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A group representing the UK's independent music labels says it wants to change the way we pay for music online. They say music could, in effect, be free to customers - with payment collected as part of their internet subscription. The system would work like a pay TV channel, where all of the programmes and movies are free once a monthly fee has been paid. The idea came from a talking shop arranged by the Association of Independent Music (Aim), which represents the UK's independent record labels. It involved other music industry bodies, such as the Musician's Union and the Performing Rights Society (PRS), which collects royalties for songwriters and performers. At a press conference outlining their ideas, the panel of music industry experts also said that record companies were wrong to sue people who illegally download music. "Prohibition always ends in disaster," said Dave Rowntree, drummer for the rock band Blur. "As an industry we've learnt our lessons." "We all agree the consumer is the wrong target to be focusing our attention on," said Alison Wenham, chief executive of Aim. "But under current copyright law, they are the only target." Consumers should be able to have music "where they want it, when they want it, in the form that they want it", she continued.
A music industry coalition has proposed that ISPs and others should pay a licence fee to compensate rights-holders for unlawful file-sharing by their customers. One critic called the plans, which would change copyright laws, "ill-conceived and grasping."The group met in London yesterday. It did not represent the entire UK industry – notably, the BPI was not in attendance. But nearly 1,000 independent record companies and 50,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers were represented.Music creators are not paid when their work is distributed over unauthorised peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. Despite the growth of iTunes and other licensed sources of digital music, illegal file-sharing is still huge. Internet traffic monitor CacheLogic reports that 60% of all internet traffic by data volume is P2P file-sharing – and music has been the main driver of P2P activity to date.But the groups represented yesterday do not want to target the individuals who infringe copyright in this way. Instead, they want to target the intermediaries.According to a joint statement issued after yesterday's meeting, ISPs, mobile companies and device manufacturers "profit extensively and reap wider value from the unauthorised distribution of music whilst being protected from liability by a series of legal immunities and safe harbours." There were no ISPs in attendance at the meeting.
