AUSTIN, Texas _ Since he has always demanded truth from politicians and sincerity in music, Billy Bragg presumably wasn't just pandering to his audience when the city of Minneapolis came up in conversation.

By Tony Sauro, The Record, Stockton, Calif. May 22--As the recording industry continues to nosedive into economic free-fall in the iPod era, a lot of good music still is managing to endure. Thankfully, the old-school CD isn't done yet.

BITTERSWEET WORLD. Ashlee Simpson takes odd, anachronistic musical parts and makes a big mess. Grade: C-minus. Yes, everyone wants to know whether Ashlee Simpson and her fiance, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, are expecting their first child.

By Billy Bragg Last week at South by Southwest, the rock music conference held every year in Austin, Texas, the talk in hotel lobbies, coffee shops and the convention center was dominated by one issue: How do musicians make a living in the age of the Internet? It's a problem our industry has struggled with in the wake of the rising popularity of sharing MP3 music files.

Brit Award winner Kate Nash is the final headliner to be announced for the Westcountry's newest summer music and arts festival - Camp Bestival.