Spotify set that shift in motion with a notice of removal yesterday, after Kratter fired off an amended complaint (and aggressively sought an injunction) in late June. We covered the expanded action as well as the initial suit in detail.

But to recap, the plaintiff maintains that Spotify in March 2026 retooled its “streaming and recommendation system” without informing the public (or artists themselves). The alleged pivot fueled a “sudden, simultaneous, and systemic collapse” in streams across Kratter’s multiple artist profiles, according to the complaint.

(That refers to five artist pages, per the amended action and Spotify’s just-submitted retort. However, upon closer inspection, the plaintiff appears to operate additional profiles as well, like a distinct Mark Kratter Band Singles page on top of the main Mark Kratter Band profile, for instance.)

And with actual consumption data factoring prominently into the action, Kratter is accusing Spotify of making the relevant changes to boost major label catalogs at the expense of indies.

In support of the sought transfer, Spotify expressed the belief (while also denying the case’s allegations) that north of $75,000, or $15,000 for each of the plaintiff’s five claims, is at issue.

“Although Spotify disputes all of Plaintiff’s allegations and denies that it is liable to Plaintiff for any relief whatsoever, there is a reasonable probability that the relief sought by Plaintiff exceeds the $75,000 amount-in-controversy threshold, exclusive of interest and costs,” Spotify wrote in support of the notice of removal to federal court.

With that, Kratter is said to have been served with the appropriate document via overnight delivery, and it’ll be worth continuing to track the filtering suit from here. Back in April, Spotify successfully compelled arbitration in a proposed class action centering on alleged “payola” via Discovery Mode recommendations.

And last month, the DSP beat a different proposed class action centering on its alleged failure to stop “billions of fraudulent streams” from hitting Drake’s catalog; an amended action may be forthcoming.