Stephen Navin, previously acting chief executive of the V2 Music Group, has joined the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in a new post, co-funded by the industry, to work with the government to combat music piracy.
Announcing the appointment Arts Minister Kim Howells said Mr Navin was "eminently qualified" to take on the role and added that piracy was a key issue for the music industry. "The industry can only have the confidence to invest in new technologies if it can be sure that its work can be adequately protected in this brave new world. There will probably always be an element of illegal downloading from the internet, but we have got to minimise and isolate this element. We have got to get across to people that there is no difference between illegal file sharing or selling copies of the latest Oasis album and stealing it from a shop."
Navin, who has worked both BMG and Warner Music in the past, said technological advances meant "legitimate means of distributing music" were "under threat". "I hope I can play some part in creating partnerships between government and industry to withstand such threats in the common interest of all concerned.”