Some of rock 'n' roll's biggest players, including Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana, are suing a website that offers thousands of recordings of rare audio and video music performances.

The artists say Wolfgang's Vault, owned by William Sagan, is illegally offering the recordings in order to lure consumers to buy other products available on the site.

Musician Carlos Santana, seen in this undated photo, is one of several rockers suing the Wolfgang's Vault website for featuring concert video and audio.
(Canadian Press)

In November, the site began streaming hundreds of clips filmed and collected by concert promoter Bill Graham over a 30-year period.

Graham, born Wolfgang Grajonca, died in 1991. He was considered a pioneer in modern concert promotion.

Sagan bought Graham's assets for $5 million US from Clear Channel Entertainment more than three years ago.

"Sagan simply doesn't have the legal rights to exploit and profit from the extraordinary success of these musicians," lawyer Jeff Reeves, who represents the artists, told the Los Angeles Times. Members of Led Zeppelin and the Doors are also involved in the suit.

"This memorabilia was created in the first place for the purposes of promoting concerts and as gifts for fans and concert crew. Graham himself did not have the right to sell, reproduce or otherwise exploit these materials as a promoter."

"We have never given permission for our images and material to be used in this way," said Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.

"[Sagan] is stealing what is most important to us — our work, our images and our music — and is profiting from the goodwill of our fans."

Sagan said he had not been served with legal papers and refuses to comment on the matter.

The suit, filed in San Francisco, is seeking an unspecified level of damages and costs, as well as a halt to any further sales of merchandise.