Stars ready for 'pop star union'

Annie Lennox, Coldplay and Robbie Williams are among the artists thought to be attending the first meeting of a new group designed to look after music stars' interests.

The first meeting of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) will take place today in central London, the BBC reports.

Directors of the FAC include Blur drummer Dave Rowntree, Kate Nash and Billy Bragg.

Rowntree said: "By making ourselves heard and arguing for what's fair, we can help reshape the industry.

"Musicians as a group do tend to grumble about what's happening in the industry - well, here's an opportunity to do something about it rather than grumble about it."

He added that the digital revolution offers musicians "incredible" opportunities and has revolutionised the fan-artist relationship.