As a seasoned gamer who’s seen his fair share of battles, both virtual and real-life, this latest saga between Drake and Universal Music Group (UMG) has me raising an eyebrow. I’ve been a die-hard fan of Drizzy since the days of So Far Gone, and I’ve watched him navigate the music industry with grace, style, and undeniable talent.
I, as a devoted fan, am sharing news that Drake has taken a legal stand against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify. This action stems from allegations that these platforms are illegally amplifying “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar’s track perceived as a diss towards Drake, the OVO head.
According to Billboard, Drizzy’s Frozen Moments LLC has filed a petition in Manhattan court on November 25, alleging that Universal Music Group (UMG) breached the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. The petition claims UMG employed bots, payola, illegal tactics, engaged in “deceptive business practices,” and used misleading advertising under New York state law. However, this filing doesn’t equate to a lawsuit yet. Instead, it serves as a means to collect information before any potential legal action takes place. The initial parties mentioned may or may not be part of future lawsuits.
In simpler terms, Drake’s lawyers claim that Universal Music Group (UMG) manipulated its strategies to give Spotify lower licensing fees in exchange for promoting “Not Like Us” to users who searched for unrelated songs. They also accused UMG of paying social media influencers to promote the diss track and using bot armies to falsely inflate the song’s popularity. Furthermore, they alleged that UMG paid Apple to make Siri play “Not Like Us” instead of Drake’s album “Certified Lover Boy,” potentially exposing users to offensive lyrics. The petition states that UMG colluded with unknown parties to use bots to artificially boost the song’s popularity and deceive consumers into thinking it was more popular than it actually was. Online sources reported instances where Siri played “Not Like Us” instead of Drake’s album when users asked Siri to play “Certified Lover Boy.
The lawyers argue that Universal Music Group (UMG) may have partially promoted the song “Not Like Us” because of financial advantages. This is because Dot, who owns pgLang, licenses his record label through Interscope, which is part of UMG. The attorneys wrote that these actions by UMG were, at least in part, driven by a desire for Interscope executives to increase their own profits. They suggest that Interscope’s leaders have been motivated to maximize the financial success of Interscope and boost ‘Not Like Us’, as it has had a positive impact on Drake’s previous work. However, prior to this legal filing, Drake had raised concerns about these practices with UMG, but the label has shown no intention of acknowledging or correcting their alleged misconduct. In fact, they have gone so far as to fire employees who seemed loyal to Drake.
The petition states that Drake has consistently tried to talk with UMG about resolving the ongoing issues he’s faced due to UMG’s actions. However, UMG reportedly refused to negotiate and claimed they are not accountable for their own actions. Instead of taking responsibility, the label is said to have blamed Drake, suggesting that his lawsuit should target his rap rival instead. Furthermore, if Drake were to file a lawsuit, UMG allegedly threatened to sue his rival.
In response to Drake’s claims, a representative from UMG firmly denied any wrongdoing: “It’s insulting and unfounded to suggest that we would deliberately harm our artists. We uphold the utmost ethical standards in our promotional efforts. The supposed legal maneuvers in this pre-trial submission are nothing more than fabricated and far-fetched. The truth remains that fans decide what music they want to listen to,” a UMG representative told Billboard. Spotify chose not to respond.
This year started off with a well-known feud between Drizzy and Dot, which was widely covered by media. As part of this feud, they each released a series of diss tracks such as “Not Like Us”, “meet the grahams”, among others.
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2024-11-26 09:56