UMG and Concord v. Quince: creators, reposts and a swapped song
Short answer
On April 16, 2026, Universal Music, Capitol Records, Concord and six Universal Music Publishing companies sued fashion brand Quince in federal court in San Francisco. They allege Quince used 67 sound recordings and 71 musical compositions without licenses in TikTok and Instagram videos, including paid creator content, and in one case reposted a creator's video with a hit song swapped in. The plaintiffs had sent a demand letter in September 2024. The case is open; these are allegations.
What the complaint says
The suit was filed on April 16, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (Music Business Worldwide; Digital Music News). The plaintiffs are UMG Recordings, Capitol Records and Concord, plus six Universal Music Publishing entities. Having both labels and publishers means the claims cover both the recordings and the songs underneath them.
The complaint lists 67 sound recordings and 71 musical compositions in an exhibit it calls "illustrative" and "non-exhaustive". The artists include Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, Drake, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, Britney Spears, Coldplay, Diana Ross, Etta James, Olivia Dean, Justin Bieber and Zara Larsson. The complaint described Quince's conduct as "rampant and brazen".
The plaintiffs seek statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work, or actual damages and profits, plus attorneys' fees and a permanent injunction. At the maximum, 138 works comes to about $20.7 million.
The creator angle
What makes Quince stand out is how much of the alleged infringement runs through creators. According to the complaint, Quince works with around 300 creators a month. Some of the videos at issue were paid partnership content, and some were tagged "Original Audio" even though they contained the plaintiffs' songs.
The most striking example: Quince allegedly reposted a creator's paid partnership video on its own account and made "only one substantive change": replacing the music with one of the plaintiffs' songs. In other words, the creator's original was arguably fine. The brand's repost is what added the hit.
The letter that came first
The plaintiffs say they sent Quince a demand letter on September 6, 2024. Quince's counsel replied on November 4, 2024, that "Quince believes that it has fully addressed the copyright concerns." The complaint alleges that wasn't true, and that at least seven more infringing posts appeared in March 2026 alone, a month before filing.
That sequence (letter, assurance, more posts) is a recurring theme in these cases, and it's central to any argument that infringement was willful.
Why labels and publishers sued together
Every popular song has two copyrights: the recording, usually owned by a record label, and the composition (melody and lyrics), usually owned by music publishers. Most earlier brand cases were brought by a label over recordings. In Quince, Universal's labels and publishers joined Concord on the same complaint, so the claims reach both layers.
That matters for brands in two ways. First, a cover or a re-recorded version doesn't escape the claim, because the composition is still used. Second, the number of works in a complaint can grow when both sides of a song are counted. Our guide on whether covers need a license explains the two copyrights in more detail.
Fast-growing brands are not too small to sue
Quince is a younger brand than Marriott or Kroger, though one reported to be valued at around $10 billion. Its marketing relies heavily on creators and performance social, which is typical of fast-growing direct-to-consumer companies. Those brands often assume labels only go after household names. This case suggests otherwise: a large creator program and visible growth are enough to get noticed.
Status
As of October 2026 the case is ongoing. We haven't seen a reported response from Quince to the lawsuit itself. The claims are allegations. The lawsuit tracker has the latest.
Lessons for brands with creator programs
- Reposts are your posts. When you repost a creator's video on your account, any music in it, or any music you add, is part of your marketing.
- Never add a hit to a repost. It's tempting to "improve" a creator's video with a trending song. The Quince complaint shows how that looks in court.
- "Original audio" isn't a safe label. It's a tag, not a license. Check what's actually playing.
- Volume multiplies risk. 300 creators a month means thousands of videos a year. Without a rule in the brief and a check before reposting or boosting, some will slip through.
- After a letter, fix everything. Telling the other side the issue is addressed, then posting more, is the worst sequence a brand can create.
A scenario for a DTC brand
A direct-to-consumer apparel brand works with 150 creators a month through an affiliate platform. The social team picks the best ten creator videos each week to repost. To make them "feel on-brand", an editor re-cuts each one to a trending song before reposting. Nobody thinks of it as a music decision; it's just editing.
After a year, that's 500 reposts with added chart songs on the brand's own account. A check flags them in one pass. The fix is to keep the creator's original audio, or use a licensed library track, and to put one sentence in the editing guide: never add commercial music to a repost.
Common questions
When was Quince sued?
April 16, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Who sued Quince?
UMG Recordings, Capitol Records, Concord and six Universal Music Publishing entities.
How many songs are in the Quince lawsuit?
An illustrative exhibit lists 67 sound recordings and 71 musical compositions.
What is the repost swap allegation?
That Quince reposted a creator's paid partnership video and changed only the music, replacing it with a plaintiff's song.
Did Quince get a warning first?
The plaintiffs say they sent a demand letter on September 6, 2024, and Quince replied that it had addressed the concerns.
Part of: Lawsuits and claims
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General information, not legal advice. Platform rules and licenses change; check the current terms or ask your lawyer about your situation. Lawsuit figures are as reported and represent claims, not findings, unless noted.