Alanis Morissette says pop stars have not spoken out against Napster for fear of being vilified.
The singer claims they have been overlooked in the music piracy debate.
She and Don Henley, co-founder of the Recording Artists Coalition, are fighting Napster's bid to force publishers to offer their catalogues online.
"History has not been kind to artists who have candidly expressed points of view that differ with those of their record company," said Alanis.
Henley added: "As we sit here, there's a pingpong game going over our heads about business models when we don't know how our rights are going to be protected. "
He said artists wanted a seat at the table.
He added they were worried specifically about getting compensation for online performances and making sure that the copyright "fair use" doctrine isn't expanded to let consumers trade music for free.
"There are a lot of excruciating details that need to be worked out in this new world," he said.
But Napster interim chief Mr Hank Barry says compulsory licences would provide consumers with more than the smattering of songs now available online.
He said they would ensure publishers and artists were compensated for their work.
PA