Billy Bragg has dismissed that announcement that six ISPs are to begin sending warning letters to customers thought to be partaking in illegal file-sharing as "nothing more than a gesture".
Writing on the Guardian website he said: "New technology has made it possible for people to acquire music without going through the traditional route of buying objects in a shop. Rather than fighting this trend, the industry itself needs to find new methods of collecting royalties. What needs to happen is for the industry to reverse its priorities, put artists to the fore and pay them a larger share of the price in return for their support in the transition to new business models".
He uses the UK radio system as an example of possible new ways to earn money from music, both through ad-funding and licence fees. He concludes: "In an ideal world, such royalties or the blanket licence fee would not be paid to music companies themselves but to an independent collection agency that would pay the money directly to artists. The music industry treats the internet as a threat, whereas for artists it gives us an opportunity to get closer to our audience than ever before. We must be very, very careful that we don't alienate those fans and make it impossible for the next generation of singer-songwriters to have viable careers".