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Organisers of the group, which is called Arts+Labs, are touting it as the first time technology companies and content creators have met in a room - instead of fighting in court.

Microsoft has signed up, alongside fellow founding members AT&T, Viacom, NBC Universal, Cisco and the Songwriters Guild of America.

In recent years, the two sides and consumer advocates have waged numerous legal battles dealing with the rights of artists, distributors and users on the web.

"I

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just like this approach a whole lot better," says Rick Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America and an advisory board member.

Arts+Labs is co-chaired by Mike McCurry, who was a press secretary for former US President Bill Clinton. The group's other co-chair is Mark McKinnon, who has served as media advisor to the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain.

The global music industry claims it loses $12.5 billion (£6.9 billion) a year to piracy. Illegally downloaded songs outnumber legally downloaded ones by 20-to-1, Carnes claims. "For songwriters, it's a recipe for extinction," he says.

The leaders of Arts+Labs claim their main goal will be to educate consumers and highlight innovations by media companies and internet providers to make the web a better place to legally acquire songs, movies and TV shows.

"It's almost like safe sex," McCurry says. "How do we actually help people understand that something that they enjoy doing they need to be thinking about ways in which they can protect themselves and protect others."