Irish band the Corrs, British pop stars the Spice Girls, French musician Jean-Michel Jarre and 400 other artists have mounted a campaign to back a European directive protecting their music from Internet piracy.

Jarre, known for his electronic compositions, said: "What we want is regulation, a code governing the distribution of our works on the Internet."

The performers, represented at the European Parliament by Jarre, Greek singer and European deputy Nana Mouskouri and the Corrs, are seeking the support of European deputies for a directive drawn up by the European Commission. The European Parliament is set to vote on the issue on Wednesday. "We want strong copyright, we are artists who want to be protected, not just any old pipe-fillers," said Jarre, referring to sound tracks which are broadcast for free by telecoms operators.

The artists welcomed the directive's stated goal of taxing these broadcasts. The directive also aims to extend existing copyright to the new communications technologies, such as the Internet, insisting that artists receive an "equitable remuneration" for the use of their works on-line.

Jarre said: "People confuse freedom of expression on the Internet, which we want to develop, with the theft of our creative works."

The industry has already expressed its concern over new technology allowing the perfect copying of compact discs on to blank discs which only cost around 10 francs (€1.5 euros).