Let?s start with the iTunes angle, shall we?

It?s called ?iTunes Pass? and Depeche Mode is the first to sign onto what looks like Apple?s very first venture into anything resembling subscription music.

While iTunes Pass does offer a set price for a lot of music from one band for a limited time only, it hardly goes as far as subscription deals offered by Napster or Real Networks. Under those business plans, users pay a monthly fee for downloading all the music they want. However, because the tracks are protected by digital rights management technology (DRM), the service is in ultimate control of those songs. Cancel your subscription and the service cancels your ability to play the music.

The idea behind iTunes Pass is, for a fee, fans can, within a limited time period, snag extra tracks, remixes and whatever else the artist and/or label decides to put in the mix.

In Depeche Mode?s case, this means a new single called ?Wrong,? as well as the Black Light Odyssey dub remix of another new track ? ?Oh Well.? Fans signing up for a Depeche Mode iTunes Pass will also receive the band?s new album ? Songs Of The Universe ? one week before it hits stores April 21. Plus, other exclusive tracks will be also included in the iTunes Pass.

Interested? You?ll need $18.99 to sign up.

?The relationship between Depeche Mode and their fans has always been our top priority,? band manager Jonathan Kessler said. ?We are thrilled to be the first to participate with Apple in giving fans the kind of deep musical experience they expect from Depeche Mode.?

But this ain?t no one-subject Depeche Mode item. The band also premieres its new video for ?Wrong? on MySpace Music.

Finally, the band revealed the venues it will play on this summer?s North America tour, and it?s all the arenas and amphitheatres you?d expect a top live act like Depeche Mode to play.

Some outdoor venue stops include the Shoreline for the San Francisco market on August 12; two nights at the Hollywood Bowl on August 16 & 17; Denver?s Red Rocks on August 27 and Atlanta?s Lakewood on Sept. 1.

For those who feel it isn?t a big concert unless it happens in a place where basketball backboards hang from the rafters, look for the band to play NYC?s Madison Square Garden August 3; Seattle?s KeyArena August 10 and Phoenix?s U.S. Airways Center August 23.

And that concludes our Depeche Mode bulletin for the day. We now return you to your normally scheduled activities.