Drake drops Spotify-UMG lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar streams
What's the story
Canadian rapper Drake has withdrawn his legal petition against music streaming giant Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG).
The artist had earlier accused both of running an illegal scheme to inflate the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's diss track Not Like Us.
The withdrawal was confirmed in a New York court filing on Tuesday (local time), Variety reported.
Allegations detailed
Drake's accusations against UMG and Spotify
Notably, in November 2024, Drake made headlines after accusing his own agency UMG of manipulating the streaming numbers for Not Like Us.
The track controversially accuses Drake of pedophilia and cultural appropriation.
The petition claimed UMG "engaged in conduct designed to artificially inflate the popularity of 'Not Like Us.'..including by licensing the song at drastically reduced rates to Spotify and using 'bots' to generate the false impression that the song was more popular than it was in reality."
Industry reaction
UMG and Spotify's response to Drake's accusations
UMG had said, "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."
Meanwhile, Spotify defended itself saying it had no economic incentive for users to stream Not Like Us over any of Drake's tracks.
Counter-arguments
Spotify's detailed rebuttal and Drake's legal team's response
Spotify further clarified that only one of its tools, Marquee, was purchased on behalf of the song for €500 to promote the track in France.
The platform also denied any arrangement where UMG "charged Spotify licensing rates 30% lower than its usual licensing rates for 'Not Like Us' in exchange for Spotify...recommending [it] to users who are searching for other songs and artists."
Ongoing dispute
The feud between Drake and Lamar
In response, Drake's legal team stated that if Spotify and UMG had nothing to hide then they should comply with their basic discovery request.
The legal drama followed an ongoing feud between Drake and Lamar, which intensified after the latter dropped a verse on Future and Metro Boomin's Like That in March 2024.
This resulted in a string of diss tracks being exchanged.
Ultimately, Lamar's Not Like Us became the most successful track from their lyrical battle.