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Universal Music Deems Drake’s Lawsuit Claims “Offensive” And “Untrue”

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Drake has enemies, he’s got a lot of enemies. 2024 has seen the rapper go to war with pretty every other superstar rapper in the world. He beat some of them, and he lost to Kendrick Lamar. Drake decided to go after a bigger target on November 25, though. The Toronto rapper filed a petition against his own record label, Universal Music Group. He accused the label of using an illegal “scheme” to inflate the numbers of Kendrick Lamar’s diss record “Not Like Us” on Spotify. UMG has responded to the 6 God via Variety, and the record label did not mince words.

UMG dismissed every allegation the rapper made in his lawsuit. “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” the statement read. “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.” Universal Music Group went on to criticize Drake for blaming his loss in the Kendrick Lamar battle on “schemes” rather than quality of music. It was an unexpected, and unexpectedly brutal addition to a statement that otherwise keeps it professional. “No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission,” the statement added. “Can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”

Read More: Drake Nabs Eight BBMA Nominations Despite His Difficult Year

UMG Claimed Fans Chose Kendrick Lamar Over Drake

The theory that Kendrick Lamar’s team used bots to boost “Not Like Us” has circulated online since the song was released. Drake supporters like DJ Akademiks have championed this theory during live streams and even interviewed self-described “hackers” who claimed to have been paid by Lamar’s team. Nothing concrete has surfaced thus far. Drake mostly stayed away from commenting on the “bots” theory during and after the battle. This is partially why so many are surprised that he has decided to take legal action. And not against Lamar’s label, but his own.

The cultural momentum continues to swing Lamar’s way and not Drizzy’s. The former dropped his album GNX to critical acclaim on November 22. Fans praised the production and Lamar’s return to making bops following the purposely dense Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers (2022). Drake, meanwhile, was clowned for his recent appearance on an xQc live stream in which he tried to throw shots at Lamar and Kung Fu Kenny friends like Steve Lacy.

Read More: Kanye West’s Claims About Lucian Grange Resurface Amidst Drake Lawsuit

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Drake Accuses Universal Music Group and Spotify of “Pay for Play” Scheme to Boost “Not Like Us” Numbers

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Drake Accuses Universal Music Group and Spotify of Pay for Play Scheme to Boost Not Like Us Numbers

Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” was undoubtedly one of the hottest songs of the summer….or was it? While the diss track towards Drake topped charts around the world, Drake believes that the song isn’t as big of a hit as the numbers make it out to be, accusing Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify of conspiracy to artificially inflate the popularity of the song (and thus influence its position on the charts).

Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC filed a motion on Monday, November 25, in Manhattan court, accuding UMG of partaking in a series of illegal activities involving bots, payola and other methods to boost “Not Like Us.” The motion also accuses UMG of paying radio stations to play and promote the song.

The motion alleges deceptive business practices and false advertising under New York state law as well as violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), the act targeting organized crime by prosecuting activities involving patterns of criminal enterprise. The motion is not yet a lawsuit, but rather a “pre-action” petition, which is the procedure by with information is gathered to determine if a lawsuit is warranted.

Drake’s motion also points out that this would not be the first time UMG has engaged in such practices. In 2006, UMG was forced to pay over $12 million to settle a payola case stemming from bribes made to radio stations to play their artists’ songs more than others.

Neither UMG nor Spotify have publicly commented as of Monday afternoon.

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Drake Has Filed A Lawsuit Accusing UMG Of Colluding With Kendrick Lamar Against Him

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Drake doesn’t think the success of “Not Like Us” was totally organic. Months after Kendrick Lamar’s Mustard-produced diss track dominated the charts and utterly derailed Drake’s plans for 2024 — which he was supposed to take off, anyway — Drake has filed a complaint in Manhattan court, claiming that the song’s streaming success was the result of collusion between Universal Music Group and Kendrick at his expense. The suit alleges UMG violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and New York state laws against deceptive business practices and false advertising in the process.

Frozen Moments LLC, Drake’s corporate entity filed the suit today, arguing that UMG — which represents both rappers through licensing agreements — employed bots and payola schemes to inflate the numbers for “Not Like Us.” According to Frozen Moments attorneys, UMG “paid” Spotify — by charging “30 percent less than its usual licensing rates” — to recommend “Not Like Us” to users who weren’t even searching for it (or even similar songs), and did the same with Apple, so listeners requesting Drake songs via Siri would instead hear “Not Like Us.” In order to hide these practices, UMG supposedly fired employees perceived as loyal to Drake.

