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The YouGov Poll found that 62 per cent of those asked agreed that the term of copyright for sound recordings should be extended from its current 50 years to 95 years, bringing UK law in line with the US.

Only 20 per cent of respondents did not agree that the copyright period should be lengthened.

The BPI, the UK's largest music industry umbrella group, now intend to leaflet MPs urging them to back a change in the law.

'We

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are hugely encouraged that the majority of British consumers agree with us that UK musicians should receive as much copyright protection as their US counterparts,' said Peter Jamieson, BPI chairman and CEO.

'Our unique and internationally renowned industry would use a term extension to continue to invest heavily in the creative economy for future generations and consolidate the rights and works of our cultural ambassadors.'

A recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) argued that the law should not be changed, as there is no evidence to suggest that current protections are insufficient.

It also noted that while UK law may differ from America's, there is harmonisation across the EU. The EU Copyright Directive requires a minimum term of 50 years for copyright on sound recordings in member states.

YouGov interviewed 2,034 British adults by email between 2 and 6 November 2006.