Google argued that the artists licensed their music to YouTube when they uploaded it – and that the license covers the conduct they are now suing over.
The move comes less than three months after a federal judge in Manhattan declined to throw the case out of court, rejecting the defendants' bid for dismissal.
A Spotify subscriber sued the company in November, claiming it deceives users by letting labels boost song visibility through reduced royalty payments.
A Texas judge found that the plaintiffs sued in the wrong place, and that the plaintiffs didn't have a copyright registered for their song when they filed the case.