Tag Archives: Universal Music Group

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Funk Flex Declares ‘Drake is 100% Right’ as He Lists Prices for Radio Pay-for-Play

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Funk Flex on 6ix9ine's New Song: “I’m Not Going to Play This... BUT This is Thumping'

Funk Flex on 6ix9ine's New Song: “I’m Not Going to Play This... BUT This is Thumping'
Photo by MediaPunch/Shutterstock

What a way to stir up the conversation at the Thanksgiving table. Funk Flex hit X after Drake set the streets on fire with the legal actions he filed, revealing the cost of pay-for-play. His conclusion, “DRAKE IS 100% RIGHT. NATIONAL PLAY.”

And then he rolled out the prices.

Drake has launched a second legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG), this time accusing the music giant of defamation and claiming it failed to halt the release of Kendrick Lamar’s track “Not Like Us,” which he alleges falsely accuses him of being a sex offender.

This new filing, submitted late Monday and made public on Tuesday, follows a previous legal action in New York, where Drake accused UMG of unlawfully promoting Lamar’s song on Spotify.

In the new filing, Drake’s legal team provides further details regarding his grievances with UMG, which is his record label for his entire career. According to the filing, UMG was aware that Lamar’s song contained accusations labeling Drake as a “certified pedophile” and “predator,” yet chose to release it anyway. “UMG could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” the document states. “But UMG chose to do the opposite, designing and financing a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit, using the harm caused to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and massive revenues.”

Like the filing in New York, the Texas petition is not a formal lawsuit but a pre-action filing intended to collect depositions from critical figures at UMG and iHeartRadio. The goal is to gather more evidence to support a defamation claim and potentially lead to additional allegations of civil fraud and racketeering.

Though Lamar is not named in the petition and is not accused of any legal wrongdoing, Drake’s legal team asserts that UMG knew the song, along with its album art and music video, would tarnish Drake’s reputation by falsely linking him to criminal sexual acts. The petition further accuses UMG of giving Lamar an unfair advantage in their competition, prioritizing one artist over another through illegal means.

UMG and iHeartRadio have not responded to requests for comment on the filing.

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Back to Back: Drake Launches Second Legal Action Against UMG

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Young Thug Delivers "Oh U Went" Video Featuring Drake

Young Thug Delivers "Oh U Went" Video Featuring Drake

Drake has launched a second legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG), this time accusing the music giant of defamation and claiming it failed to halt the release of Kendrick Lamar’s track “Not Like Us,” which he alleges falsely accuses him of being a sex offender.

This new filing, submitted late Monday and made public on Tuesday, follows a previous legal action in New York, where Drake accused UMG of unlawfully promoting Lamar’s song on Spotify.

In the new filing, Drake’s legal team provides further details regarding his grievances with UMG, which is his record label for his entire career. According to the filing, UMG was aware that Lamar’s song contained accusations labeling Drake as a “certified pedophile” and “predator,” yet chose to release it anyway. “UMG could have refused to release or distribute the song or required the offending material to be edited and/or removed,” the document states. “But UMG chose to do the opposite, designing and financing a plan to turn ‘Not Like Us’ into a viral mega-hit, using the harm caused to Drake and his businesses to drive consumer hysteria and massive revenues.”

Like the filing in New York, the Texas petition is not a formal lawsuit but a pre-action filing intended to collect depositions from critical figures at UMG and iHeartRadio. The goal is to gather more evidence to support a defamation claim and potentially lead to additional allegations of civil fraud and racketeering.

Though Lamar is not named in the petition and is not accused of any legal wrongdoing, Drake’s legal team asserts that UMG knew the song, along with its album art and music video, would tarnish Drake’s reputation by falsely linking him to criminal sexual acts. The petition further accuses UMG of giving Lamar an unfair advantage in their competition, prioritizing one artist over another through illegal means.

UMG and iHeartRadio have not responded to requests for comment on the filing.

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Black Sheep File $750M Lawsuit Against Universal Music For Unpaid Royalties

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Screen Shot 2023 01 05 at 9.33.35 PM

According to an exclusive report from Rolling Stone, Native Tongue family favorites Black Sheep have filed a large class action lawsuit against Universal Music Group over unpaid royalties related to a side deal that the global music giant allegedly made with Spotify.

Black Sheep, which is Dres and Mista Lawnge, says that UMG owes them and their entire artist roster over $750 million for breach of contract after allegedly accepting cash and company stock from Spotify in exchange for music from their artists. Black Sheep claim that UMG only counted the cash given when distributing royalty payments.

Black Sheep also allege in the lawsuit that the “previously undisclosed” deal violated their deal with Polygram, a subsidiary of Universal, going all the way back to when they signed their original record deal. The lawsuit says that Universal owes 50 percent of all net receipts related to the duo’s music.

“In the mid-2000s, Universal struck an undisclosed, sweetheart deal with Spotify whereby Universal agreed to accept substantially lower royalty payments on artists’ behalf in exchange for equity stake in Spotify – then a fledgling streaming service,” the lawsuit states.

