And good reviews cost double

In a move which couldn't be more designed to look like a declining industry grabbing at straws, the Newspaper Licensing Agency is demanding cash from musicians who use review quotes in their publicity. Techdirt has a lot of detail:

The most outrageous example... concerns a small PR company called ElevenTenths, which is effectively one woman, Claire Willis, working form a spare bedroom.... Poor Ms. Willis was collared by the NLA a few months ago, required to fill in forms about her clients and activities, and then received a bill for £23,500.
Willis complained and apparently the NLA "backed down" and offered a deal for "only" £1,588.45.

What happens if a reviewer quotes a line from a song in their review?

Most reviewers, you'll recall, get their records free and swan into gigs without paying, often accompanied by their plus one. That has always seemed a fair deal.

But if the NRA is going to seek retrospective payments for having used lines from reviews, maybe a few musicians should start sending out retrospective demands for all those gig tickets and promo CDs...