Former music mogul Tony Wilson has said British pop has no chance of succeeding in the US.

He laid some of the blame at the door of Pete Waterman, responsible for creating a generation of manufactured pop in the late 1980s before finding renewed fame on Popstars.

Wilson helped New Order to stardom

Record labels like EMI are suffering as CD sales decline around the world, and British acts are finding it difficult to break in the US.

Wilson founded Manchester's legendary indie label Factory Records, which numbered New Order and the Happy Mondays among its assets before its chaotic demise in the early 1990s.

Its story was recalled in the recent film 24 Hour Party People.

He told BBC Breakfast he was sceptical about Waterman-type acts filling the charts.

Waterman established himself in the 1980s producing acts like Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley, Sonia and The Reynolds Girls.

His influence continues with bands such as S Club as well as the Pop Idol and Popstars shows.

Wilson, who is organising the In The City music industry conference in Manchester this week, said UK labels needed another Beatles or U2.

He said: "Everybody has different theories - some people think the record companies are too big, too fat with too many people and should downsize.

Wilson was memorably sent up by Steve Coogan

"Other people think we should all blame Pete Waterman. Now Pete's a genius and a wonderful man but the point about pop music is, it's great, it's lovely, but it sells in the UK."

Wilson said the manufactured acts like Gareth Gates and Will Young which are filling the UK charts could not be exported to the US, which was manufacturing its own.

"Other countries have their own and they'll buy their own pop music," he said.

Dido has been a massive success in the US and some bands like Coldplay have had good sales, but manufactured acts like Westlife and Boyzone - managed by Irish svengali Louis Walsh - have fared poorly across the Atlantic.

Since the collapse of Factory Records, Wilson has returned to his old job, hosting the regional news on Manchester-based ITV station Granada.