Six million broadband users are estimated to download files illegally every year in the UK in a practice that music and film companies claim is costing them billions of pounds in lost revenue annually.

So what can music companies do to tackle music piracy? Two things spring to mind: a) Fine illegal music downloaders (virtually impossible) 2) Be creative

I recently (legally) downloaded French singer Amandine Bourgeois’ first album and was pleasantly surprised to be given access to a VIP space on her website that includes an exclusive video diary, acoustic songs, photos and a fan forum where you can More >