EMI signalled that it was winning the war against piracy after sales of downloaded music surged six-fold over the summer.

The group reported explosive growth in sales of digital music and growing confidence that the industry was starting to recover after years of decline.

Demand for songs downloaded via computer has surged since computer maker Apple launched its iTunes music store in the UK, France and Germany in June.

Microsoft joined the market last month with a rival online store, MSN Music, which enables fans to download songs direct to their mobile phones as well as their PCs.

Chart-topper Robbie Williams became the first artist to put his entire album, plus videos, on a memory card that can be inserted directly into a mobile handset.

Signs that the music industry was on the brink of a revival came in data that showed it shrinking by 1.3 per cent over the six months - a major improvement on the 9.6 per cent decline of a year ago.

The Greatest Hits of Robbie Williams has sold more than three million copies since last month, while Kylie Minogue, Coldplay and The Chemical Brothers are among other artists with new albums.

EMI chairman Eric Nicoli said: "We have already seen a significant year-on-year pick-up in our sales since the end of September."