Rockers Radiohead and THE VERVE are among a group of British musicians who have formed a new organisation in a bid to fight for artists' rights in the digital distribution of their music.
The Featured Artists' Coalition launches on Sunday (05Oct08) at the In the City conference in Manchester, England.
Founding members include Angels singer Robbie Williams, former Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, DJ Paul Oakenfold, Craig David, Iron Maiden, Kaiser Chiefs and the Klaxons.
The organisation aims to help artists strike better deals with record companies and digital distributors, and will involve organisations such as the government and music companies, arguing for fair play and exposing unfair practices in the industry.
Badly Drawn Boy star Damon Gough, who is also involved in the campaign, says, "I think with the digital and record companies dispersing and disbanding, young bands need a governing voice that will support them and help protect their work."
And Radiohead are encouraging other musicians to join their organisation.
The group split from record company EMI late last year (07), blaming a copyright dispute for their departure. They then released their LP In Rainbows online, allowing fans to choose how much they wanted to pay for the album in a 'pay-what-you-like' scheme.
Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien says, "For us, this is a no-brainer and we believe all artists and musicians should be signing up."