Artists including Radiohead, Robbie Williams and Blur's Dave Rowntree have voted against penalties for fans who illegally download their music.

A number of high profile musicians came together for a meeting of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) in London on Wednesday, to discuss artists' rights in the music industry.

The meeting included a ballot over whether internet users should be prosecuted if they are caught downloading music without paying for it, but the majority of the artists present all voted against such a move.

British rocker, Billy Bragg, says, "What I said at the meeting was that the record industry in Britain is still going down the road of criminalizing our audience for downloading illegal MP3s. If we follow the music industry down that road, we will be doing nothing more than being part of a protectionist effort. It's like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube.

"Artists should own their own rights and they should decide when their music should be used for free, or when they should have payment. We want to side with the audience, the consumer."

The vote came after the publication of a government report recommending that offenders are prosecuted through the civil courts.

Bragg also revealed that the FAC are now planning to take their views to politicians - to urge them not to go through with the plans.

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)