Cannes, France - The Isle of Man, a self-governed British crown dependency with a population of about 80,000, has proposed a blanket monthly license fee for its residents that would be paid to Internet service providers in exchange for the right to freely download music from file-sharing services, Ars Technica reported.

Ron Berry, inward investment minister for the Isle of Man, introduced the proposal at the MIDEM music industry conference in Cannes, France.

"To enable this to happen, it needs to be a collaborative effort between rights holders, telecommunication providers and Internet service providers, and a supportive government," Berry said in a statement.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/afvvy (Ars Technica)

http://musically.com/blog/2009/01/18/midemnet-2009-liveblog-music-isps-debate

http://snipurl.com/afvwz (Billboard)