Canadian rapper Drake has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, accusing them of unfair business practices aimed at promoting the success of Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us.” As reported by Billboard, Drake, through his company Frozen Moments LLC, has filed a petition with the New York State Supreme Court. The document alleges that UMG, a label representing both artists, orchestrated a campaign to “manipulate and saturate” streaming services and radio with “Not Like Us”, using bots and “pay-to-play” deals. play” to increase its virality.
Furthermore, Drake accuses UMG of giving Spotify a lower licensing fee for the song in question, in exchange for promoting it on the platform. “UMG charged Spotify licensing fees 30% lower than its usual rates for ‘Not Like Us’ in exchange for actively recommending the song to users searching for other unrelated songs and artists,” Drake’s lawyers say. “Neither UMG nor Spotify disclosed that Spotify had received compensation of any kind in exchange for recommending the song.” The petition filed by Drake does not constitute a full lawsuit yet, but seeks to obtain information and documents from UMG and Spotify related to “Not Like Us.”
A spokesperson for UMG, James Murtagh-Hopkins, called the allegations “offensive and false,” noting the label’s commitment to “the highest ethical practices” in its marketing and promotion campaigns. “No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action presentation can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear,” Murtagh-Hopkins said in an email to The Verge. At the moment, neither representatives of Drake, nor those of UMG or Spotify have released further comments regarding the matter.
