When Politicians Defend Music

For so many years, politicians seem to lean against music. They support giant labels and conglomerate radio empires, sure, but the little guy gets screwed, censorship usually wins, and innovators are often sued. Today, I'm happy to read this article on TMZ.:

Mash-up artists everywhere, rejoice. Congressman Mike Doyle from Pennsylvania is your new BFF, and he's got your back. During a recent "Future of Radio" sub-committee hearing, he explained his deep affinity for a male Pittsburgh DJ who performs under the name Girl Talk.

"Mr. Chairman, he blended Elton John, Notorious B.I.G. and Destiny's Child all in the span of 30 seconds," Doyle gushed. "And, while the legal indie-music download site eMusic.com took his stuff down due to possible copyright violation, he's now flying all over the world to open concerts and remix for artists like Beck."

Music/tech geeks say this is one small step for man, one giant leap for Girl Talk.

You can listen to webcasts of the hearings here.