I personally have never had a problem with someone making a copy of a CD for a friend

Guy Holmes

It was important for artists and music fans to be able to choose whether to have copy protection or not, said Aim member Guy Holmes, managing director of Gut Records.

He told BBC News Online: "For certain releases copy protection is very applicable, but from an indie perspective a lot of bands will want to have a choice whether or not to use copy protection.

High-quality copying has become easy

"If our bands don't want to go along with it, we won't.

"Some of the technology is also very expensive to use, so Aim will be looking to negotiate on behalf of the sector on this."

Mr Holmes said that the introduction of copy protection on some pop releases had not been well handled.

"If people have been out and bought a CD with no information on its compatibility then that's appalling.

Global sales

"And in some cases retailers have not been consulted - or even told."

The issue has become more prominent this week after the release of world music sales figures that showed global sales falling for the first time since the advent of the CD format.

The International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) blamed CD copying for the fall.

Mr Holmes said the issue was becoming a serious threat.

"In Germany it's decimating the marketplace, in developing countries it's already decimated the marketplace, and it's coming here like a plague of locusts.

"I personally have never had a problem with someone making a copy of a CD for a friend and saying, 'Listen to this'.

"But this is a question of organised gangs."

The Aim committee also includes Korda Marshall of Mushroom, Matt Jagger of Ministry of Sound, Adrian Pope of Independiente and Gavin Robertson of the Aim internet initiative Musicindie.