Independent distribution giant DistroKid has acknowledged that it has taken down some of the music it delivers to streaming platforms in response to claims from Universal Music Group, the company it is currently fighting in federal court.
The removals came to light after artists began complaining on social media that their releases had disappeared without warning. The Verge first linked the takedowns to UMG’s lawsuit, and DistroKid then confirmed the move to Billboard and other outlets on Monday (October 12). Amanda Ferri, the company’s vice president of artist services, described the number of affected recordings as very small, said DistroKid strongly disputes UMG’s allegations, and expressed regret over the disruption to artists.
The lawsuit behind the takedowns
UMG Recordings, Capitol Records and Capitol CMG sued DistroKid on September 15 in the US District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaint accuses the distributor of flooding services with mass-produced AI tracks that drain money from the royalty pool, and of continuing to deliver recordings that copy, remix or speed up UMG masters even after conceding on one platform that it lacked the rights. UMG has said the case is not aimed at AI music that is clearly labelled as such, and it is asking the court to order the removal of infringing tracks from all services.
Artists say legitimate music was caught up
Several musicians quoted by The Verge say their pulled songs had nothing to do with AI or piracy. One described losing six tracks, including a licensed cover and a song built on a purchased beat, and said he only learned why after chasing DistroKid’s support team. Others reported original songs and a years-old album vanishing with no explanation. None of these individual claims has been independently verified, and it is not clear which removals stem directly from UMG’s claims.
DistroKid’s policies allow artists who believe a removal was a mistake to file a counter-notice, after which the company waits ten business days before restoring content, though streaming services can still decline to reinstate it. The stakes are high: DistroKid has previously said it handles a large share of new music released worldwide, so even a small error rate could affect many creators.
The dispute comes months after private equity firm CVC agreed to take a majority stake in DistroKid, and follows UMG’s earlier case against Believe and TuneCore, which settled in April.
Image credit: ssi77/Shutterstock, via Music Business Worldwide.
Source: Music Business Worldwide