DistroKid confirms it is removing songs amid UMG copyright lawsuit

DistroKid has confirmed that it is pulling songs from streaming services because of a lawsuit filed by Universal Music Group, the major record label known as UMG. The distribution company, which artists use to put their music on services like Spotify and Apple Music, told The Verge the takedowns are a direct response to claims made in that suit.

UMG filed the lawsuit in September, accusing DistroKid of running what it called an “AI-slop pipeline” and of deceptive trade practices and copyright infringement. Since then, musicians have been posting on social media that their songs have disappeared without warning.

Musician McGwire said six of his songs were removed with no notice from DistroKid before or after the fact. He had to contact the company himself to find out why, first working through a chatbot before reaching a live agent. One removed track was a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” which McGwire says he had properly licensed. Another used a purchased beat that other artists had also licensed legitimately. A third was flagged over an uncleared sample, McGwire said, even though the song he supposedly sampled came out two years after his own track.

Other artists described similar experiences. Nerdcore rapper Insane Ian said an original song was taken down with no explanation offered. Rapper King Chase told The Verge that an entire album he had worked on was removed without any communication, despite having been online for three to four years with no prior copyright strikes.

Customer service cut back years ago

Music producer Jesse Cannon, who also works in marketing, told The Verge that “DistroKid gave up on customer service about two years ago.” He said former employees of the company have told him it treats customer service as a drain on profit, since DistroKid’s large share of the distribution market keeps artists using it regardless. Cannon argued DistroKid should give artists a warning and a chance to contest a takedown before pulling a song.

Amanda Ferri, DistroKid’s vice president of artist services, told The Verge that “a very small number of recordings distributed through DistroKid have been removed in response to claims made by UMG.” She said the company disputes the allegations behind UMG’s lawsuit and regrets the disruption to the artists affected, and that it is working to limit that disruption while still protecting artists’ ability to release music.

DistroKid has not said how many songs have been removed in total, or published a list of which claims triggered which takedowns. That gap, combined with the company’s hard-to-reach support system, is what is fueling artist complaints. Whether DistroKid adds a notice-and-appeal process before further removals, and how the UMG lawsuit itself proceeds, will determine how many more musicians find their catalogs affected.