The French musician is widely credited with sparking the synthesiser music boom in the 1970s with his breakthrough 1976 album Oxygene.

He is also a keen follower of the latest technology and is adamant artists need to keep up with the times, and now he has urged his contemporaries to stop blaming the Internet for the demise of the record industry.

As an example of how stars can still have influence, Jarre cites the recent case of Taylor Swift forcing Apple bosses into a U-turn on their policy not to pay musicians royalties during a trial period for clients.

"I think everyone in the music industry should stop whining and stop considering the giants of the Internet as the enemy," Jarre tells Mojo magazine.

"We are the virtual shareholders of these giant companies. When you see Taylor Swift make Apple change their policy, it's proof that we can find solutions - and we will. We need to recognise that artists aren't a luxury; they're one of the fundamental elements of our society."