Spotify Slams Drake’s Claim That It ‘Artificially Inflated’ Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Streams

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Spotify has made an official statement denying Drake’s claims in a legal filing last month that the streaming numbers for Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us,” which took powerful verbal shots at the Canadian rapper, were “artificially inflated.” Last month, Drake, through his company Frozen Moments, accused the streaming giant and his own label, Universal Music Group, of artificially inflating streaming numbers for Lamar’s track.

He also accused UMG of defamation. UMG, the world’s largest music company, also distributes Lamar’s recordings. In response, a Spotify spokesperson said: “Spotify has no economic incentive for users to stream ‘Not Like Us” over any of Drake’s tracks.

Only one of Spotify for Artists’ tools, Marquee, was purchased on behalf of the song, for €500 to promote the track in France.

Marquee is a visual ad that is disclosed to users as a Sponsored Recommendation.” Shortly after the first of the two legal actions, a UMG spokesperson slammed the accusations, saying: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue.