Bragg demands social networks pay royalties

Billy Bragg has called for social networking sites which host music for free to pay musicians royalties.

Writing in the New York Times, the outspoken singer said social networks "are as much to blame for the malaise currently affecting the industry as the music lover who downloads songs for free".

Bragg added: "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?

"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."

Bebo, the most popular social networking site in the UK, was recently acquired by AOL in a deal reportedly worth $850 million. The site is the world's third most popular networking platform behind Facebook and MySpace.

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