Laura

Anyone who know me knows that I love musicals. And specifically, I love Newsies the Musical. Now here’s the thing; Newsies is extremely problematic. It’s fraught with ableism, has almost no female characters, and doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, and is extremely white washed (at least in the 2017 filmed broadway version) and heteronormative. But it’s fun, and it’s full of energy, and it catches you on your darkest days and brings you back up. Or at least it does for me. But when I think of Newsies, I think less of the Newsies that is and more of the Newsies that could be. There is so much potential in this show to just... not be as problematic.

Like many millennials, I have, over the years, found myself underpaid, underemployed, and looking for ways to supplement my income. But because of my work schedule, it's hard to take on another part time job. So, naturally, I've turned to the internet. And on the internet? I found beermoney. Beermoney is a reddit thread where people who look for micro jobs, gigs, and passive income come together to discuss ways to supplement income, with little-to-no effort or time commitment. It includes market survey sites, academic research participation, ad income from watching videos, beta testing, secret shopping, and online and receipt cash back programs, among other things. Users post referral links, advice, and their earnings for the month to indicate which sites are useful, and which are scams.

In a world rife with division and controversy over what is right, what is politically correct, and what is offensive, there has been an interesting phenomenon which has taken over most media, and especially tv and movie, sources, which I like to call “acceptable” diversity.

We live in a world where access to music has become easier and easier, and that's a beautiful thing. We can find almost any song for free on YouTube or Spotify and share playlists with our friends or followers. But while the access to music is a wonderful thing for listeners, where does it leave artists?