DistroKid confirms it pulled tracks from streaming services after UMG's lawsuit

DistroKid, the distributor that delivers music from millions of independent artists to Spotify, Apple Music and other services, has confirmed it removed some recordings after claims made in Universal Music Group's copyright lawsuit against it.

The lawsuit

UMG Recordings, Capitol Records and Capitol CMG sued DistroKid on September 15, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The labels say DistroKid lets streaming services fill up with AI-generated "slop" and tracks copied from real artists, which pulls revenue and listeners away from the people who made the originals.

The complaint says UMG's exhibits list 1,000 of its recordings allegedly copied by tracks DistroKid delivered, and that its investigation found nearly 2,000 such recordings. It also alleges DistroKid kept delivering tracks after knowing it lacked the rights, and sent the same recordings to other services after a conflict was flagged on one. UMG says the suit is not about clearly disclosed AI music. It wants an injunction and the termination of repeat infringers' accounts. These are allegations, not findings.

What DistroKid says

A company spokesperson has said a very small number of recordings were removed following UMG's claims. DistroKid strongly disputes the allegations, says it regrets the disruption to affected artists, and is working to reduce it. Its user agreement lets it take down recordings when it receives legal claims about them.

The artists caught in the middle

The scope of the takedowns is not yet clear. Nashville singer-songwriter Josh Sahunta says his 2022 album was pulled without his request. He says DistroKid support told him it had been flagged for copyright infringement without naming the material or the claimant, and that a copyright strike froze his royalty payments. Other users have said online that tracks removed from their catalogues were neither AI-generated nor unlicensed. ADMC has not independently verified individual cases.

Why it matters

Distributors sit between artists and streaming services, so the case tests how much responsibility they carry for what they upload. Any artist who releases through a self-serve distributor should keep dated proof of authorship, such as session files and demos, in case a claim arrives. We will update this story as the court case moves.