As a seasoned gamer and hip-hop enthusiast who has witnessed countless feuds between artists, I can’t help but be amused by this latest turn of events in the Drake-Kendrick Lamar beef saga. It feels like we’ve stepped into a new level of game development where the rules are being rewritten on the fly.
Spotify has officially entered the Drake–Kendrick Lamar beef group chat.
In a recent filing, the leading music streaming service countered Drake’s accusation that they artificially boosted streams of Kendrick Lamar’s diss track targeting him on Friday. They stated emphatically: “Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify have never had any agreement where UMG offered Spotify lower-than-normal licensing rates for ‘Not Like Us’, in return for Spotify actively promoting [the song], even to users who are searching for other songs and artists.
As an ardent fan, I’m sharing that a podcast listener allegedly declared they utilized bots to amass 30 million streams on Spotify within the initial days of ‘Not Like Us’ release. However, Spotify could not find any proof to validate this assertion, according to the latest updates from the streamer.
Spotify has recently submitted its filing, which follows the petition made by Drake’s Frozen Moments company in a New York court last month. The petition claims that Spotify artificially increased the streams of “Not Like Us” and accuses Universal Music Group (UMG), the label both rappers are signed to, of launching a campaign to unfairly boost the popularity of “Not Like Us” on streaming platforms and airwaves. This alleged manipulation is said to have been achieved through the use of automated bots and pay-to-play agreements.
A representative from Spotify stated that since there’s no financial advantage for listeners to stream ‘Not Like Us’ instead of Drake’s songs, the promotion of this track was specifically bought through one of their tools called Marquee. This tool functions as a visual ad and appears to users as a Sponsored Recommendation, costing €500 for its use in France.
Shortly following Drake’s statement, UMG responded that the accusations were deemed “offensive and false.” It is worth noting that Drake is represented by UMG subsidiary Republic Records, whereas Lamar is under Interscope Records within the same company. The petition emerged a few days after Lamar unexpectedly released his album titled GNX, and several months before he was scheduled to headline the Super Bowl halftime show.
In the report they submitted, Spotify mentions that they put a significant amount of resources into both automated and manual assessments, aimed at stopping, discovering, and minimizing the influence of false streaming activities on our system. When we detect stream manipulation attempts, we take various steps such as deducting stream counts, withholding royalties, and imposing penalties. Both verified and suspected artificial streams are excluded from our chart calculations. This approach helps us safeguard fair royalty payments for genuine artists who work diligently.
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is one of this year’s most popular songs, having dominated both the overall Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks and the Hot Rap Songs chart for 20 weeks. The track has earned five Grammy Award nominations, including nods for Song and Record of the Year. Beyond being a diss track, it has taken on a broader cultural significance and resonated internationally.
In May, following their renewed feud in March, Lamar unleashed the catchy West Coast hit track “Not Like Us,” which was produced by DJ Mustard. This song saw him criticizing Drake for alleged pedophilia and cultural appropriation. The lively tune broke streaming records, leading many to declare Lamar victorious in their ongoing dispute. Their conflict dates back to 2013 when Lamar, who used to work with Drake and even opened for him on tour, took subtle jabs at 11 other artists through his verse on Big Sean’s “Control.
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2024-12-20 19:54