I loved Dan Levin's article, "On the Sidewalks, Rappers Peddle Their Own Voices," in today's New York Times. It's about rappers who sell their CDs on the streets of Manhattan. On more than one occasion I bought such a CD from artists selling their music in front of the Virgin Megastore at Union Square. I didn't buy because I expected to like the music but because I respected their work ethic. It's got to be one of the tougher ways to build a career.

And since I often remind people the CD is not dead, I like that the article shows how a physical format can benefit a particular group of people. I can't imagine these guys selling download cards -- although maybe one of them will try one of these days.