While it’s unclear why UMG would favor Kendrick Lamar over Drake, the roots of Drake’s dispute appear to stem from legit consumer complaints about DSPs pushing popular songs to listeners who don’t even want them, such as Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” which received pushback for appearing on auto-generated Spotify playlists even after fans took steps to stop the app doing so. However, opening that particular can of worms might not be to Drake’s benefit, even if he thinks it’ll gain him some vindication after waving the white flag in his war of words against the Compton prophet.

Playboi Carti Scores Legal Win In UMG Copyright Case Over Incorrect Takedown

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Playboi Carti and Universal Music Group (UMG) just dodged a huge legal bullet thanks to a new ruling from a federal judge. Moreover, this case stems from the aforementioned artist and label taking down a song from G-Baby which uses the same beat from Carti and Pi’erre Bourne’s “Right Now.” However, G-Baby actually released his song “Oi!” before “Right Now” and did so with a legal license to use this same beat. The judge in this matter ruled that the “FIELD TRIP” creative and UMG didn’t violate the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) when they mistakenly took “Oi!” down since they didn’t intend to do so.

Furthermore, this ruling emerged on Tuesday (August 27) amid an update in last year’s lawsuit from G-Baby against Playboi Carti and UMG. The suit claimed that this takedown violated the DMCA’s stipulations protecting creators from improper takedowns. However, the judge in this ruling cited that previous decisions indicate how these safeguards only apply to intentionally irresponsible uses of the legal framework to shut other products down. As such, it seems like the “No Face” MC (which might appear on streaming services soon) will be in the clear.

Read More: Playboi Carti Tries To Explain Himself In Wild Body Cam Footage Of Traffic Stop

Playboi Carti Performing At Wireless Festival 2023

Playboi Carti Lawsuit UMG Copyright Take Down Hip Hop News
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Playboi Carti performs during day one of Wireless Festival 2023 at Finsbury Park on July 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage/Getty Images)

“Because the DMCA requires only a good faith belief that material is infringing, a copyright holder is not liable for misrepresentation under the DMCA if they subjectively believe the identified material infringes their copyright, even if that belief is ultimately mistaken,” Judge Analisa Torres expressed. She also explained how G-Baby admitted that the UMG employee who took “Oi!” down didn’t know that he licensed the beat that Playboi Carti also used. “This admission alone dooms [G-Baby’s] claim against UMG,” Torres posited. Hopefully Carti and The Weeknd don’t face these issues on their supposed next collab.

Back to the story at hand: “[G-Baby] cites no caselaw for the proposition that one employee’s knowledge that a use may be non-infringing should be imputed to another employee who independently issues a takedown notice on behalf of the company,” the judge ruled. “Although [Playboi Carti] may well have been aware of (and displeased with) [G-Baby’s] license to use the beat, [G-Baby] has failed to establish that [Carti] had any part in the takedown notices.” We’ll see what happens next for one of Complex‘s best Atlanta rappers of all time.

Read More: Iggy Azalea Seemingly Mocks Playboi Carti’s Baby Voice In New Ad

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Drake Slapped With Copyright Strike After Dropping Unreleased Music

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Drake dominated the news cycle when he dropped “100 Gigs” on our collective headtops. The rollout worked, as fans sifted through unreleased footage and reactive positively to new collabs with Latto and 21 Savage. The only problem was, Drake’s label did not appreciate the drop. Universal Music Group, aka UMG, issued a copyright strike against the rapper on August 9. They ensured that the three new songs Drake put out were taken down. They are no longer available to stream on the rapper’s official website.

The copyright strike was actually confirmed by Drake himself. The rapper took to his recently revealed Finsta account, @plottttwistttttt, to share the notification he received from UMG. The screenshot stated that access to the content had been restricted due to reports from a third party. The third party, being, of course, Drizzy’s label. It’s currently unknown which new song triggered the copyright strike on the part of UMG. The only song that’s gained traction, “It’s Up,” has done so due to 21 Savage’s combative verse.

