade.

Live Nation under investigation

The New York Times reports that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating claims that concert promoter Live Nation is illegally using its influence to pressure venues into working with its ticketing subsidiary Ticketmaster.

When federal authorities approved a merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster in 2010, Live Nation agreed that it wouldn't use its muscle to squeeze out Ticketmaster competitors. Now, though, Ticketmaster's principal competitor, AEG, says that Live Nation is giving preferential treatment to Ticketmaster venues when booking tours by giants like U2 and Miley Cyrus. Among the venues potentially affected is Minneapolis's Target Center, which is run by AEG.

Live Nation has denied any wrongdoing, describing AEG's complaints as "tactical, deliberate mischaracterizations." (New York Times)

Nils Lofgren guitars stolen

Ace guitarist Nils Lofgren describes himself as "devastated" by the theft of five guitars. Lofgren, who's had an acclaimed solo career for over four decades but is best-known as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, lost the instruments when his van was broken into outside a hotel in the Dallas area on Thursday night. He borrowed a guitar and played a scheduled show that night, saying he was channeling his fury into the music. (Billboard)

Taylor Swift returns to her roots

The 40 or so fans who came out to see singer-songwriter Craig Wiseman perform on Saturday night at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe got quite a surprise when Wiseman brought out a very special guest: megastar Taylor Swift, who got her start playing at the Bluebird as a young teenager in the early 2000s.

"I wanted to say a big thank you to the Bluebird Cafe," said Swift, who played acoustic takes on "Shake It Off" and "Love Story" as well as taking an onstage shot of Fireball whiskey. "I think any songwriter in town would echo my sentiments and say that this is kind of the only place where this exists — this particular place where you get to come and hear the writer's take on the songs they've put out into the world."

Reportedly, the performance was filmed for an upcoming documentary celebrating the venue's 35th anniversary. (Billboard)