DistroKid Removes Songs Over UMG Claims As Rappers Question Takedowns

DistroKid pulled songs over Universal Music Group’s copyright claims, and some rappers say their own work got caught in the sweep.

The company confirmed the move to The Verge. Company executive Amanda Ferri said the firm disputes UMG’s claims and wants to ease the harm.

But their rush to get the songs off to appease UMG seemed to have cause some collatoral damage.

Insane Ian said his own song vanished with no warning. King Chase said an album by an artist he worked with went missing without explanation.

The case also involves music by Drake and Rihanna, which was illegally sampled or remixed and supposedly distributed through DistroKid without permission. Reuters reported that the label’s September 15 suit cites at least 1,000 tracks it says infringe its rights.

The label claims the service spread AI-made music, tracks with unlicensed samples, remixes or songs with altered speeds. It wants money and a court order to stop the alleged acts. The firm denied the claims when the suit arrived.

UMG filed a civil suit. Its claims aren’t court findings.

“A very small number of recordings distributed through DistroKid have been removed in response to claims made by UMG. We strongly dispute the allegations underlying UMG’s lawsuit and regret the disruption to affected artists. We are working to minimize that disruption while protecting artists’ ability to release their music,” Ferri said in a statement to The Verge.

Hip-Hop’s debate over AI reaches well past this case.

In an AllHipHop interview published October 10, JAY-Z’s longtime engineer Young Guru said he draws a line between tools that help people work and tools that create for them.

“I can’t stand the creative AI. There’s no reason for it,” he said. Guru said he accepts tools that help with the work.

Artists who think a copyright claim wrongly took down their music can send the company a counter-notice. Its published rules say they must believe in good faith that the removal was due to a mistake.

The firm says it must wait 10 business days after a valid notice before it can bring a track back or let the artist upload it again. Streaming services can still choose to keep the music offline under their own rules.