“Yet rather than distribute to artists their 50 percent of Spotify stock or pay artists their true and accurate royalty payments, for years Universal shortchanged artists and deprived plaintiffs and class members of the full royalty payments they were owed under Universal’s contract.”

The lawsuit continues, “For approximately a decade, Universal omitted from the royalty statements Universal issued to plaintiffs that it had received Spotify stock in connection with the ‘use or exploitation’ of Black Sheep recordings.”

A Universal spokesperson called the allegations “fake and absurd” in a statement to Rolling Stone.

“Universal Music Group’s innovative leadership has led to the renewed growth of the music ecosystem to the benefit of recording artists, songwriters and creators around the world,” the statement read. “UMG has a well-established track record of fighting for artist compensation and the claim that it would take equity at the expense of artist compensation is patently false and absurd. Given that this is pending litigation, we cannot comment on all aspects of the complaint.”

Spotify did not respond for comment.

Universal owns a $1.7 billion stake in Spotify according to a 2021 Universal report and Black Sheep’s suit claims that a “substantial portion” originates from the shares Universal and its subsidiaries acquired in or around 2008.

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Ariana Grande Confirms She Does Not Appear on ‘Donda’

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Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande is not on Kanye West’s album Donda.

Shortly after Kanye West released “Donda” fans started to speculate that Grande provided backup vocals on the title track and “Believe What I Say.”

Grande took to her Instagram stories to celebrate the artist who is actually on the song. Grande shared one of Stalone’s posts about working on Donda.

She told her that she sounds beautiful on the album.

“Vocals under MB Stadium in #atl before the start of #DONDA 2…The entire album is a masterpiece. I’m so grateful,” Stalone shared on her own Instagram post.

She also tweeted the song’s credits and told fans how flattered she was that her vocals were compared to Grande’s.

This news arrives after Kanye West claims that Universal Music Group released the album without his consent. Ye Shared in an Instagram post Sunday.

“UNIVERSAL PUT MY ALBUM OUT WITHOUT MY APPROVAL AND THEY BLOCKED JAIL 2 FROM BEING ON THE ALBUM.”

According to Variety, representatives for Universal had no comment on the allegation, but sources at the company called it “preposterous.” Def Jam sent a press release announcing the arrival of Donda at around 8:15 a.m. Sunday morning.

So many unanswered questions. Is Kanye cap for calling out his label?

Share your thoughts below.

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Lil Wayne Reportedly Sells Drake and Nicki Minaj’s Masters in $100 Million Deal With UMG

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It was recently reported that Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for $100 million back in June of this year. After documents of the deal were revealed, the sale reportedly included the master of Young Money artists as well. The three prominent artists on that list are Drake, Nicki Mina, and Tyga. Given all of the work and culture shifts that the four artists have created, $100 million seems pretty cheap for ownership of their sound recorded copyrights.

This news led fans to speculate which albums were sold within the deal. According to the documents, the masters include every Drake album aside from his 2020 releases. Every 2020 release from the OVO CEO is under his OVO imprint in conjunction with Republic Records. Republic is also a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Every project from 2009’s So Far Gone to 2018’s Scorpion is reportedly included in Wayne’s Universal deal. On the other hand, all of Nicki Minaj’s albums have fallen under the Young Money/Cash Money imprint since her debut release, Pink Friday.

Well, fans were not happy once the news broke of Weezy’s deal with UMG. One fan even mentioned Wayne’s multi-year battle with Birdman in the past. It looks like that effort was to no avail because he put it up for sale years later. Earlier this month, Wayne pled guilty to gun charges for an arrest back in 2019.

Peep fan reaction after news broke of Wayne’s alleged sale of his proteges’ music.

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Lil Wayne Reportedly Sells Drake and Nicki Minaj’s Masters in $100 Million Deal With UMG

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o

It was recently reported that Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for $100 million back in June of this year. After documents of the deal were revealed, the sale reportedly included the master of Young Money artists as well. The three prominent artists on that list are Drake, Nicki Mina, and Tyga. Given all of the work and culture shifts that the four artists have created, $100 million seems pretty cheap for ownership of their sound recorded copyrights.

This news led fans to speculate which albums were sold within the deal. According to the documents, the masters include every Drake album aside from his 2020 releases. Every 2020 release from the OVO CEO is under his OVO imprint in conjunction with Republic Records. Republic is also a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Every project from 2009’s So Far Gone to 2018’s Scorpion is reportedly included in Wayne’s Universal deal. On the other hand, all of Nicki Minaj’s albums have fallen under the Young Money/Cash Money imprint since her debut release, Pink Friday.

Well, fans were not happy once the news broke of Weezy’s deal with UMG. One fan even mentioned Wayne’s multi-year battle with Birdman in the past. It looks like that effort was to no avail because he put it up for sale years later. Earlier this month, Wayne pled guilty to gun charges for an arrest back in 2019.

Peep fan reaction after news broke of Wayne’s alleged sale of his proteges’ music.

