GameChops YouTube channel faces deletion

Video game music label GameChops is fighting to save its YouTube channel from permanent deletion after receiving more than 100 copyright takedown notices. Founder DJ Cutman, whose real name is Chris Davidson, called the situation the "most serious threat to video game music" he has ever seen.

The label's channel, which has over 600,000 subscribers and has been active since 2010, is locked in a dispute with music publisher Materia Music. The publisher alleges that hundreds of GameChops uploads featuring covers and remixes from franchises like Pokemon, Zelda, Undertale, and Deltarune were released without proper licenses.

Founder given 24-hour deadline to dispute strikes

DJ Cutman revealed on X that the label initially had just 24 hours to dispute over 100 DMCA takedown notices. His YouTube dashboard showed 26 copyright strikes as a result. "I have 24 hours to dispute over 100 DMCA takedown notices, or my channel gets deleted and I get banned for life," he said.

He claimed the wave of strikes affected around 50 artists at once. Among the removed tracks were Holder’s Spider Dance, Arceon’s Hopes and Dreams, and his own K/DA Megalovania mashup, which he said had previously received approval from Riot Games. Cutman argued that the videos were already subject to YouTube's revenue-sharing system, meaning copyright holders were already receiving money from them.

YouTube later extended the deadline for GameChops to Monday, September 21.

Materia Music challenges licensing claims

Materia Music has disputed GameChops' account of the conflict. In a September 14 statement, the company said it was conducting an ongoing takedown initiative against hundreds of GameChops tracks it alleges are unlicensed. The publisher claims the content includes unlicensed covers, remixes, mashups, bootlegs, and soundtrack rips.

The company specifically alleges GameChops lacked mechanical licenses for some covers and separate permissions for remixes, samples, and derivative works. Materia Music also claims it tried to resolve the issues privately for over a year before issuing takedowns. GameChops disputes the suggestion that its releases were improperly licensed.

Dispute centers on license definitions

The core of the disagreement appears to be the definition of a licensed cover. GameChops says it obtains cover licenses through its distributor, DistroKid. Cutman showed a list of licenses he said covered its Undertale and Deltarune releases.

However, DistroKid’s own documentation makes a key distinction. Its standard cover licenses apply to re-recorded songs that are not fundamentally changed. The service states these licenses do not cover remixes, mashups, samples, or other derivative works, which require separate permission from rights holders. This distinction is central to the dispute between GameChops and Materia Music.

Cutman expressed broader concerns about the implications for the video game music community. Sure, it’s hitting my YouTube channel, he said. 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.

For now, Cutman says he is continuing to challenge the takedowns before the extended deadline. My concern is that if GameChops goes down, who’s next? he said.