UMG and Sony ask court to force DistroKid AI song count
Universal Music Group and Sony Music want DistroKid to put a number on the AI songs flowing onto streaming services.
The two labels filed papers on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Manhattan federal court to force the distributor — the company that uploads independent music to Spotify, Apple Music and others for a fee — to answer a subpoena sent last month. That legal order asked for internal figures on how many AI songs DistroKid sends to streaming services each month. Billboard obtained the filings and first reported them.
UMG and Sony allege DistroKid has refused to hand over a single document. In the filing, they called the company one of the primary conduits by which the streaming market is being flooded with AI-generated recordings.
They argue they have no other way to get the count. Suno, the AI music generator behind many of the tracks, does not track where its outputs go once they leave its platform, the labels said. DistroKid sits upstream of the streaming services, between creators and the platforms, and has said it tracks AI use in uploads with an AI-detection tool.
Days before the new filing, DistroKid acknowledged it had removed some user uploads in response to a separate UMG lawsuit over AI material. Many of the AI tracks sent through DistroKid were created with Suno, according to earlier reporting by Reuters.
The dispute over numbers is part of a larger copyright fight. UMG, Sony and Warner Music Group sued Suno in June 2024, in a case listed as UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Suno, Inc., No. 1:24-cv-11611. The labels alleged Suno and rival Udio had used their copyrighted sound recordings to train AI models that can make realistic songs. Suno and Udio pushed back against that billion-dollar action.
Since then the case has splintered. UMG and Sony filed a further complaint aimed at Suno’s latest v6 models, which Suno called “fundamentally flawed.” Warner Music Group and BMG organised a partnership with Suno around a new suite of AI models. UMG settled its copyright dispute with Udio.
What makes this stand out is the focus on measurement. The argument is no longer only about whether AI models were trained without permission. It is about how much AI-made music is reaching listeners, and who keeps the tally.
