DistroKid has confirmed that it removed songs from its distribution platform in response to claims made by Universal Music Group, following artist complaints on social media about unexplained takedowns. The company acknowledged the removals after artists said their work had been taken off streaming services without notice. UMG filed a lawsuit in September accusing DistroKid of operating what the label described as an AI-slop pipeline. DistroKid disputes the allegations behind that lawsuit.
Artists affected say the removals have swept up material that has nothing to do with AI. Musician McGwire, who describes himself as a video game boy, said six of his songs were removed from streaming. He said DistroKid did not contact him before or after the removals, and that he had to reach out to the company to get an explanation. Getting a response was difficult: McGwire said he first endured a lengthy and repetitive exchange with a bot before reaching a live agent.
McGwire said one removed track was a cover of Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely, for which he claims he held a proper license. Another used a beat he bought through a marketplace that others had also licensed. He said he was most frustrated by a song removed over an uncleared sample, because the track he allegedly sampled came out two years after his own.
Other artists reported similar problems. Nerdcore rapper Insane Ian posted that an original song of his was taken down without warning and that DistroKid would not tell him why. Rapper King Chase told The Verge he also struggled to reach a person at the company. He said an entire album for an artist he had been working with was removed with no communication or explanation, despite having been up for three to four years without incident and with no copyright strikes.
Amanda Ferri, DistroKid's vice president of Artist Services, said a very small number of recordings distributed through the company had been removed in response to claims made by UMG. She said DistroKid strongly disputes the allegations underlying UMG's lawsuit and regrets the disruption to affected artists. Ferri added that the company is working to minimize that disruption while protecting artists' ability to release their music.
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