UMG and Sony Ask a New York Court to Make DistroKid Reveal AI Music Upload Data

By Dafa Attas

Photo: Pexels / Pixabay

Universal Music Group and Sony Music have opened a new procedural front in their copyright fight with AI music generator Suno, and this time the target is a distributor. According to Digital Music News and Interspace Music, the two labels have asked the federal court in the Southern District of New York to compel DistroKid, one of the largest do-it-yourself music distributors, to hand over internal data on AI-generated tracks it delivers to streaming services.

What the labels are asking for

As reported, the filing seeks to enforce a subpoena served on DistroKid in connection with the labels' case against Suno. The labels want figures on how many tracks DistroKid's AI-detection system flags, how often those tracks are streamed and what royalties they earn, whether any can be traced to Suno, and information about the detection tool itself, including how accurate it is. Billboard describes the request as asking DistroKid to admit how many Suno songs it has uploaded.

DistroKid has reportedly resisted, saying the data is not relevant to how Suno trained its model. The labels argue the opposite: that the data is "highly relevant information that only DistroKid possesses" and proportionate in a case where the market effect of AI-generated music is a central question. According to the filing as described by Digital Music News, DistroKid delivered close to 12 million tracks to one unnamed streaming service between March and September 2026, more than all other distributors combined. No ruling on the motion has been reported yet.

Why market harm is the battleground

Under US law, fair use is decided on four factors, and the fourth, the effect of the use on the market for the original works, often carries great weight. Suno's defence is expected to rely on fair use. If the labels can show that AI-generated tracks are flooding streaming services and competing with human-made recordings for listeners and royalties, that evidence goes straight to the fourth factor. That is why a distributor's internal data has become worth fighting over, even though DistroKid is not accused of training any model.

UMG has separately sued DistroKid, alleging it allowed bad actors to upload AI-generated music at scale and dilute the royalty pool. Sony is not a party to that suit.

What it means outside the US

The case shows that AI copyright disputes are moving beyond the question of training data and into the economics of streaming. Indonesia does not have a fair use doctrine in the US sense; Law No. 28 of 2014 on Copyright lists specific exceptions instead, and none of them was written with AI training in mind. We are not aware of an Indonesian court decision on AI-generated music. Rights holders and collecting societies in the region should watch how US courts treat market-harm evidence, because similar arguments about royalty dilution are likely to surface wherever AI tracks reach local streaming charts.

Sources

• Digital Music News, "Sony Music, Universal Music File a Brand-New Legal Action Against DistroKid to Force Disclosure of Its AI Upload Volumes" (16 October 2026)
• Interspace Music, "Sony Music and UMG Seek DistroKid Data on AI Music Distribution" (17 October 2026)
• Billboard, "UMG & Sony Demand DistroKid Admit How Many AI Songs Uploaded From Suno" (October 2026)