Musicians' meeting is called off

Coldplay singer Chris Martin is backing the Featured Artists' Coalition

The first meeting of a lobbying group for rock and pop stars has been called off because of heavy snow in London.

Members of Coldplay, Radiohead and Blur plus Robbie Williams were expected to launch the Featured Artists' Coalition.

The group will push for a greater voice for musicians in their industry, and collect and distribute revenue from their works.

The board of directors includes Blur's Dave Rowntree, singer Kate Nash and Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien.

"By making ourselves heard and arguing for what's fair, we can help reshape the industry," Rowntree said.

The other directors of the coalition are Soul II Soul's Jazzie B, Billy Bragg and hip-hop MC Master Shortie.

Blur's Dave Rowntree says musicians should be alert to new opportunites

Rowntree said musicians should be able to take advantage of technological changes that have swept through the music industry and weakened the position of record companies.

"Musicians as a group do tend to grumble about what's happening in the industry - well, here's an opportunity to do something about it rather than grumble about it," he said

"The doomsayers are saying the music industry is over and the digital revolution has killed everything and we're all out of jobs.

"We're saying the digital revolution presents some incredible opportunities and has transformed the relationship the artists have with their fans."

The drummer added: "There are a lot of big issues at the moment - the government's Digital Britain green paper, copyright extension and so on. It's no accident that this body is being set up now.

"It's absolutely vital that our interests are represented when decisions are made."