Billy Bragg Calls For Social Networks To Pay Royalties

Social networking sites such as Bebo and Myspace who host music for free should pay royalties to musicians, according to the songwriter Billy Bragg.

In an editorial piece for the New York Times, Bragg said that social networking platforms “are as much to blame for the malaise currently affecting the industry as the music lover who downloads songs for free.”

Bragg’s comments follow the acquisition of Bebo by AOL in a deal believed to be worth $850million.

Bebo is the most popular social networking site in the UK and ranks just behind Facebook and Myspace on a global scale.

Bragg said that it was “disingenuous” of social networks to think that they can ‘promote’ the music of up and coming artists by hosting it for free.

“Radio stations also promote our work, but they pay us a royalty that recognizes our contribution to their business. Why should that not apply to the Internet, too?” he added.

Bragg has called for a set of ground rules to be established to prevent musicians being exploited.

“If young musicians are to have a chance of enjoying a fruitful career, then we need to establish the principle of artists’ rights throughout the Internet — and we need to do it now,” he said.