According to Website Music Business Worldwide, the careers of unsigned artists are being caught in the crossfire of an increasingly aggressive copyright assault on Facebook by music publishers.

Performers have been complaining about their covers of popular tracks being pulled down from Facebook in October, following a run of copyright infringement notifications from music rights-holders.

The most vigorous publisher in terms of takedown demands, MBW is told, is Universal Music Publishing Group.

The company's anti-piracy boss David Benjamin has sent a raft of individual copyright notices to Facebook this year - for which he was recently called a ‘hero’ by songwriter and musicians’ rights activist David Lowery.

However, not everyone shares in this point of view - particularly those emerging artists for whom the fallout is causing major headaches.

Samantha Harvey for example is a British singer/songwriter who has attracted 1.97 million 'Likes' on her official Facebook page.

That's an extraordinary following for an artist without a label, yet in recent months, Harvey's found herself under siege...

For more info head to the Music Business Worldwide website.