Lesson #17: Read the fine Print

I love Billy Bragg, not just for his music but for his politics (I guess for the most part, the two are the same). And he recently taught everyone a valuable lesson: read the fine print. Every band and their dog has a mySpace website to promote themselves. Bragg fished through the ‘terms of use’ on his own site and was shocked to discover that mySpace (owned by Rupert Murdoch) claimed that they held worldwide rights to any music posted on mySpace. Bragg said ‘screw that’ and pulled his songs off his site, then let the news out. Everyone will be happy to know that mySpace responded by immediately changing their terms of use. Here’s an article.
And people are still clueless enough to think that we no longer need corporate watchdogs or civil liberty unions or even unions in general. ‘Question everything’ is not just a motto for Matrix fans.
If you’ve never heard Billy Bragg, I force this introduction upon you: Billy Bragg. This is not his mySpace site. I personal find mySpace annoying. Bands throw so many things on the page that it takes eons to open. And in order to leave any messages, you have to become a member. Why should I become a member if all I want to say is "thanks a bunch"? By the way, Bragg is coming to Canada this fall, but not Saskatoon. Winnipeg and Calgary are the closest. Darn it all!