A newly-founded legal group that campaigns for musicians' rights has claimed that YouTube does not have the performance rights of thousands of songs, and therefore may be facing a lawsuit of up to $1 billion if they are not removed.
Irving Azoff, founder of Global Music Rights, says that his clients did not agree to have their music shared on YouTube - only that their respective labels did. He claims that over 20,000 songs are on YouTube with no performance rights and is calling for their removal.
Azoff represents a number of high-profile acts including The Eagles, John Lennon and Pharrell Williams, and told The Hollywood Reporter that he was going after YouTube on their behalf because they had been the "least cooperative" and the "worst offenders", according to his clients.
Google, who own the site, claim that the performance rights of those artists is covered through prior deals with other performing rights organisations.
