WHEN IN ROM: For many rockers, interactive...

WHEN IN ROM: For many rockers, interactive CD-ROM technology is the new frontier. Peter Gabriel, Todd Rundgren and David Bowie are among those who have jumped in head first, inspired by the format that allows fans to manipulate anything the maker puts on the disc and remix music. It’s one of the fastest-growing and most potentially lucrative new markets for record companies.

But an increasing number of major stars are nixing proposals for interactive media projects involving their music, saying that they don’t want computer users “tampering” with their art.

And the roster of acts vetoing requests to license their material for such use is star-studded enough that it could put a crimp in the development of this new territory.

Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones, the Breeders, Van Morrison, the Spin Doctors, Stone Temple Pilots, Steve Miller, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mariah Carey and Clint Black are among those who have said no to interactive projects, sources say.

Why would the artists be so opposed to the new technology?

“It’s like if someone were to do a painting and you have the option of rearranging it,” suggests Kelly Curtis, manager of Pearl Jam. “Any artist doesn’t want to see their work destroyed.”