The BPI has been bigging up a new global campaign from children's internet charity, Childnet, which will have another stab at telling the kids of the world to only download music from legit digital music stores, and not those dodgy file sharing networks and BitTorrent tracking whatnots. Actually the campaign will be targeted at parents and teachers who, presumably, will then tell the kids of the world to only download blah blah. At the core of the new campaign is a printed guide called 'Young People, Music And The Internet', which will be distributed in schools, libraries and record shops, including via the Zavvi network.
On the off chance the kids won't listen to their parents or teachers or the BPI, the record industry has wheeled out the voice of youth that is, erm, Ronan Keating, to voice his support. Actually, to be fair, I think he's speaking as a parent, so he's the voice of parents. That might work. Anyway, he says this: "I am a father of three young kids who are all very interested in music and computers, they are forever asking to use the computer to download their favourite songs. There is a constant worry about the security of the internet with children. This new guide helps adults and children to use the internet safely and securely. The internet is a fantastic tool for us all to enjoy".
Throwing the support of the record industry behind the venture, BPI boss Geoff Taylor told CMU: "While many parents are happy to leave downloading music to the kids, this can create problems for those parents who want to be sure their kids are using the internet legally and safely. Even though there are plenty of licensed, safe and legal digital music services available, illegal downloading is still widespread, and there's a lack of decent information out there for parents and teachers. But we hope that this campaign will help fill that gap, de-mystify music on the internet, and encourage more people to start downloading legally".