Read More: Drake Reposts A Tweet Ruthlessly Clowning J Cole On His Finsta Account

Drake Signed A Massive Deal With UMG In 2021

Drizzy’s relationship with UMG has been a topic of speculation in recent years. The rapper reportedly signed a “LeBron-Sized” deal with the label back in 2021. Variety reported that the deal incorporated every facet of Drake’s business: recordings, publishing and merchandise. Neither UMG nor Drake has divulged the specific dollar amount that was agreed upon. The latter, however, did allude to owning his own masters on the 2021 song “The Remorse.” Drake has not spoken publicly about his interactions with UMG, but it was widely theorized that the label got involved in the recent battle involving Kendrick Lamar.

TMZ claimed that UMG was putting a halt to the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef in May. A supposed leak stated that the label was concerned about the impact the beef would have on the rapper’s sales. “Drake is losing the beef in UMG’s eyes,” the document read. “So from UMG’s perspective, the sooner than this beef ends the better.” Despite gaining some traction online, UMG quickly shut down the rumor. The reps for the label asserted that they had no involvement in the battle. “Kendrick and Drake’s beef is between them,” their statement noted. “UMG just doesn’t think it’s their place to step in either way.”

Read More: Drake Flooded The Internet With New Material And Fans Are Overwhelmed

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Diddy Accuser Lil Rod Drops High Profile Music Exec Names From Sexual Assault Lawsuit

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Screenshot 2024 05 15 at 10.14.33 AM

Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, the producer who named several people and companies in his initial sexual assault lawsuit against music mogul Sean “DIddy” Combs a few months ago, has reportedly removed several high-profile defendants from his lawsuit against the head Bad Boy.

The original lawsuit listed Universal Music Group and its chairman Sir Lucian Grainge as defendants because they had “aided and abetted” Puffy in his alleged sexual abuse. Jones has now taken those names off of the suit, as well as that of Motown Recordings and those names that have now been removed cannot be refiled.

Attorney for Lil Rod, Tyrone Blackburn, said in a sworn statement filed in court, “Based on my examination of all of the papers submitted in support of both motions to dismiss, which addressed the issues I had, I have concluded that there is no legal basis for the claims and allegations that were made against the UMG Defendants.” He added, “As such, I have determined that the proper course of action is for all of the claims and all of the allegations to be withdrawn immediately.”

Grainge, UMG and Motown had already tried to get Jones’ suit against them dismissed, stating, “All of the claims against Grainge, Motown and UMG Recordings (the ‘UMG Defendants’) in the [second amended complaint] are lacking in any legally cognizable basis.”

The post Diddy Accuser Lil Rod Drops High Profile Music Exec Names From Sexual Assault Lawsuit first appeared on The Source.

The post Diddy Accuser Lil Rod Drops High Profile Music Exec Names From Sexual Assault Lawsuit appeared first on The Source.

TikTok & Universal Music Group Strike Agreement In Royalty Dispute: What We Know

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After months of negotiations, Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have announced a breakthrough licensing agreement. As music technology continues to progress, this marks a significant moment in the music industry. This multi-dimensional agreement promises to benefit UMG’s extensive roster of artists, songwriters, and labels. Moreover, this also reinstates their music catalog on TikTok’s expansive platform.

Read More: Joe Biden Signs “TikTok Ban” Bill Into Law: Details

Strategic Collaboration For Mutual Benefit

The strategic collaboration aims to enhance the creative and commercial prospects of UMG’s roster. Both parties have expressed a shared commitment to leveraging TikTok’s advanced technology. Through the platform, UMG plans to enhance its marketing prowess to deliver improved remuneration for creators. As a result, they plan to enhance engagement opportunities for their music.

Fans on TikTok can anticipate the return of UMG’s extensive recorded music and publishing catalogs soon. The platform now offers them access to diverse musical content from renowned artists and songwriters. Additionally, fans can explore music from promising emerging talent. This development intends to reignite creativity among TikTok users, enabling them to create videos set to the backdrop of their favorite tracks.

Exploring New Monetization Opportunities + Online Safety Protection

umg tiktok
In this photo illustration, Universal Music Group (UMG) logo is seen on a smartphone and pc screen. (Photo Illustration by Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

As part of the agreement, UMG and TikTok will collaborate to explore new avenues for monetization. As issues regarding royalties became prominent, UMG and TikTok’s partnership leverages the social media platform’s e-commerce capabilities. Additionally, joint campaigns supporting UMG’s artists across various genres and territories are on the agenda. This indicates a concerted effort to maximize the commercial potential of UMG’s music catalog on the platform.

