Universal Music Group and Sony Music have filed court documents requesting that indie music distribution service DistroKid provide information about the volume of AI-generated songs uploaded through its platform each month. The major record labels say they need this data for their ongoing legal action against Suno, an AI music generation platform.
According to filings submitted earlier this week, UMG and Sony issued subpoenas to DistroKid seeking details on monthly recording submissions and the company’s AI detection capabilities. The labels contend that DistroKid has declined to produce the requested documents. UMG and Sony characterized the information as essential to their case, noting that the market impact of AI-generated music represents a key disputed issue in the litigation.
The request arrives approximately one month after UMG initiated a separate lawsuit against DistroKid in September, alleging that the platform has facilitated the mass distribution of AI-generated songs, thereby diminishing the royalty compensation available to human artists. Sony Music is not a party to that particular lawsuit. DistroKid has previously stated its commitment to copyright protection and the integrity of the music ecosystem, expressing disappointment that UMG pursued litigation rather than industry-standard processes.
UMG and Sony’s latest court filing asserts that DistroKid holds a substantial position in the distribution of AI-generated music to streaming services. The labels described the scale of releases as significant, noting that between March and September 2026, DistroKid delivered nearly 12 million tracks to one major digital service alone—a volume representing more than half of all tracks delivered to that platform and surpassing all other distributors combined.
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