Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason (left) is one of many professional musicians lending a voice to the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), a group encouraging the British government to rethink its stance toward illegal file sharers.
“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,” Mason said.
“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.”
His comments are a reaction to British Business Secretary Lord Mandelson‘s plan to suspend the Internet accounts of those caught sharing digital music files.
FAC has drafted a resolution that calls on the government to innovate new business models that help fans obtain music legally.
That plan has received backing by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and the Music Producers’ Guild.
Pictured, from left: Mason and other FAC members — Ed O’Brien (Radiohead), Dave Rowntree (Blur) and Billy Bragg. (David Bebber/The Times)
