Mr. Love and Justice

Billy Bragg pens a New York Times op-ed on the sale of Bebo and the plight of musicians in the 21st century market. The big question mark dangling over the music industry right now is how musicians can get a fair slice of the revenue their music generates. They can't just remain as sharecroppers for the recording companies, but turning a profit has proven to be a tough nut to crack for all but the biggest dogs in the biz. If your name doesn't sell content by itself, you're in a bit of a pickle because you need the publicity that sites like Bebo and Myspace provide, but there's a point at which that publicity costs you a living wage.