The petition argues that UMG's actions come at the expense of its other artists, like Drake. It also points out that UMG represents both Lamar and Drake, and that Drake is one of the biggest artists streaming on Spotify. The filing is not a lawsuit yet, but a petition seeking more information about the alleged practices. Music industry insiders are skeptical of the allegations, arguing that it's not in Spotify's interest to undermine their model by not paying artists fairly.
Key takeaways:
- Drake's LLC, Frozen Moments, has filed a legal petition alleging that Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify manipulated streaming numbers to make Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' a bigger hit than it naturally would have been.
- The petition accuses UMG of offering lower licensing rates to Spotify for the song in return for promotion, and paying third-party companies to inflate streams of the song using bots.
- Drake's filing argues that UMG's alleged actions come at the expense of other artists, like himself, and could disrupt the music industry's streaming model.
- UMG and Spotify have policies in place to combat artificial streaming, and UMG has denied the allegations, stating that it employs the highest ethical practices in its marketing and promotional campaigns.