Ola Englund vs. WYBIE: A Battle Against Music Theft in the Streaming Age

In a shocking turn of events, Swedish musician Ola Englund, known for his solo work and his contributions to metal band The Haunted, recently discovered his original music being republished and monetized under someone else’s name. The infringing artist, WYBIE, has been uploading Englund’s songs—and potentially other artists’ music—on major streaming platforms, falsely claiming them as their own. This unauthorized release affected Englund’s original track Cringy AF as well as Time Will Not Heal, a song he wrote with The Haunted.

Englund’s first hint of trouble came when he logged into his YouTube account and found a copyright claim on his video titled This Is Gonna Pi$$ A Lot Of People Off. The video featured Cringy AF, but the claim stated that the music belonged to WYBIE, under the title 律动乐章(纯音乐). The “content owners” listed were [Merlin] EWway Music and Tencent Music Entertainment Group—a false attribution, as the song was 100% Englund’s work. This initial infringement triggered a lengthy, frustrating battle with WYBIE and their distributors, who also uploaded other music under false claims. Some of these tracks might have been AI-generated versions of other artists’ work, which poses an even bigger problem for creatives in the digital age.

Englund quickly realized the magnitude of the issue, noting that WYBIE wasn’t only claiming his music. The person or entity behind WYBIE had allegedly uploaded other people’s music as well, targeting unsuspecting artists across platforms and potentially monetizing stolen music.

With ad revenue at stake, Englund filed a dispute with YouTube. The platform ultimately sided with him, releasing the copyright claim on his video. This victory allowed him to reclaim control over his YouTube earnings from Cringy AF. While he managed to protect his rights on YouTube, the fight wasn’t over. WYBIE’s music—including tracks that mirrored Englund’s—remained available on Spotify and other major streaming services.

In response, Englund took further action. He filed a dispute with Spotify, and, thankfully, the platform acted swiftly. The songs in question were blocked on WYBIE’s album, graying them out to prevent further monetization. He also reached out to Century Media, the record label associated with The Haunted, to remove Time Will Not Heal from WYBIE’s discography.

Despite the initial successes on YouTube and Spotify, Englund faced a new challenge: getting his music removed from Eway Music, a Chinese publishing company connected to Tencent. After filing a formal dispute through their online portal, he received no response, leaving his music—and potentially that of other artists—vulnerable on the platform.

While he remains hopeful about keeping his music secure, he expressed frustration over the time-consuming process, emphasizing that time spent addressing these issues could have been used to create new music. “For an artist, I mean, this is like the last thing we have left. It’s not making us a lot of money, but it’s just… it sucks, man,” Englund shared, shedding light on the emotional toll of protecting creative work in a highly accessible, yet vulnerable digital landscape.

In his video updates, Englund asked his fans and fellow artists for assistance. He encouraged viewers to help identify other stolen songs on WYBIE’s album, urging them to notify the original artists. With copyright infringement becoming more common, Englund stressed the importance of awareness and action within the music community, as these kinds of issues are only likely to grow.

Check out the full video here:

To support artists like Englund, he advised fans to purchase merchandise, attend live shows, and stream music from verified profiles to ensure earnings go to the rightful creators. Englund also released a new music video, Game Over, inviting his fans to watch it on YouTube as a way to support him directly.

Check out the new song and video here:

Ola Englund’s experience serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing modern artists. With AI-generated music, increased accessibility to music distribution, and a lack of accountability on certain platforms, protecting intellectual property is more critical—and complex—than ever. For artists, this is a battle not only for fair compensation but for the recognition and protection of their creative work. As Englund’s story demonstrates, staying informed, vigilant, and proactive is essential for any musician in today’s digital music landscape.

Catch Ola Englund on the Escape The Internet Tour 2025!!

ESCAPE THE INTERNET TOUR 2025

Tickets: https://bit.ly/3WBqCLE

10.01. Prague Meet Factory