BEXAR COUNTY: Hip hop musician Aubrey Drake Graham filed a second petition on Tuesday seeking depositions from both UMG Recordings, Inc and iHeartMedia, Inc., which petitions may be used. used in a future lawsuit.
A second petition regarding Kendrick Lamar’s hit song “Not Like Us” has been filed and alleges that Universal Music Group (UMG) defamed Drake. After telling the court that UMG is “meticulous in the planning and execution of the music it releases, promotes, and supports,” the suit goes on to assert that the company knowingly allowed the release of sang “Not Like Us,” despite court objections. in fact, it falsely accused Drake of “being a sex offender, engaging in acts of pedophilia, harboring sex offenders, and committing other criminal sexual acts.” The petition states that UMG likely stopped licensing “Not Like Us” or removed or edited incriminating material.
However, parallel to the previous petition, the latest filing alleges that instead of stopping distribution of the song, UMG created and participated in a plan to turn the said song into a “viral mega-hit.” The previous petition went into more detail about this alleged scheme, claiming that UMG used ‘bots’ as well as a ‘pay-to-play agreement’ with Spotify, to increase its reach of the song.
Drake’s court filings, UMG’s response and response
The petition accuses iHeartRadio of massively contributing to the song’s radio prominence. iHeartMedia is a mass media conglomerate and the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, with more than 860 stations, including iHeartRadio. The petition specifically cites iHeartMedia for its “longstanding, symbiotic business relationship” with UMG, through which iHeartMedia pays UMG “to license and collect royalties for its artists’ songs.” UMG artists via radio and streaming services.
The petition refers to an iHeartRadio news release claiming that the song “has been listened to more than 25 million times on iHeartRadio’s platform alone” and that it remains one of the most played songs on iHeartRadio Stations to date. now.
The petition also alleges that UMG made “secret” payments to multiple radio stations and other platforms to promote Lamar’s hit song. The petitioner, Drake, claimed to know of at least one UMG employee who made a payment to an independent radio promoter. He also alleged that UMG’s digital marketing team paid third parties to share the song after it was released.
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