Drake accuses record company of using bots to ‘artificially inflate’ Kendrick Lamar’s song ‘Not Like Us’ on Spotify

By Alli Rosenbloom, CNN

(CNN) — Musician Drake alleges that Universal Music Group “conspired” to artificially boost Kendrick Lamar’s searing diss track “Not Like Us” on Spotify, according to a pre-action petition submitted to a New York court on Monday.

According to a copy of the petition, obtained by CNN, the rapper claims that UMG “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” with Lamar’s song “in order to make that song go viral, including by using ‘bots’ and pay-to-play agreements.”

The song, part of what has become a very public feud between Lamar and the “Hotline Bling” rapper, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 when it was released in May, according to Billboard. It has also amassed almost 900 million streams on Spotify to date, according to the petition.

Drake also alleges UMG used these “bots,” which are essentially fake social media accounts, “to artificially inflate the spread of ‘Not Like Us’ and deceive consumers into believing the Song was more popular than it was in reality.”

The petition does not accuse Lamar of any wrongdoing.

Drake is currently represented by Republic Records, a division of UMG and Lamar is currently represented by Interscope records, also a division of UMG.

“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,” a spokesperson for UMG told CNN in a statement on Monday. “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.”

CNN has reached out to representatives for Drake, Lamar and Spotify for comment.

The petition, filed by attorneys representing Drake’s Frozen Moments LLC, describes several tactics that Drake claims UMG used to falsely promote “Not Like Us” on music streamers and radio stations, including an illegal practice known as “payola,” in which a record company essentially pays for airplay.

Drake’s petition accuses UMG of paying an independent radio promoter acting as an intermediary, who then paid other radio stations to boost airplay of Lamar’s track. The petition also claims UMG paid Apple, or approved payments to the company, to purposefully use its voice-activated assistant Siri to misdirect users to “Not Like Us.”

Apple is not a named as a party to the action or the target of any discovery but CNN has reached out to Apple for comment.

Drake claims that UMG was motivated to inflate the popularity of the song, in part, “to maximize their own profits,” the petition read, and that the label has “refused” Drake’s attempt to work together in resolving the “ongoing harm he has suffered.”

He filed Monday’s pre-action petition to request further documents as he prepares to file further legal action.

Both rappers, who are former collaborators, released multiple diss tracks amid their feud which transpired earlier this year. “Not Like Us” became the most successful song spawned by the feud and earned five Grammy nominations earlier this month.

The-CNN-Wire
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