TikTok has committed to investing significant resources in developing artist-centric tools aimed at empowering UMG’s artists to thrive on the platform. These tools include features like “Add to Music App,” enhanced data analytics, and integrated ticketing capabilities, all designed to enhance artists’ financial prospects and expand their global fan base. Moreover, this new deal prioritizes stringent online safety protections for artists and their fans, ensuring a secure and enjoyable experience for all users.

An essential aspect of the agreement involves collaboration on responsible AI development within the music industry. Both UMG and TikTok have pledged to ensure that AI tools are developed ethically, safeguarding human creativity and the economic interests of artists and songwriters. They promised to implement measures to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, while also improving artist and songwriter attribution to uphold their rights and recognition.

Read More: Too Short Speaks On TikTok Music And Embracing The New Age Sound

Expeditious Implementation

UMG and TikTok are working swiftly to implement the terms of the agreement, with plans to reintroduce music by UMG’s artists and songwriters to TikTok in the near future. This proactive approach reflects the commitment of both parties to restoring normalcy and fostering a mutually beneficial partnership.

In conclusion, the resolution of the royalty dispute between UMG and TikTok heralds a new era of collaboration in the music industry, characterized by mutual respect, innovation, and commercial opportunity. As we witness the digital landscape’s evolution, partnerships like this are vital in ensuring the continued success and sustainability of the music ecosystem.

[Via]

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TikTokers, Rejoice: UMG Artists’ Catalogs Are Returning To The Platform Under A New Licensing Agreement

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TikTok logo
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TikTok’s future in the United States still hangs in the balance, but there is some positive TikTok-related news. (Unfortunately, it is not that Soulja Boy bought TikTok — not yet, at least.)

On Thursday morning, May 2, Universal Music Group and TikTok shared a joint press release confirming “a new multi-dimensional licensing agreement that will deliver significant industry-leading benefits for UMG’s global family of artists, songwriters, and labels and will return their music to TikTok’s billion-plus global community.”

All UMG artists’ catalogs were removed from TikTok on February 1 and remained absent from the platform, save for Taylor Swift ahead of the release of her The Tortured Poets Department album last month.

The joint agreement marks a new era of strategic collaboration between the two organizations, built on a shared commitment to help UMG’s artists and songwriters achieve their creative and commercial potential,” the press release outlines. “By harnessing TikTok’s best-in-class technology, marketing and promotional capabilities, UMG and TikTok will deliver improved remuneration for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs and industry-leading protections with respect to generative AI.”

The press release additionally emphasizes a commitment to “new monetization opportunities utilizing TikTok’s growing e-commerce capabilities,” “artist-centric tools,” and “to protect human artistry.”

UMG Boss Lucian Grainge Wants Court To Dismiss Him From Lil Rod’s Diddy Lawsuit

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The lawsuit against Diddy from Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, the producer accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking, doesn’t just include allegations against the Bad Boy mogul. Moreover, two big record companies appeared as defendants in this suit due to alleged liability reasons: Motown and Universal Music Group (UMG), plus a notable individual. This is the head of the latter organization, Sir Lucian Grainge, who reportedly requested the court via his legal team (which is also acting on behalf of these companies) for dismissal from the case altogether. Attorneys for all three parties, referred to as “the UMG Defendants,” reportedly filed a motion for this dismissal on Wednesday (April 24) and asked a New York judge to throw out all claims concerning them with prejudice, according to court documents reportedly obtained by journalist Meghann Cuniff.

“All of the claims against Grainge, Motown and UMG Recordings (the ‘UMG Defendants’) in the [second amended complaint] are lacking in any legally cognizable basis,” lawyers supposedly argued in court docs concerning the Diddy case. “Every claim [premises] on the untenable strict liability theory that when one enters into a commercial contract, the payor under that contract becomes liable for anything that the recipient of payment does with the payment.

Read More: 50 Cent Endorses Gucci Mane’s Diddy Diss: “That’s What You Get!”

