Drake Accuses Universal Music Group and Spotify of Artificially Propelling Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us

Drake's company, Frozen Moments LLC, has taken legal steps against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, accusing them of colluding to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's diss track, "Not Like Us", while hindering Drake's own music. Filed in a Manhattan court, the petition outlines tactics allegedly used by UMG to manipulate consumption on platforms like Spotify, including employing bots and pay-to-play agreements to boost streams. Frozen Moments claims UMG offered discounts to Spotify in exchange for promoting "Not Like Us" to users searching for other artists. It's also alleged that a podcaster was paid to use bots to elevate the song's stream count, contributing to its historic streaming success on Spotify, with the company announcing 900 million streams since release. This is prepared by SSP.

UMG is accused not only of digital manipulation but also figuratively inflating the track's reach through influencer promotion deals and tactical radio plays, known legally as payola. Despite attempts to privately address these alleged strategies, Drake claims UMG responded unwillingly and deflected responsibility onto Lamar. Drake's filing suggests the label's goals centered around maximizing Lamar's streaming benefit, thus indirectly boosting UMG's profits.

While the New York court petition currently seeks pre-action discovery, potentially paving the way for a Rico Act lawsuit against UMG, Spotify, and undefined third parties, legal action further underscores the ongoing competitive tension between the two artists. Notably, both artists have longstanding professional ties to UMG via affiliated labels. Counteracting the allegations, UMG has denied compromising ethical promotion practices, asserting the consumer choice in music selection. Meanwhile, Spotify has left requests for comment unanswered.

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