Britney Spears is again making headlines after angry Australian fans walked out on a recent concert because she was lip syncing. Anyone that remotely pays attention to live music knows that lip syncing is a common practice with many pop stars. However, the interesting twist in this story is that some Australian lawmakers are calling for laws that would expose lip syncing, with Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge saying, “Let’s be clear- live means live. If you’re spending up to $200 you deserve more than a film clip.”

Should the government intervene and pass laws to make sure consumers know the concert is prerecorded?

In the interest of fairness, I think that yes, they should.

Let’s not forget our own government’s foray into Major League Baseball and performance enhancing drugs. This is an example of government intervention in an entertainment industry that was misrepresenting itself. Music, much like professional sports, is a multibillion dollar a year monstrosity, making its survival somewhat important economically. If we’re going to ensure legitimacy in one large entertainment sector, let’s ensure it in all of them.

What do you think?