LONDON - POP star Robbie Williams has gone on strike against his record label, with his manager accusing British music publisher EMI's new boss of acting like a 'plantation owner,' a report said on Friday.

The singer, who has sold 70 million albums for EMI, will not deliver his new album to the label, manager Tim Clark told The Times.

'The question is, 'Should Robbie deliver the new album he is due to release to EMI?' We have to say the answer is 'no'.

'They do not have anyone in the digital sphere capable of doing the job required. All we know is they are going to decimate their staff.'

Clark accused the new EMI boss of acting like a 'plantation owner' who had stumbled into the record industry via a 'vanity purchase', the paper said.

Guy Hands, head of Terra Firma, which won control of EMI in August, pledged last year to drop recording artists who were not working hard enough for the label, and change the pay system for executives at the company, according to the Financial Times.

The group Coldplay has expressed concern over changes at the label as well and may decide not to deliver its next album, the rock group's manager, Dave Holmes, told The Times.

British rock legend Sir Paul McCartney split with EMI last year, and released his latest album 'Memory Almost Full' with coffee giant Starbucks's newly launched Hear Music label.

McCartney lamented the amount of time it took for EMI to develop a marketing strategy for his songs, also telling The Times he would ask the label for a song to be released the week after he wrote it, only to be told by executives that it would take six months instead.

Williams is also seeking greater control over his past releases and over digital sales of his music, his manager said.

The star could decide to sell his next album or certain songs himself online, according to his manager.

EMI refused comment when contacted by AFP.

Williams signed a four-album contract in 2002 that media reports at the time said was worth 80 million pounds (225 million).

The singer left the boy band Take That in 1995 to pursue his solo career. -- AFP

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