Who owns it?

[Mistopher]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? WV

Hello, all. I have a band member (Bass guitar) who was ejected during an album session. He behaved inappropriately and got booted after all of his tracks were finished, and now he's fuming. My question is, if there was no contract and the songwriter owns the copyright, is the work he did considered volunteer work, or is he legally allowed to pull his tracks? If it makes any difference, he had been with the project for the four years it has been in existence, also with no contract. Thanks in Advance.

 

[FlyingRon]

Given the amount of time he seems to be involved with the "project," whatever that is, it sounds like more than a paid session musician relationship. He may indeed have some rights to his performance.
There's not enough information for us to tell. You should seek out legal counsel for both this issue and how to structure things going forward.

 

[Mistopher]

Thank you.