Sony pulls artists from SoundCloud including Adele and Kelly Clarkson in money dispute

Sony Music is pulling some of its biggest artists from SoundCloud in a dispute over money.

The music label has removed Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Miguel and Hozier, among others, after accusing SoundCloud of not providing enough options for it to make money from the music it hosts.

So far, about six Sony musicians have already been removed with more thought to be following.

It's not clear if this is a negotiation tactic or whether it will happen.

Hozier are among six acts or so to be removed

Music labels haven't been the biggest fans of ad-supported streaming in the past.

"We are in ongoing conversations with major and independent labels and will continue to add partners to the [On SoundCloud] program," SoundCloud says in a statement to Billboard.com.

SoundCloud says that it's already paid out more than $2m (£1.32m) to partners through On SoundCloud, a financial programme launched last August.

Kelly Clarkson is one of the artists who's been removed from SoundCloud

It introduced ads to the site's music streams, which include audio spots and small pop-ups before tracks play.

The ads only play every so often, which may limits how much revenue SoundCloud brings in and is able to share with labels.

It recently announced a partnership with a company that scans for copyright infringement.

Getting big name labels on SoundCloud means more popular content to stream but many users say it's more about the community than the major artists.

Sony Music has declined to comment.

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