Rules and regulatory bodies

Many site developers are now adding music to their pages, either as a primary function or an extra feature. But the very nature of the medium means it has yet to be properly regulated. The danger is that when that happens, the Internet music industry could collapse before it has had a fair chance of generating revenue.

'The question is what you can get away with while the licensing departments and record companies work out what they are doing,' says Price. He says he avoids problems with bodies like the Performing Rights Society (PRS), which collects royalties for artists, composers and publishers, by being on friendly terms and not relying totally on the site's music content.

'If you are trying to put something serious together the regulatory bodies will let you,' he says. 'They're being quite good by allowing the market to establish itself before stamping them all out.'