Russia's Yandex stole songs by Ukrainian singer Kazhana
Songs by Ukrainian singer Kazanna have appeared on the Russian streaming platform “Yandex Music.” The artist and her label, “Pomitni,” stated that they do not collaborate with the service and that the music was uploaded there without permission. According to the artist’s team, this constitutes pirated distribution, from which Kazhanna receives no income.
Kazhanna emphasized that her distributor has no partnership whatsoever with the Russian platform. Therefore, she refers to the releases that appeared there as pirated copies. “It’s obvious that my distributor doesn’t work with ‘Yandex Music,’ and what you’re seeing is a pirated copy—something I, unfortunately, have no control over and certainly don’t earn anything from. Guess why…,” the singer wrote.
She also responded to those who might accuse her of collaborating with a Russian audience or of having an unclear stance on Russia. Kazhanna emphasized that she consistently supports Ukraine and advocates for the development of Ukrainian music. “Scroll through my bio, get under my skin, look down my bathroom drain—you won’t find any contradictions in my stance, because I’ve even been posting on TikTok in Ukrainian since 2020,” the artist stated.
According to her, her boyfriend serves in the Azov Regiment, and the main goal of her public activities is the development of Ukrainian music. “My boyfriend serves in the Azov Regiment, and the goal of my public activities is to promote Ukrainian music—and nothing will stop me,” added Kazhanna.
What the “Pomitni” Label Is Saying
Representatives of the “Pomitni” label, to which Kazhanna belongs, also responded to the situation. They emphasized that neither the artist, nor the label, nor the distributor distributes her music in Russia. According to the team, Russia is automatically excluded from the list of countries to which Ukrainian content is distributed. “Neither the label, nor the distributor, nor the artist distributes content in Russia—by default, this country is excluded,” “Pomitni” stated.
The label explained that on Russian DIY platforms, third-party users can independently upload a track, add a cover art, and distribute it on local streaming services. According to representatives of “Pomytni,” such platforms may allow this type of content to pass through because there is no rights holder in Russia who could confirm the rights to the music in question. “On Russian DIY platforms, anyone can upload a track with a cover art and distribute it to local platforms, since they won’t run into any issues due to the absence of a rights holder in Russia,” the statement reads.
How they realized the songs were uploaded later
The label also noted the release dates of the songs on various platforms. According to Kazhanna’s team, her releases appeared earlier on Ukrainian services, while certain songs were published later on “Yandex Music.” It is precisely this discrepancy in dates that distributors cite as one of the signs that the Russian platform obtained the music through a third-party upload, rather than directly from the artist or her team.
“Pomytni” stated that they are already addressing this situation through legal channels. “We are handling this case within the legal framework. We are seeking solutions that will resolve it without legitimizing Russian platforms,” the label reported.
They also emphasized that instances of illegal use of Ukrainian music in Russia are not isolated. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time the aggressor country has stolen, copied, and used the works of Ukrainian artists,” noted representatives of “Pomytni.”
Thus, according to the artist herself and her team, the appearance of Kazhanna’s songs on “Yandex Music” does not constitute a deliberate release of her music onto the Russian market. The singer asserts that she does not collaborate with the platform and does not receive any money for streams of her songs there, and her label is already seeking a legal solution to the situation. The singer commented on the situation regarding the appearance of her music on “Yandex Music” on Instagram.
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