Wixen Music Publishing, which has launched the lawsuit in the US, claims that Spotify’s catalogue of music includes a large proportion of unlicensed content for which Spotify is not paying royalties.

It said the streaming company has not compensated musicians, songwriters and publishers including Tom Petty and The Doors.

Wixen added: “As a result Spotify has built a billion dollar business on the backs of songwriters and publishers whose music Spotify is using, in many cases without obtaining and paying for the necessary licenses.”