YouTube, the largest video streaming Web site in the world, has 13 million users in Germany, a spokesman, Henning Dorstewitz, said. Each user watches at least one music video a month on average, so the new cost would add up to payments of more than 1.6 million euros annually.

Mr. Dorstewitz called the payment demanded by GEMA prohibitive.

“Under GEMA’s proposed terms, we would lose significant amounts of money with every playback,” he said.

YouTube began blocking music videos from its site in Britain on March 9, three months after its contract expired with the Performing Rights Society, a British agency representing artists. The British group is seeking 0.22 of a cent for each streamed video from YouTube, far less than what the German group is requesting.

Representatives for the German and British agencies said they had not asked Google to remove the videos.

Mr. Dorstewitz said Google removed the videos to avert any lawsuits from artists.

Bettina Müller, a spokeswoman for GEMA, said her agency, which represents 62,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, needed detailed information on which videos were viewed so it could distribute fees to appropriately.