Drake accuses Universal Music, Spotify of ‘artificially inflating’ Kendrick Lamar’s diss track streams

nypost.com:

Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s feud has reached the legal level. Drake, 38, filed a pre-action petition in a Manhattan court Monday against Universal Music Group and Spotify and alleged they created a “scheme” to boost the success of Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.”In court documents obtained by The Post, Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC said that UMG — which distributes both rappers’ music — used “bots” to “artificially inflate” the song’s streams, which “deceived consumers” into thinking Lamar’s track was more popular than it was in reality.UMG was also accused of paying influencers to boost the song on social media and paying Apple to have its Siri feature “purposely misdirect users” to Lamar’s song. (Apple is not named in the petition.)“UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” Drake’s attorney said in the filing. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”Spotify, meanwhile, was accused of allowing UMG to license Lamar’s song at “reduced license fees.”Regarding UMG’s motivations for allegedly boosting “Not Like Us,” Drake’s petition blamed “the desire of executives at Interscope” who wanted “to maximize their own profits.” (UMG owns Interscope.)The documents noted that Drake’s filing is not yet a full lawsuit, but rather a “pre-action” petition.

Under New York law, the petition aims to secure information before an official lawsuit is filed.The Post has reached out to reps for Spotify and Lamar, 37, for comment.A UMG spokesperson told The Post, “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue.