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Canadian artist Drake has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, accusing them of conspiring to boost interest in Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us, while deliberately suppressing his own music, The Guardian has reported.
In a petition submitted to the New York Supreme Court on Monday, attorneys for Drake’s company, Frozen Moments LLC, alleged that UMG and Spotify orchestrated a campaign to “manipulate and saturate streaming services and airwaves,” employing various tactics to amplify Lamar’s track.
The petition further claims that UMG paid influencers to promote Not Like Us on social media and arranged pay-to-play deals with radio stations to maximise its exposure.
A spokesperson for UMG told the Guardian: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.” Spotify declined to comment.
The media outlet reported that both Drake and Lamar have been associated with UMG for their entire career: Drake via Republic Records and Lamar via Interscope.
The petition is not a formal lawsuit but a legal procedure under New York law allowing Drake’s attorneys to request that the court order UMG and Spotify to preserve all relevant documents and information in anticipation of a potential lawsuit.
Drake’s petition alleges that UMG lowered the licensing fees it charges Spotify in exchange for the platform promoting Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us, even to users searching for unrelated songs or artists. It also claims that UMG paid Apple to make its digital assistant Siri deliberately redirect users who requested Drake’s music to instead play Not Like Us.
The petition further accuses UMG of orchestrating a “scheme” that resulted in Not Like Us being streamed 900 million times, making it the most-streamed diss track in Spotify’s history. The track also reportedly set records for the biggest single-day streams for a hip-hop song (12.8 million) and the most weekly streams by a rapper (81.2 million).
Drake’s attorneys argue that UMG’s actions were “motivated, at least in part, by executives at Interscope seeking to maximize their profits.” They allege that the success of Not Like Us boosted streams of Lamar’s back catalogue, providing financial benefits to UMG.
The petition states that Drake made multiple attempts to resolve the issue with UMG, only for the company to refuse responsibility, instead suggesting that Drake take legal action against Lamar rather than UMG.
Drake’s attorneys also claim to have evidence that UMG has been attempting to cover up its actions, including terminating employees associated with or perceived to be loyal to Drake.
