Guide
Someone uploaded your song to Spotify under their name: how to get it removed
Your track is on Spotify under someone else's name, or a song that sounds like you is credited to an artist you have never heard of. This is copyright infringement, and the rights holder can have it removed. The fastest path is complete evidence and two reports sent at the same time.
Updated October 26, 2026
Short answer
If someone uploaded your song to Spotify under their own name, save the link and your proof of ownership, then file a copyright infringement claim with Spotify and tell your distributor the same day. Spotify removes infringing uploads once it can verify the claim, and your distributor can often see which company delivered the copy. Check the other major platforms too, because a stolen upload is usually delivered everywhere at once.
What to do, in order
Save the evidence
Copy the Spotify link of the copy and take screenshots of the track page and the album page, including the copyright line at the bottom of the album. Note the date you found it and the release date shown. If your version came out first, that date is your strongest single fact.
Gather proof that the recording is yours
Collect your own release link and date, the UPC and the ISRC of each track from your distributor dashboard, and anything that shows you made it: project files, stems or session files with their dates, a split sheet or a contract. You will not need all of it, but the claim moves faster when you have it ready.
File Spotify's infringement claim
Spotify's help article on reporting music uploaded without your permission links to its copyright claim form. Give the link of the copy, the link of your original and a short statement that you are the rights holder or are authorized to act for them. Only the rights holder or their representative can file.
Tell your distributor
Send your distributor the link of the copy along with your release identifiers. Distributors see duplicate-audio flags, and if the copy came through their system they can often remove it themselves. If it came through another distributor, yours can still confirm that your release was delivered first.
Check the other platforms
Search Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, TIDAL and SoundCloud for the title and the uploader's artist name. Each platform has its own copyright report form. List every place you find the copy so nothing is missed.
Watch for it coming back
Search the title again a week later. People who upload stolen music often try again under a new name, and a second report is faster when the first one is on record.
How stolen uploads happen
Most cases fall into a few patterns. Knowing which one you have tells you what evidence matters most.
- Your released track is downloaded and re-uploaded under a new artist name.
- An unreleased or leaked track is uploaded before you release it.
- A sped-up, slowed or so-called remix version uses your recording without permission.
- An AI voice or style copy is released as if it were you, or credited to your name.
- A namesake's release ends up on your profile. That is a profile mix-up, not theft, and it is fixed a different way.
Stolen copy or profile mix-up?
If the audio is yours and the name is someone else's, it is infringement, and the copyright claim is the right tool. If the audio is someone else's and it appears on your profile, it is a content mismatch, which is fixed by moving the release, not by a copyright claim. Filing the wrong one costs time, so check which you have first.
AI copies and impersonation
Spotify updated its rules in 2025 to say that unauthorized AI voice clones and other impersonation of an artist are not allowed. Report an AI copy through the same channels, and say plainly that it imitates your voice or uses your name without permission. Include a link to your real profile so the reviewer can compare.
What about the money it earned?
Streams on the copy are paid to the uploader's distributor, not to you. Ask your distributor whether earnings on the disputed release can be held while the claim is reviewed. Recovering money that has already been paid out is a legal question, and there is no guarantee it can be recovered, which is one more reason to act quickly.
How Traxure helps
Traxure does not search for copies of your music under other artists' names. It watches the other side of the problem: it alerts you when a release you never imported shows up on your Spotify profile, and when one of your releases stops appearing on Spotify or the seven other platforms it checks. Monitoring starts with a seven-day free trial.
Questions artists ask
Can I get a stolen song removed from Spotify?
Yes. The rights holder, or someone authorized to act for them, can file a copyright infringement claim with Spotify. Include the link of the copy, the link of your original and proof that the recording is yours.
How long does Spotify take to remove a stolen upload?
It varies from a few days to several weeks. Complete claims with clear evidence move fastest, and reporting to your distributor at the same time often speeds things up.
Do I need a lawyer to report a stolen song?
Not to file the claim. Platforms accept reports directly from rights holders. A lawyer becomes useful if you want to recover royalties, if the uploader disputes your claim, or if the same person keeps doing it.
Someone released an AI copy of my voice. What can I do?
Report it to Spotify and the other platforms as impersonation, and tell your distributor. Say that it imitates your voice or uses your name without permission, and link your real profile so it can be compared.
What if the uploader disputes my claim?
You may be asked for more evidence or to resolve it with the uploader directly. Keep your release dates, identifiers and project files organized so you can respond quickly.
Traxure
Know the same day, not weeks later.
Traxure checks your releases on Spotify and other platforms around the clock, confirms a change before alerting you and tells you what to do next. Seven-day free trial.