DistroKid removes some songs after UMG lawsuit, artists say

In short: Musicians say DistroKid removed their songs without warning, and DistroKid says it is responding to claims from Universal Music Group.

What happened

Several artists have posted on social media saying their music disappeared from streaming services after being distributed through DistroKid. They say they did not get clear notice before or after the removals.

DistroKid told The Verge that the takedowns are a direct response to claims made by Universal Music Group, also known as UMG. UMG filed a lawsuit in September. It claims DistroKid created an “AI-slop pipeline,” meaning a system that lets large amounts of low quality, AI-made music flood streaming platforms.

Some artists say their music was not made with AI, but it was still removed. Musician McGwire said six of his songs were taken down. He said DistroKid did not contact him, and he had to reach out to the company to get an explanation. He also said it was hard to reach a real person, and he first dealt with an automated chat bot (like a customer service auto-responder).

Other artists told similar stories, including rapper Insane Ian and rapper King Chase. King Chase said an album that had been online for years was removed without an explanation.

DistroKid’s VP of Artist Services, Amanda Ferri, said only a “very small number” of recordings were removed. She said DistroKid disputes UMG’s allegations and is working to reduce disruption while protecting artists’ ability to release music.

Why it matters

For independent musicians, DistroKid is a key middleman for getting songs onto major platforms. When tracks vanish without clear reasons, it can mean lost income and a harder time proving they did nothing wrong.

Source: The Verge AI