Diddy At Invest Fest 2023

Diddy Lawsuit Rodney Jones Lucian Grainge UMG Dismiss Hip Hop News
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 26: Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

“There is no law underpinning such theory and the baseless ‘general business partnership’ allegation in the [second amended complaint] provides no support,” the legal team reportedly continued in their argument in dismissal from the Diddy case. “The claims against the UMG Defendants are entirely bereft of legal merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.” Lil Rod’s lawsuit claims that Lucian Grainge helped Sean Combs engage in his crimes, which Grainge’s attorneys allegedly denied outright. “Plaintiff and his counsel (Blackburn) have blown up a $50,000 claim for underpayment for production services into criminal accusations against Sean Combs and his associates,” they reportedly expressed.

“Not content to pursue Combs alone, without any factual or legal basis, Plaintiff and his counsel (Blackburn) have also improperly accused Grainge, UMG Recordings and Motown (collectively, the UMG Defendants) of furthering, participating in, and helping to conceal the alleged conduct of Combs and his associates based on a knowingly false ‘general business partnership’ allegation coupled with the fabrication of a non-existent duty to supervise and control how Combs spent his own money,” they concluded. Regardless, for more news and the latest updates on the Diddy case, log back into HNHH.

Read More: Kanye West Poses With Lucian Grainge In Resurfaced Pic Amid His “Rich Baby Daddy” Drake Criticism

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Kanye West Roasts Drake’s UMG Label Deal On Alleged “Like That” Remix Leak

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If you thought that Kanye West was going to sit idly by as the mainstream rap world goes up in flames… you may or may not be mistaken. It’s still a tough and unconfirmed call, but thanks to Adam22 and a whole lot of leaks through social media pages, it seems like Ye’s got a remix to “Like That” by Metro Boomin, Future, and Kendrick Lamar, plus some Ty Dolla $ign vocals, too. “Like That” is the song that fully blew the lid off a civil war between this trio (now alleged quintet including Rick Ross, plus many other supposed players like The Weeknd and A$AP Rocky) against Drake and… DJ Akademiks, we suppose? It really is looking like a 20v1 right now, something that Drizzy’s been able to turn in his favor.

Moreover, this alleged “Like That” remix (which Adam22 incited rumors of even further just yesterday) includes a supposed Ye verse, apparently a new Future verse, and seemingly no appearance from Kendrick Lamar, which is a very interesting omission. But that’s for another time. Here’s what the Chicago artist allegedly had to say about Drake and J. Cole, who caught a stray despite his retreat earlier in April: “Y’all so out of sight, out of mind / I can’t even think of a Drake line / Play J. Cole, get the p***y dry.” The “leaked” remix also had this set of bars, which seems to be the most interesting point of discussion for fans right now: “Where’s Lucian? Serve your master, n***a / Caught a little bag for your masters, didn’t ya? / Lifetime deal, I feel bad for n***as.”

Read More: DJ Akademiks Thinks Drake’s New Kendrick Lamar Diss (Almost) Seals The Deal

Kanye West Takes Aim At Drake’s $400 Million UMG Deal On Supposed “Like That” Verse: Listen

Furthermore, for those unaware, Drake signed a deal with UMG (Universal Music Group, the biggest music company in the world whose CEO is Sir Lucian Grainge) with a reported $400 million value. Ye, who is no stranger to an elusive billionaire status due to his controversies, allegedly called this a “little bag” and, if this is real, seems to be clowning him for being a puppet of UMG during the VULTURES 1 artist’s current independent stretch. It’s also worth noting that Rick Ross, one of the Toronto superstar’s opponents right now, called cap on theories that this massive deal gets the OVO mogul kickback from all of his rivals’ publishing if they’re signed to UMG or to Gamma. Since that’s just as speculative as these new claims, we doubt that we’ll ever get a clear answer on any of this money talk.

Ye’s Alleged Verse & Beat Remix In CDQ

Of course, given just how relentless The Boy has been with his clap-backs at everyone who doesn’t trust him anymore, we’re sure that his former inspiration and on-and-off-again nemesis will catch some heat very soon. This is also very interesting because of the “PROBLEMATIC” MC’s previous stance on this beef, claiming that he washed both Mr. Morale and the Certified Lover Boy in the past. If this leaked “Like That” remix is actually real, then something caused a change of heart. Still, everyone’s waiting on what the Compton creative will do more than anything. For the latest news and more updates on this alleged Kanye West leak and this whole battle, come back to HNHH.

Read More: Kanye West Battery Assault: Ye Allegedly Hit The Wrong Twin After Sexual Assault Accusation

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