Peter Jenner, respected (and outspoken) artist manager and secretary-general of the International Music Managers’ Forum, wrote the European Union seeking a monthly charge -- suggested amount is £2.67 a month -- on broadband and mobile-phone companies to make up for the loss from falling CD sales.

"Consumers feel that music delivered online is more like radio than buying a record, and prices need to reflect that,” he said. “Like radio, music consumption online should feel free. If not, illegal or semi-legal music services will grow exponentially and there will be no income for the creators.” What underpins this argument is the assumption that illegal downloading, not legal downloads of single tracks, is responsible for the reduction in CD sales. It's not an easy argument to win. He's dead-on when he says consumers should feel as if music is free even if it is being taxed at the network level. That's the best way to capture the value in the Internet's gray music market.

Read the article at Times Online.

In a recent, lengthy interview with The Register, Jenner talked about his proposal. About the transition away from the album he said ..."because they've replaced an album with a single they've helped destroy the retail industry, they're now in a position where they're completely fucked."