Briefly: Apple sued by Ramones drummer, MainStage 1.0.1, more...

Apple is among several music download service operators that have been hit with a new lawsuit from the former drummer of the 1980s punk band, The Ramones. Meanwhile, Apple has released a small update to MainStage. And there are also rumors of a current quarter Mac sales surge.

Former Ramones drummer Richard Reinhardt is suing Apple, Wal-Mart, Real Networks and others for copyright infringement, claiming the companies lacked permission to sell downloads of six songs he authored.

In the suit, filed in a Manhattan court on Friday, Reinhardt alleges his music publisher never had the right to authorize distribution or duplication of six songs — Smash You, Somebody Put Something in My Drink, Human Kind, I'm Not Jesus, I Know Better Now, and (You) Can't Say Anything Nice — that he wrote on his own between 1983 and 1987.

The suit is similar to one filed against Apple and others by Dawg Music back in May, where the owner of the small bluegrass label accused the service operators of selling his work without consent, and sometimes without compensation.

In his suit, Reinhardt is seeking at least $900,000 in damages, profits the defendants made from the songs and a permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants from using the songs in any manner whatsoever, according to Reuters.

MainStage 1.0.1

On Thursday evening, Apple release MainStage 1.0.1 [19.7MB], which improves stability and adds options for saving parameter values when switching patches. The software update, which is detailed further in this PDF, is recommended for all users of MainStage 1.0.

Designed for live performance, MainStage is a part of the Apple's new Logic Studio software bundle that lets keyboardists, guitarists, and other musicians perform with software instruments and effects through a full-screen interface designed specifically for the stage.

Mac sales surge?

Despite its shaky track-record, The Street.com pressed forth with more Apple predictions on Friday. Their latest report claims that Apple is on track to sell "2.35 million iMacs and MacBooks this quarter."

"A sales number that high would beat analysts' estimates by nearly 400,000 units," the report states. "Pegging the average Mac sales price at a conservative $1,500, a beat of that magnitude stands to boost Apple's top line by about $600 million."

Apple has yet to break the 2 million mark for quarterly Mac sales, but has been inching ever closer with each successive quarter. During the July quarter, it sold 1.76 million systems.

The Street.com also claims that Apple next quarter will hold "a big announcement regarding a so-called subnotebook Mac." Citing "people inside the company," the say the notebook will be "ultra-thin" and "will have a 10 inch-to-12 inch screen, sleek rounded edges and weigh less than 2 pounds."