A gaggle of pop stars and starlets graced today's London launch of a UK portal for the music industry. Music3w.com has links to artists' official Web sites, as well as information on gig dates, new releases etc. It aims to be a stopping-off place for fans who want to avoid trashy unofficial sites - often run by groupies who get their facts wrong. The site also offers chatrooms and bulletin boards, and sells CD, DVD, video and concert tickets. The UK venture has been set up by CEO Andrew Wilkinson, long-term former manager of ageing rockers The Rolling Stones. Also present at today's glittering launch were pop groovers Republica and TV personality and musician Jools Holland. "When the Internet first appeared in my house there was a lot of excitement – but not from me," said Holland, one of the artists signed up to music3w.com. His opinion switched when he discovered his own record was at number one in Amazon's music chart. "I've changed my mind and proved I have one," he said, proving that the pop industry isn't only inhabited of brain-dead boy bands. Other artists represented on the site so far include Bryan Adams, Chris de Burgh, Culture Club, The Pretenders, Genesis and UB40. ®