Music business presents united front on filesharing

The music industry claims to have reached a unified position on illegal filesharing but it remains unclear whether it will maintain its demands for persistent filesharers to be suspended from the internet.

In a statement ahead of a 29 September deadline for comments in the government's illegal filesharing consultation, umbrella group UK Music says "government intervention is extremely welcome".

The position statement follows the emergence of opposing views within the music industry over the last fortnight. Artists including Blur drummer Dave Rowntree have attacked government proposals to suspend the internet connections of persistent filesharers.

But the record labels and industry lobby groups have welcomed the prospect of such laws.

UK Music head Feargal Sharkey said last night the group had joined with the Entertainment Retailers' Association and the Music Producers' Guild to compile a common response to the government's consultation.

The Music Producers Guild and UK Music member Basca (British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors) had been part of a group condemning proposed laws. That camp also included the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), including Annie Lennox, Rowntree and Pink Floyd's Nick Mason. FAC were not part of last night's joint position statement.

Asked about bringing together all strands of the industry, Sharkey said:

"Conversations will progress over coming weeks and days to ensure the industry can go out there with a clear vision on how we want government to help us going forward."

A clear view of the future

The UK Music statement stopped short of providing details on whether the coalition of groups supports the proposals to suspend the broadband connections as a last resort.

"We are very much settled now on what we think will be our common response on September 29," said Sharkey.

Asked about the broadband suspension issue, he said: "UK Music have agreed a position on it and will reveal it on the 29th."

"We are affirming to the industry and to the outside world that we do have a clear view of our future and how we achieve that."

Some industry groups have openly criticised the big-name artists for their very public comments that filesharing can be beneficial to musicians. But Sharkey rebuffed suggestions of a growing rift in the UK music industry.

He said the debate around what measures were needed to curb filesharing had been a "very productive exercise" and claimed it had in fact brought various parties closer together.

"It's important that we all know we have a future and it can be very successful, should we as an industry decide to make it so," he said.

The position statement says tackling the issue of unlicensed peer-to-peer file-sharing is critical to the future of the music industry and to "enabling a commercial environment where sustainable, licensed digital services can prosper."

"UK Music would like to clarify that all our members remain committed to supporting proposals that will benefit the future growth and sustainability of our commercial music industry," it says.

"In context of an evolving licensed digital music market, we believe that government intervention is extremely welcome and that, subject to assessment, Ofcom should be granted appropriate and proportionate powers as directed by the secretary of state."

"The purpose of these powers is to encourage users of unlicensed P2P networks towards existing and future digital music services."

The statement follows a motion yesterday from the National Union of Journalists and broadcasting union Bectu, fully backed at the TUC conference, condemning filesharing and demanding more action from internet service providers (ISPs).

Many ISPs have expressed concerns over how proposed laws will be enforced and how this will be funded. They say they are also worried that the wrong people could be penalised, while consumer groups warn the planned laws could infringe the rights of internet users.