Spotify has removed approximately 750,000 independent tracks over alleged "artificial stream" violations, prompting over 5,000 artists to sign a "Restore Our Music" petition demanding reinstatement of their music.

The mass removal affected artists across all music distributors, including DistroKid, in which Spotify holds a passive minority investment. According to Spotify's terms and conditions, the platform prohibits third-party promotional services that sell streams for payment.

While DistroKid has created a counter-notification form for appeals, many artists claim their music was removed despite never using fake streaming services. Some tracks receiving as few as 5 plays per month were taken down, suggesting potential issues with Spotify's detection system.

The situation has seen mixed results:

• Some artists, like Dylan Toole, have had their music partially restored
• Others, like Heavy Salad, remain blocked after two weeks with no communication from Spotify or DistroKid
• DistroKid CEO Philip Kaplan confirmed the takedowns were "distributor-agnostic"

Artists can appeal removals through their distributors, though many report difficulties with the process. The petition, which continues to gain signatures, highlights growing tensions between independent artists and Spotify's content moderation policies.

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