DistroKid removes songs without warning

Artists are complaining on social media that DistroKid has removed their work without notice. The platform has confirmed to The Verge the takedowns are a direct response to claims made by UMG.

UMG sued DistroKid in September

Universal Music Group filed a lawsuit in September claiming that DistroKid has created an AI-slop pipeline. Artists say their non-AI works are being caught up in the purge.

McGwire lost six songs with no explanation

Musician McGwire reported that six of his songs were removed from streaming with no communication from DistroKid before or after. He had to contact the company for an explanation.

Legitimate licensed tracks were removed

One McGwire song removed was a cover of Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely, which he claims to have had a proper license for. Another used a beat he purchased through a marketplace.

Artists struggle to reach DistroKid support

McGwire had a lengthy circular conversation with a bot before reaching a live agent. Nerdcore rapper Insane Ian posted that he had an original song taken down with no warning and no explanation.

“had an original song taken down with no warning, and they wouldn't tell me why either.”

DistroKid disputes the lawsuit allegations

Amanda Ferri, DistroKid's VP of Artist Services, told The Verge the company strongly disputes UMG's allegations and regrets the disruption to affected artists while working to minimize it.

“A very small number of recordings distributed through DistroKid have been removed in response to claims made by UMG.”