If politicians fail to keep their promise made at last year's G8 summit to give 0.7 percent of their nations' gross domestic product to help the world's poor, "I will be extremely active in trying to get these people thrown out of office," Geldof told a press conference.

Asked whether he had any plans to stage another global music event in the future, Geldof said, "I sincerely hope it wouldn't be necessary". But he didn't rule that eventuality either.

Geldof was in Cannes at the music industry's giant MIDEM trade fair to pick up its "personality of the year" award for 2006, which he will receive Monday along with Harvey Goldsmith and John Kennedy, fellow founders and trustees of the Band Aid relief effort.

The award is in recognition of their work in bringing the music industry together to help alleviate poverty and famine in Africa.

The Irish rocker staged the first Live Aid concert in 1985 to raise funds to save the starving in Ethiopia. Last July he organised Live 8 concerts in London and eight other cities worldwide -- timed to coincide with the G8 summit hosted by Britain -- to help raise awareness of the plight of Africans living in poverty.

Geldof told the music trade fair that "to get this award from this crowd (the music industry) is a huge compliment to this business."

Commenting on the huge task of pulling together such a mammoth event like Live 8, which involved 150 bands and 1,250 artists, Geldof said: "There is no other industry that could or would have done this."

Some three billion worldwide watched the series of 10 Live 8 concerts that took place simultaneously around the globe on July 2 last year, demonstrating the power of new technology, and the Internet in particular.

"What was truly impressive about Live 8, was that for the first time ever music and technology were used to communicate a humanitarian cause to the largest audience possible and carry the "fight against poverty" message across the globe, MIDEM Director Dominique Leguern said.

"The Live 8 concerts changed the whole philosophy and structure of the music business," music impresario Goldsmith said. "That's why there are so many technology and phone companies at MIDEM this year," he noted.

Internet giant "AOL's broadcasting of the event, above all, showed what can be done via the Internet to create a truly global event -- which is something TV as such can't do, because its too local," Geldof said.

He said the decision to stage the Live 8 concerts arose from the artists telling him, "You have to do something."

Getting musicians to agree to take part in the event, 20 years after the Band Aid concerts, was easier, Geldof said, than the logistics.

The MIDEM award is the second honour to be heaped on the Live 8 trio here this week. They were all named Chevaliers de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) Sunday by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the arts.

It was also the third such kudos for Geldof who was awarded a special prize at France's prestigious annual NRJ music awards on Saturday.

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