The new competition, School Stars, will encourage musicianship and provide an insight into how songs are crafted. It will be open to anyone aged between 11-19. At later stages of the competition, which may be broadcast on TV, leading industry executives, artists and songwriters will also become involved acting as mentors.

The BPI has been tasked with asking companies to tender for the job of running the competition on a day-to-day basis. A BPI spokesman that could conceivably mean a ...