DistroKid confirms it removed tracks after Universal Music claims

DistroKid has confirmed it removed music from streaming services in response to claims made by Universal Music Group.

The distributor, a company that puts independent releases onto streaming platforms for a fee, gave the confirmation to The Verge. Amanda Ferri, DistroKid’s Vice President of Artist Services, said a very small number of recordings distributed through the company were taken down after claims from UMG, according to Music Business Worldwide.

Ferri added that DistroKid strongly disputes the allegations behind UMG’s lawsuit. Universal Music Group, one of the three major record companies alongside Sony and Warner, filed that case on September 15 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

The confirmation followed reports of surprise takedowns. On October 10, The Verge reported that independent artists had posted on social media saying their music had disappeared without notice.

Two of those accounts were named in the reporting. Musician McGwire told The Verge that six of his songs were removed from streaming services. He said DistroKid did not contact him before or after the removals.

Rapper King Chase told the outlet that an entire album by an artist he had been working with was removed. That album had been available for three to four years without incident, he said.

For independent acts, the process for challenging a removal matters as much as the reason. DistroKid’s copyright-removal guidance says artists who believe their material was taken down through misidentification or mistake can file a DMCA-compliant counter-notice, a formal dispute made under United States copyright law.

The company states it must then wait 10 business days after a valid counter-notice before it can reinstate the material or allow the affected material to be re-uploaded. That pause is standard under the law, giving the party that made the original claim time to respond.