DistroKid confirmed to The Verge that it is removing songs in response to claims made by UMG. Artists have taken to social media to complain that the distributor unceremoniously removed their work without notice. The action follows a September lawsuit in which UMG claimed that DistroKid created an artificial intelligence slop pipeline.
Artists report non-AI work was deleted
Musicians state that their non-AI works are being caught up in the purge. Musician McGwire reported that six of his songs were removed from streaming services. He stated that there was no communication from DistroKid before or after the removals. McGwire had to contact the company for an explanation through a lengthy circular conversation with a bot before reaching a live agent.
McGwire noted that one removed track was a Stevie Wonder cover with a proper license. Another track used a purchased beat that others had also licensed. A third song was removed for an uncleared sample from a song released two years after his own track.
Creators struggle to contact support
Music producer and marketing professional Jesse Cannon told The Verge that DistroKid gave up on customer service about two years ago. Cannon expressed sympathy for the affected artists while noting the company indifference. He stated they should have allowed artists recourse and a warning to debate the claims. Cannon added that former employees told him the company views customer service as a waste of profits due to high market share and ubiquity.
Nerdcore rapper Insane Ian posted that he had an original song taken down with no warning and no explanation provided. Rapper King Chase also struggled to reach a person at DistroKid. Chase told The Verge that an entire album for an artist he worked with was removed without communication. He noted the album had been up for three to four years without incident or copyright strikes.
DistroKid disputes the allegations
Amanda Ferri, DistroKid VP of Artist Services, told The Verge that a very small number of recordings distributed through the company have been removed in response to UMG claims. Ferri stated that they strongly dispute the allegations underlying the UMG lawsuit and regret the disruption to affected artists. She added that they are working to minimize that disruption while protecting artists ability to release their music.
