Independent musicians say their songs are vanishing from streaming services without warning, and DistroKid says a lawsuit is the reason.

DistroKid, a service that helps independent artists put music on Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms, confirmed to The Verge that the takedowns are a direct response to claims made by Universal Music Group.

UMG sued DistroKid in federal court in Delaware on Sept. 15, Variety reported. The 52-page lawsuit accuses DistroKid of creating an "AI-slop pipeline" that floods streaming services with "AI-generated 'slop' that siphons revenue and listeners from the legitimate artists." Billboard reported that DistroKid is valued at more than $2 billion.

But artists say real, human-made songs are being caught in the purge. Musician McGwire said six of his songs were removed with no notice, The Verge reported. One was a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely," which he says he had licensed. Another was removed for an uncleared sample, even though the song he supposedly sampled came out two years after his track.

Artists also complain it is hard to reach DistroKid. McGwire said he had a "lengthy circular conversation" with a bot before reaching a person.

"DistroKid gave up on customer service about two years ago," music producer Jesse Cannon told The Verge. He said artists should have gotten a warning and a chance to dispute the removals.

The case shows how AI-generated music is reshaping the industry. Streaming services have struggled with a flood of cheap AI tracks.

DistroKid has not said how many songs it has removed.

What we know: DistroKid confirmed it is removing songs in response to claims in UMG's lawsuit, and artists say human-made tracks are being taken down.
What we don't: How many songs DistroKid has removed.