Click here to see Barry White's address.

Click here to see his interview with BBC News Online.

Soul legend Barry White spoke of his worries about the effect the internet is having on the music industry in a question and answer session with Oxford students on Monday night.

The 56-year-old performer had been invited to the Oxford Union to speak about "lady music" and his three decades in the music industry.

Students crammed into the chamber to hear his philosophies

Holding court in front of 900 students, White - best known for his love songs - said he was worried about the effect the distribution of "free music" via the internet would have on performers and producers.

"Many people are responsible for a song," he told the audience.

"When you're dealing with freedom, look at what I do for a living.

"If I come to England, I have to pay to have my clothes cleaned, or to stay in a hotel room. That's not free to me.

"To give music away, that's a problem with me. You can sell it for half-price, 15% of the price, but the work that I do must be worth something."

You can sell it for half-price, 15% of the price, but the work that I do must be worth something

Barry White on internet music

White's comments come as legal battles rage in the US over digital music distribution, involving the Napster and MP3.com sites.

He later told BBC News Online that he was keeping a close eye on developments.

"There are problems with the philosophy - record companies don't take care of the artists, and in giving away free music there's something wrong with that when the music has cost a lot of people a lot of money to create.

White told how a spell in jail made him re-assess his life

"But I'm still dealing with it, still watching the news, different things going down, but I'm watching it closely now, you believe me."

White held the audience captivated for an hour with his philosophies on life and music - such as how a spell in jail convinced him to enter the music industry in 1960.

He also told how his famous gravelly voice appeared overnight when he was 14. "I woke up, and spoke to my mother, and scared us both to death."

When asked by a student what his favourite pick-up line was, he replied to laughter: "Pick up what?"

"If I see a lady that attracts me to her, I walk over to her and say what I'm feeling.

"'I like the way you look, baby. I would love to get to know you better.'

I don't make love to nobody's music, not least my own

Barry White

"I have honesty in front of me."

But when asked if he made love to his own music, he replied firmly: "I don't make love to nobody's music, not least my own.

"When I hear music in my ears, it attracts me away from what I'm doing."

After the session, he said: "It was very rewarding, very informative, those young kids, very courteous, very nice. It was a beautiful invitation and I enjoyed it tremendously.

"I felt like they were my children - and I would never lie to my children."