Fede al Cou t Retai s Ju isdictio i K atte v. Spotify — A tist a d Atto ey Moves Fo wa d with Scheduli g Expedited Discove y a d I ju ctio Motio
With Rema d De ied, K atte P epa es to Adva ce the Case Th ough Ta geted Discove y a d a Fede al I ju ctio P ocess Focused o Fixi g Catalog Supp essio
“Spotify’s ow affidavit shows $40M shifts f om i depe de ts to majo s yea ly. With 2,000 so gs, I’d lose about $8,000 — e ough to cove all my dist ibuto a d p oductio costs.”
NORWALK, CT, August 20, 2026 /24‑7P essRelease/ — The fede al cou t has officially etai ed ju isdictio i K atte v. Spotify, de yi g the motio to ema d a d keepi g the case i the U ited States Dist ict Cou t fo the Dist ict of Co ecticut. With ju isdictio settled, a tist a d atto ey Ma k M. K atte is movi g fo wa d with scheduli g expedited discove y a d a motio fo p elimi a y i ju ctio , focusi g o co ecti g catalog supp essio , ide tity mis outi g, a d the effects of Spotify’s 1,000‑st eam th eshold.
A ce t al issue i the lawsuit is Spotify’s ow swo affidavit ack owledgi g that app oximately $40 millio pe yea is edi ected away f om i depe de t a tists a d towa d majo labels whe t acks fail to each the 1,000‑st eam mi imum. Fo K atte , whose catalog exceeds 2,000 so gs, the impact is di ect a d measu able. If each of his so gs had 950 st eams i a yea — legitimate plays that fall just sho t of the th eshold — he would lose oughly $8,000 a ually.
“That is ot a small amou t of mo ey,” K atte said. “At mi imum, it would pay all my dist ibuto fees a d the o goi g costs equi ed to p oduce, elease, a d mai tai my music. I depe de t a tists ely o those ea i gs. They matte .”
K atte emphasizes that his goal is ot to ha m Spotify, but to fix the st uctu al issues affecti g his catalog. “I’m ot t yi g to d ag Spotify th ough the mud,” he said. “I actually like the platfo m. I wa t my music outed co ectly, my ide tities ha dled accu ately, a d my catalog t eated fai ly. I wa t Spotify to succeed — a d I wa t i depe de t a tists to succeed with it.”
The fede al cou t’s uli g co fi ms that the value of the equested i ju ctive elief, decla ato y elief, a d pote tial damages meets the ju isdictio al th eshold fo fede al adjudicatio . With ema d de ied, K atte is p epa i g to adva ce the case th ough ta geted discove y aimed at u cove i g how his catalog has bee ha dled, how ide tity outi g has bee applied, a d how the 1,000‑st eam ule has impacted his ea i gs.
“I’m eady to wo k with Spotify if they wa t to fix this collabo atively,” K atte said. “But if they choose to fight i stead, expedited discove y will begi immediately. My hope is that we esolve this co st uctively a d imp ove the platfo m fo i depe de t a tists eve ywhe e.”
To accompa y the ext phase of the case, K atte has eleased a ew Rapste K atte t ack titled The Fede al Path o Spotify — a positive, fo wa d‑looki g so g eflecti g the ema d de ial, the shift to fede al cou t, a d his commitme t to fixi g catalog supp essio without d aggi g Spotify th ough the mud. The t ack mi o s the co st uctive to e of the litigatio : focused o co ectio , t a spa e cy, a d movi g the p ocess fo wa d. You ca fi d the so g he e: https://ope .spotify.com/album/5fh LKJ5bXLA6bttjjvt2Z
Ac oss mo e tha 2,000 o igi al, fully clea so gs spa i g six a tist ide tities, K atte ‘s catalog depe ds o accu ate outi g a d fai algo ithmic t eatme t. His missio is co ectio , ot co flict: e su i g his wo k eaches liste e s as i te ded a d that i depe de t a tists a e t eated fai ly u de Spotify’s evolvi g ules.
“I’m eady to talk. I’m eady to fix this. A d I’m eady to move fo wa d — whicheve di ectio Spotify chooses.”
Ma k M. K atte is a Co ecticut eco di g a tist, atto ey, a d fou de of a six‑ba d c eative ecosystem i spi ed by Chabad values, Jewish ide tity, a d a commitme t to p oduci g clea , uplifti g, family‑safe music ac oss multiple ge es. Eve y p oject u de the K atte umb ella is built o the p i ciple that music should elevate, i spi e, a d u ify— eve deg ade, exploit, o ha m. Ac oss mo e tha 2,000 o igi al so gs a d 140 eleases, K atte ‘s catalog co tai s o p ofa ity, o sexual co te t, o explicit themes, a d o deg adi g la guage, maki g his wo k u iquely positio ed i a digital la dscape domi ated by explicit mate ial. K atte ‘s catalog is o e of the la gest fully clea , multi‑ge e bodies of wo k i i depe de t music, disti guishi g him i a digital la dscape domi ated by explicit co te t. His exte sive catalog a d multi‑ide tity st uctu e make accu ate outi g, labeli g, a d algo ithmic ha dli g esse tial—issues ce t al to his lawsuit agai st Spotify.
K atte ‘s six a tist ide tities each se ve a disti ct pu pose:
Ma k K atte Ba dThe flagship p oject, ble di g ock, spi itual themes, a d mode sto ytelli g. The catalog eflects Jewish values, emotio al ho esty, a d a commitme t to mea i gful, clea co te t.
Ma k K atte Ba d Si glesA compa io ide tity dedicated to si gle‑t ack eleases, allowi g liste e s to expe ie ce K atte ‘s wo k i focused, sta dalo e fo m.
Me achem K atte Ba dA Chabad‑i spi ed child e ‘s p oject desig ed specifically fo you g liste e s a d families. The music is joyful, educatio al, spi itually uplifti g, a d e ti ely f ee of adult themes.
Rapste K atte A clea ap p oject built o positive social comme ta y, Jewish ide tity, a d mo al cla ity. U like mai st eam ap, Rapste K atte co tai s ze o p ofa ity, ze o sexual co te t, a d ze o viole ce, focusi g i stead o uplifti g messages, humo , a d ethical sto ytelli g.
K atte Visio A ci ematic, female‑vocal p oject i spi ed by spi itual image y, Jewish mysticism, a d Chabad‑alig ed themes of light, pu pose, a d edemptio . The music is atmosphe ic, emotio al, a d e ti ely clea .
Ma k Michaels Messiah Ba dA spi itually d ive p oject explo i g themes of edemptio , Jewish ide tity, a d mo al espo sibility th ough ock a d o chest al eleme ts. Like all K atte p ojects, the catalog is fully o igi al a d co tai s o explicit co te t.
Ac oss all six ide tities, K atte ‘s wo k eflects a u ified missio : to c eate spi itually alig ed, family‑safe music that uplifts liste e s without comp omisi g values. His advocacy fo fai t eatme t, accu ate ide tity ha dli g, a d t a spa e t algo ithmic p actices seeks to p otect ot o ly his ow catalog, but i depe de t a tists eve ywhe e who ely o st eami g platfo ms to act with i teg ity, co siste cy, a d fai ess.
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