Letter: Tapers are copying music they have already paid for

THE British music industry sees no reason why any consumer should pay a private copying royalty. Audiotape companies make a substantial profit out of the 113 million blank cassettes they sell each year and we regard their margins as more than sufficient to absorb the limited costs involved in a royalty.

Indeed, such would be only equitable. After all, would 113 million blank tapes be sold each year were it not for the music we create - at substantial cost - that is put on them?

May I also underline the BPI's commitment to talking newspapers. Each year, many of the cassettes we seize from the vituperous audio-piracy industry are redistributed to organisations for blind people.

Jeff Clark-Meads

BPI, London W1