A new campaign has been launched to urge music consumers to purchase music only from legal sources.

Music Matters is an initiative by music labels, retailers and musicians that seeks to educate music fans about legal ways to consume music online.

Organisations which are getting behind the project include iTunes, Spotify and Play.com, as well as former outlaw and anathema to the music industry, Napster.

“Globally, 19 out of every 20 tracks downloaded are done so illegally” reads the whymusicmatters.org website.

“In an evolving digital landscape, there can be confusion over which sites are legal. We think music fans would like to know that when the site that they are using is legitimate they are supporting the artists, musicians, songwriters and everyone involved in creating the music.”

The Music Matters campaign encourages consumers to look for the certification mark on legal music providers.

A list of supporting sites can be found here.