Drake Accuses UMG & Spotify of Artificially Inflating Kendrick’s ‘Not Like Us’; UMG Responds

The meat between Kendrick Lamar and Drake simply bought messier, with the latter initiating authorized motion towards UMG and Spotify for allegedly colluding to participate in synthetic streaming for the worldwide smash ‘Not Like Us’.

‘Not Like Us’, like everyone knows, was a diss music geared toward Drake that grew to become a no 1 hit worldwide. Provided that UMG distributes each artists’ music, this lawsuit turns into much more fascinating. In a submitting Monday (Nov. 25) in Manhattan courtroom, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC accused UMG of launching an unlawful “scheme” involving bots, payola and different strategies to spice up Kendrick’s music.

“UMG didn’t depend on probability, and even bizarre enterprise practices,” attorneys for Drake’s firm write. “It as an alternative launched a marketing campaign to control and saturate the streaming companies and airwaves.” The petition, in accordance with Billboard, claims that UMG “engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the recognition of ‘Not Like Us’… together with by licensing the music at drastically diminished charges to Spotify and utilizing ‘bots’ to generate the misunderstanding that the music was extra in style than it was in actuality.”

UMG has already responded to the lawsuit, saying: “The suggestion that UMG would do something to undermine any of its artists is offensive and unfaithful. We make use of the very best moral practices in our advertising and marketing and promotional campaigns. No quantity of contrived and absurd authorized arguments on this pre-action submission can masks the truth that followers select the music they wish to hear.”

Whereas different streaming companies will not be named, it does state that “UMG seems to have used related ways with different streaming companies. On info and perception, UMG paid, or permitted funds to, Apple Inc. to have its voice-activated digital assistant ‘Siri’ purposely misdirect customers to ‘Not Like Us.’”

“UMG didn’t depend on probability, and even bizarre enterprise practices,” the petition continues. “It as an alternative launched a marketing campaign to control and saturate the streaming companies and airwaves.”

Drake’s attorneys declare that UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which is commonly utilized in felony instances towards organized crime. In addition they allege UMG of misleading enterprise practices and false promoting below New York state legislation.

The information follows the shock launch of Kendrick Lamar’s new album GNX, which is dominating DSPs worldwide and set to debut at no 1 on Billboard 200.