By Dexerto | Created at 2026-09-18 18:34:25 | Updated at 2026-09-19 07:06:48
12 hours ago
Video game music label GameChops says more than 100 copyright takedowns have put its YouTube channel at risk of deletion, with founder DJ Cutman calling the situation the “most serious threat to video game music” he has ever seen.
GameChops is a video game music-focused record label founded by DJ Cutman, real name Chris Davidson, that releases covers and remixes from franchises including Pokemon, Zelda, Undertale, and Deltarune. Its YouTube channel currently has more than 600,000 subscribers and has been active since 2010.
The label has now become locked in a copyright dispute with music publisher Materia Music, which says it has begun taking action against hundreds of GameChops uploads that it alleges were released without the necessary licenses.
GameChops initially given 24 hours to dispute 100 takedowns
In an update shared on X, Cutman revealed that GameChops had received more than 100 DMCA takedown notices, resulting in what his YouTube dashboard showed as 26 copyright strikes.
“I have 24 hours to dispute over 100 DMCA takedown notices, or my channel gets deleted and I get banned for life,” he said.
Cutman claimed he had never received a copyright strike before an issue involving a Deltarune piano album roughly a year ago, but said the latest wave had affected around 50 artists at once.
Among the tracks he said were removed were Holder’s Spider Dance, Arceon’s Hopes and Dreams, and his K/DA Megalovania mashup, which he claimed had previously received approval from Riot Games.
He also argued that the videos had previously been subject to YouTube revenue-sharing claims, meaning copyright holders were already receiving revenue from them.
YouTube’s copyright rules state that channels with three active copyright strikes are subject to termination. A creator can challenge a removal through a counter notification, which YouTube describes as a legal request to restore material allegedly removed through mistake or misidentification.
Cutman later revealed YouTube had extended GameChops’ deadline until Monday, September 21, giving the label additional time to challenge the removals.
“This is the most serious threat to video game music that I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“Sure, it’s hitting my YouTube channel. What’s being asserted questions if covers are allowed to be made at all, if fan art is allowed to be used on album covers.”
Cutman said GameChops obtains cover licenses through distributor DistroKid and showed a list of licenses he said covered its Undertale and Deltarune releases.
Materia Music disputes GameChops licensing claims
Materia Music, however, has challenged GameChops’ account of the dispute.
In a September 14 statement, the company said it was carrying out an “ongoing takedown initiative” against GameChops involving hundreds of tracks and videos it alleges include unlicensed covers, remixes, mashups, bootlegs, and soundtrack rips.
Materia specifically alleges that GameChops lacked mechanical licenses for some covers and separate permissions required for remixes, samples, and derivative works. It also claims it attempted to resolve the issues privately for more than a year before issuing takedowns. GameChops disputes the suggestion that its releases were improperly licensed.
DistroKid’s own licensing documentation makes a distinction between conventional cover songs and other adaptations. Its standard cover licenses apply when artists re-record a song without fundamentally changing it, but the service says they do not cover remixes, mashups, samples, or other derivative works, which can require separate permission from rights holders.
That distinction appears to be at the center of the dispute between the two companies.
For now, Cutman says he is continuing to challenge the takedowns and defend the affected GameChops releases before the extended deadline.
“My concern is that if GameChops goes down, who’s next?” he said.
