A former head of Warner Music has called for album prices to be cut to around £1.

Rob Dickins, who oversaw acts like Madonna and R.E.M, said slashing the price of albums would tackle piracy and lead to increased sales.

He also claimed that by lowering the price people would be more inclined to spend more money on gig tickets.

"To a degree it solves piracy because if it's such a small amount people are more likely to pay it than [download for] free,” he said at music conference In The City in Manchester.

But, according to BBC News, Dickins’ comments have been dismissed by a number of peers.

N-Dubz manager said it was a “totally ridiculous suggestion", while others questioned whether major labels would endorse such a move.

(by Jason Gregory)