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Drake, a highly influential artist in the music industry, has officially withdrawn a legal challenge he had made against Universal Music Group (UMG) and Spotify, which previously accused them of having an illegal “scheme” in their effort to boost streaming numbers on Kendrick Lamar's track called “Not Like Us” during a publicized feud.
Drake officially ended his petition against Spotify and Universal Music Group in a New York filing this week which marked the end of one aspect of this saga. A prior meeting between lawyers was conducted after he accused them of creating ways to inflate Kendrick Lamar ’s hit track "Not Like Us". According to the documents for this withdrawal there will be no financial cost to the parties involved as the case is discontinued.
Drake had originally claimed the record labels used various methods to make the song seem more popular which may include using bots, reduced rates and more in their advertising campaigns. The allegations stemmed from the theory of a “conspiracy” from the major record labels and an alleged attempt to promote one artist over another to increase views on certain material that they distribute. He had accused the companies of “artificially inflating” song numbers.
UMG has stated it uses ethical practices and never would use an approach which may harm their talent and also that consumers decide what music they want to listen to. In their opposition statement Spotify claimed there was no incentive for them to play "Not Like Us" over other tracks.
Spotify had formally opposed Drakes claim that they benefited from the promotion. They released in an opposition filing a disclosure about how their recommendations are based on listener choice not any behind the scenes agreements. It revealed the only cost was a minimal advertising fee from Spotify's service called Marquee that helped promote the track in France which was paid by the UMG.
Another related case is still ongoing in Texas. That law suit names UMG and radio network iHeartRadio, where he made similar accusations of manipulating promotional methods for the same track. While the New York petition has been discontinued there still remains issues unresolved.
The litigation came after a long term and publicized beef between Drake and Lamar which all intensified when diss tracks were released. After the release of “Not Like Us" and other tracks it resulted in Drake accusing major record companies in their efforts to make this song go viral as they attempted to discredit his reputation as an artist.
Lamar’s song included a barrage of harsh claims regarding the person he believes Drake to be which called into question how the streaming sites handled the music's delivery. Drake went into defense by saying the accusations had harmed his brand. UMG is alleged to have known about this before its release which brought even more legal battles with each part of his allegations.
Music industry experts and entertainment lawyers believed this action was to obtain information from Spotify and UMG. That information could potentially be used to sue the company for a breach of contract and also have an attempt to end his record deal. Others believe that this is more damaging than good because it brought even more attention to the track in question. While both opinions carry merit there is no correct answer to this problem only an observation of what has happened.
Hip hop artist Jim Jones recently stated that the steps that Drake took were from a business perspective more than a reaction from a persona he creates and his past. The move is to protect his brand. He mentioned that people sue larger entities constantly which doesn’t have as much question behind the intent because it’s generally known for financial goals rather than emotion.