The popular online record hub has confirmed that it's amping up its efforts to remove bootlegs from its marketplace.

If you're a regular user of Discogs, you may noticed some changes on its online marketplace recently. Over the last several weeks, the popular music database/online retail hub has been scrubbing many of the bootlegs and unofficial releases featured on the site, meaning that buyers and sellers can no longer get or sell the albums online.

While this did spark some rumours that Discogs may be gearing up to sell, the company has now clarified the changes.

In a statement to Resident Advisor, the company explained that it is "adding resources" to enforce its long-standing seller's agreement. And while unofficial releases will remain on its ever-growing database, they are no longer available to buy or sell on the Discogs marketplace.

Discogs' company's chief operating officer Chad Dahlstrom had this to say about the change:

As an organization where many of us are musicians, record collectors and even label owners, we are and will continue to be zealous in improving Discogs for our trusting community which also includes many recording musicians, labels and publishers. Over the course of this year, we have continued to add resources allowing us to be more proactive in enforcing a policy that has been stated in our existing seller's agreement while also honouring DMCA takedown notices. We respond quickly to complaints, take down requests and are working closely with labels, publishers and artists to remove these items from our marketplace when they show up.

In accordance to the Discogs seller's agreement under privacy and responsibility, it states: "Items you list for sale must not violate copyright, trademark or other intellectual property rights. For example, you are prohibited from selling unauthorized reproductions of items, such as bootlegs, counterfeit, pirate copies, etc." This policy has been in place for a significant time.

Our mission continues to be the building of the world's largest database and marketplace for physical music. To fulfil that mission we must protect our buyers and sellers, as well as our artists and record labels, with the same ferocity that we drive toward our mission as a company.