Musicians from some of the world’s biggest bands are calling on the Government to abandon proposals to cut off the internet connections of people who illegally download music.

Artists from bands including Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Blur told The Times that plans announced by Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, to suspend the internet accounts of those who engage in file-sharing will criminalise a whole generation of their fans.

The musicians, all part of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), a new group set up to represent the interests of recording artists, claim that despite the damage that file sharing does to sales of their records, it can also encourage people to buy concert tickets and merchandise.

Ed O’Brien, the Radiohead guitarist, said: “My generation grew up with the point of view that you pay for your music. Every generation has a different method. File sharing is like a sampler, like taping your mate’s music. You go, ‘I like that, I’ll go and buy the album’. Or, ‘you know what, I’ll go and see them live’. What’s going on is a huge paradigm shift.”

The FAC has drawn up a resolution, backed by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, as well as the Music Producers’ Guild, calling on the Government to focus instead on nurturing new business models to encourage fans to obtain music legally.

Dave Rowntree, the drummer with Blur, said: “The fact that file sharing goes on, and is as popular as it is, is an incredibly positive thing for the music industry. The fact is that music is so popular that people are willing to break the law to get it.

“Can you have a big red button that Peter Mandelson can press and the problem goes away? No. You’re on the back foot constantly.

"As soon as you bring out a method to stop it, they find new methods to get round it. You have to deal with the way the world is. We have to try and bring these people into the fold of doing it legitimately, but with a light touch.”

The artists believe that file sharing is bringing their music to younger generations who are less likely to listen to radio stations, and instead hone their musical tastes on the internet.

Nick Mason, drummer with Pink Floyd, said: “The last thing we want to be doing is going to war with our fanbase. File sharing means a new generation of fans for us.

“It’s a great thing to have another generation discovering your music and thinking you’re rather good. File sharing plays a part in that, because that generation don’t do it any other way.”

The move by the artists is likely to stoke up a row with the record labels, who are lobbying the Government to increase the penalties on those caught illegally sharing music.

Fran Healy, lead singer with Travis, said: “I think if you can afford to buy a record then you should buy it. People who hunt down a record and download it for free will probably talk it up. They are the unsung word-of-mouthers who spread the word and create tipping point situations for a greedy record business that has got so fat it is unable to see its own footsoldiers.”

Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the British Phonographic Industry, said: “We could hardly have more legal download services than we already do, and they have not eliminated piracy. It is the peer-to-peer downloading that is holding back investment in more services.

“What Government is proposing in the temporary suspension of accounts as a last resort is a set of measures that are proportional and balanced.”

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