Billy Bragg in Ottawa
“Jon,” says an email from NDP digital media spokesman Charlie Angus.
“Here’s some footage of the press conference I had with Billy Bragg, Safwan Java (Canadian Musicians Creators Coalition, second left) and Don Quarles (Songwriters of Canada, first left).”
It was appropriate to see Angus sitting side-by-side with Bragg.
Both men are renowned musicians and activists, Angus a member of punk band L’Étranger, and later, Grievous Angels.
He and his wife also once ran a homeless shelter in Toronto.
“We discussed developing progressive copyright policies that ensure artists get paid while protecting fans and innovation from corporate attacks”, he said in his email
And that’s where it’s at.
“If there’s anyone who truly gets behind what he’s singing about, it’s politically charged singer-songwriter Billy Bragg”, said Exclaim!. “The musician, who is currently touring across Canada, spent today (November 20) appearing in Parliament and performing at a protest rally.”
Bragg said he and like-minded musicians are “really trying to reach out to the P2P community”.
They are “probably the most important aspect of how our industry will develop,” he said, in a statement completely ignored by the mainstream media.
“What they choose to do and how we work with them will I think define what the industry looks like.
“If we continue to go down the line of criminalising them I think technologically they’ll always be one step ahead a generation.
Talking to the P2P community “is really crucial,” Bragg stressed, pointing out he’s the co-founder of a2f2a.com, set up to spark two-way dialogue between musicians and their fans.
Jon Newton – p2pnet
[This post first appeared in a2f2a.com.]
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