Universal Music Group, along with ABKCO Music & Records and Concord Music Group, has filed a $500 million lawsuit against Believe and its subsidiary TuneCore, accusing them of large-scale copyright infringement. The lawsuit, filed in New York, claims Believe has distributed unauthorized copies of popular recordings on platforms like TikTok and Spotify, often as 'sped up' or 'remixed' versions. UMG alleges Believe's business model relies on piracy, manipulating systems like YouTube's Content ID to monetize these tracks. This case highlights ongoing concerns about unauthorized music distribution in the digital age.
Musician Benn Jordan, known as The Flashbulb, discovered his music had been removed from Spotify, iTunes, and other streaming platforms due to alleged fraudulent botstreams. His digital distributor, TuneCore, took down his music after Spotify detected abnormal streaming activity, but later admitted to an error in their notification system and reinstated Jordan's catalog. Jordan, who had earned over $400,000 in sales, demanded evidence of the fraud and criticized TuneCore for blacklisting him without providing proof. Spotify confirmed detecting artificial streaming but stated it did not instruct TuneCore to remove Jordan's music. Jordan's music has since been returned to streaming platforms, but he emphasized the need for policy changes to prevent similar incidents for independent musicians.
