A statement to Advertising Age first confirmed the deal. “They did grant us digital rights,” an MTV Networks executive remarked. “[I] think they recognize the value of MTV’s VMAs for their artists.”

Early Tuesday morning, another MTV representative offered a slightly different take – with the same general result. “The takedown was specific to music videos and will not impact artist interviews or live performances,” MTV Networks director of Communications Kurt Patat told Digital Music News.

This VMAs appear to be getting separated from the Vevo-driven standoff, simply because of the huge amount of publicity – and sales – that the awards tend to generate. That includes online voting, a process that would hardly make sense without the participation of artists like Kanye West and Drake. The ’2010 MTV Video Music Awards’ will air live from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 12th at 9 pm (Live EST/tape delayed PST).

*The planned merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster has hit a snag in the UK.  The UK Competition Commission is reopening the matter following a complaint by German-based ticketing agency CTS Eventim, pushed through the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

*Rhapsody lost more subscribers during the recent quarter, according to financial disclosures from RealNetworks (RNWK).  At the end of the year, the service claimed 675,000 subs, down 15.6 percent from last year.  That was part of a broader loss of $13.3 million, larger than analyst expectations.  RealNetworks, along with MTV Networks, are now spinning Rhapsody into an independent service.

*Ford officially disclosed its partnership with Gracenote, one focused on in-dash system Sync.  Gracenote brings voice activated controls, an album cover database, and playlist creation technologies to the table.

*Also on the automotive front, Volvo disclosed plans to install a touchscreen, rear seat entertainment system on its 2010 XC70.  The system includes broadband, WiFi and a 500GB hard drive, and partners include Gracenote, Sprint, and Azentek.

*Want to license?  Need a license?  This is a crowded space, and Indie Music Tech has assembled a long list of players.

*Want to learn Leadership Lessons from a Dancing Guy?  A short-but-potent presentation by Derek Sivers from the TED Conference is starting to make the rounds.

*Music stocks were mostly tame on Friday, a reflection of broader market movements.  The Dow (DJIA) edged upward 0.44 percent to 10,099.14, and Apple (AAPL) gained less than a percent to $200.38.  Rovi Corporation (ROVI) was among the bigger movers, jumping 9.61 percent to $31.02 following a positive earnings report.