Singer-songwriter James Taylor is suing Warner Bros records for $2m (£1.2m), claiming he is not paid fairly when the company sells his songs as downloads, according to BBC News.

He contends he should receive a higher royalty rate for downloads than for physical CD sales.

Similar cases have been launched by The Temptations, Eminem and Kenny Rogers.

Taylor, known for songs like Carolina In My Mind and his cover of You've Got A Friend, was with the Warner Bros label from 1969 to 1979.

When he left, the singer signed a "termination and settlement agreement", which allowed him to audit the company's accounts.

In his complaint, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court late last week, he says he has discovered several discrepancies.

These include what he says are the unauthorised use of his songs on compilation albums, and underpayment for overseas sales.

But his biggest complaint is over the sale of songs on sites like Amazon and iTunes.

Warner Bros treats digital downloads as the same as physical sales, but Taylor argues the label is really licensing its tracks to the download stores.

That is because the label signs a single licensing deal with the store after which the songs are on sale in perpetuity instead of having to continually press, distribute and market CDs.