Drake has officially withdrawn his legal petition against Universal Music Group and Spotify, which accused the companies of a scheme to “artificially inflate” Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, Not Like Us.
The withdrawal notice, filed on Tuesday (January 14) via Drake’s company Frozen Moments LLC, discontinues all legal proceedings without financial penalties for any parties involved. Drake’s legal team disclosed in the court filing that both sides met on Tuesday regarding the filing, with Spotify, which had previously opposed the petition, expressing no objection to the withdrawal, and Universal Music Group, which hadn’t filed an opposition, reserving its position.
The original petition, filed in November 2024, and which you can read in full here, alleged that UMG “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves with a song, Not Like Us, in order to make that song go viral, including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements.”
Both Drake and Lamar release their records via UMG and its Republic Records and Interscope, respectively.
Not Like Us, released via UMG’s Interscope Records in May 2024, was part of a bitter rap feud between Lamar and Drake.
The track reached No.1 on the Hot 100, marking Lamar’s fourth-ever US No.1, and his second that year, following Like That by Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar, which hit No.1 in April. The track also marked the first US No.1 for Not Like Us producer Mustard.
Elsewhere in the petition, Drake’s lawyers claimed that, “On information and belief, UMG charged Spotify licensing rates 30 percent lower than its usual licensing rates for Not Like Us in exchange for Spotify affirmatively recommending the Song to users who are searching for other unrelated songs and artists.”
However, Spotify contested these claims in its December 2024 opposition filing, stating that it had “no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drake’s tracks.”
SPOT’s spokesperson added: “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.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for UMG told MBW in November: “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue. We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.
“No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Drake, via his company Frozen Moments LLC, has now decided to drop the legal petition.
In a filing to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Drake’s legal team wrote: “Please take notice that petitioner and movant Frozen Moments, LLC, by its attorneys Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, hereby withdraws its order to show cause seeking pre-action disclosure and preservation of certain documents and communications from respondent UMG Recordings, Inc. and pre-action disclosure of certain documents and communications from respondent Spotify USA Inc., with exhibits originally filed in New York Supreme Court On November 25, 2024.”
“Please take further notice that petitioner hereby voluntarily discontinues this special proceeding as to all respondents without costs to any party.”
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