The post Lil Wayne Reportedly Sells Drake and Nicki Minaj’s Masters in $100 Million Deal With UMG appeared first on The Source.

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Lil Wayne Reportedly Sells Drake and Nicki Minaj’s Masters in $100 Million Deal With UMG

Leave a comment

o

It was recently reported that Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for $100 million back in June of this year. After documents of the deal were revealed, the sale reportedly included the master of Young Money artists as well. The three prominent artists on that list are Drake, Nicki Mina, and Tyga. Given all of the work and culture shifts that the four artists have created, $100 million seems pretty cheap for ownership of their sound recorded copyrights.

This news led fans to speculate which albums were sold within the deal. According to the documents, the masters include every Drake album aside from his 2020 releases. Every 2020 release from the OVO CEO is under his OVO imprint in conjunction with Republic Records. Republic is also a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Every project from 2009’s So Far Gone to 2018’s Scorpion is reportedly included in Wayne’s Universal deal. On the other hand, all of Nicki Minaj’s albums have fallen under the Young Money/Cash Money imprint since her debut release, Pink Friday.

Well, fans were not happy once the news broke of Weezy’s deal with UMG. One fan even mentioned Wayne’s multi-year battle with Birdman in the past. It looks like that effort was to no avail because he put it up for sale years later. Earlier this month, Wayne pled guilty to gun charges for an arrest back in 2019.

Peep fan reaction after news broke of Wayne’s alleged sale of his proteges’ music.

The post Lil Wayne Reportedly Sells Drake and Nicki Minaj’s Masters in $100 Million Deal With UMG appeared first on The Source.

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Kanye West Clarifies Alleged Reports of Jay-Z Selling His Masters To Def Jam For Personal Gain

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JAY ZDissesKanyeWestonMeekMill's'Championships'

The Kanye West music industry exposure campaign continues. Over the last week, the music and fashion mogul has uploaded all of his music contracts to Twitter. He has vowed to not release another form of musical art until he is released from his contract and/or owns his masters. Ye even went as far as uploading a video, where he urinates on one of his 21 Grammy Awards.

Following the upload of contracts, alleged news began to circulate that Def Jam former CEO and Roc Nation founder, Jay-Z sold Ye’s masters to Def Jam. In return Hov would get his own masters back after selling the masters to Kanye’s first six albums. The “Follow God” rapper is renowned for his illustrious catalog, especially his first six projects.

Kanye and Jay-Z’s relationship is well documented as brothers. Both have echoed that sentiment in this past, although the relationship has been rocky within recent years. Ye took to Twitter to clarify these reports in defense of his big brother.

“Don’t let the system pit us against each other … JAY IS MY BROTHER … I have eternal love for all artist that have been through and are still trapped this crooked system. Jay still doesn’t get his own masters back for ten years. I will see to it that we all get our masters.”

Yeezy continues his pursuit in this endeavor of owning his masters, while educating and encouraging more artist to do research in ownership. He recently target’s Bollere’s CEO Vincent Bollore. Bollere is the owner of the French media conglomerate, Vivendi. Vivendi owns 90% of Universal Music Group, where Def Jam and a number of labels operate as subsidiaries.

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Kanye West Says Universal Music Group Refuses To Tell Him Cost of Masters

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Kanye West Secretly Met With Donald Trump's Advisor, Son-in-Law, Jared Kushner

Over the past few days, Kanye West has been extremely vocal about Black ownership within industries that profit from them the most: entertainment and sports. Ye deemed himself the modern day Nat Turner. The comparison draws parallel in West’s efforts to lead a rebellion against the music industry, with binding contracts that are almost impossible for artists to get out of.

The billionaire music and fashion icon took to Twitter Wednesday morning to address Universal Music Group. In the early 2000s, the 21-time Grammy winner signed with Roc-a-Fella Records through Def Jam. Def Jam is a subsidiary label of Universal Music Group. In addition, he established his music label, GOOD Music under Def Jam as well.

“UNIVERSAL WONT TELL ME WHAT MY MASTERS COST BECAUSE THEY KNOW I CAN AFFORD THEM,” tweeted Ye. “MY CHILDREN WILL OWN MY MASTERS… NOT YOUR CHILDREN…MY CHILDREN… MY CHILDREN.”

Headed by CEO Lucian Grainge, Universal Music Group is majority owned French media conglomerate Vivendi. Ye vows that his latest demand is a fight for all artists.

“EVERYONE AT UNIVERSAL AND VIVENDI PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY LEGAL POWER AND USE MY VOICE UNTIL ALL ARTIST CONTRACTS ARE CHANGED STARTING WITH GETTING MY MASTERS FOR MY CHILDREN I WILL NOT STOP I PROMISE YOU IM AM PETTY AND VERY PERSONAL.”

In a previous tweet, Ye called on Kendrick, Drake and J. Cole in an attempt to make this a joint effort. In addition, he demanded a public apology for the latter two artist as well. Given Drake and Cole’s history with Kanye, it is unlikely that they will join forces with him in this effort, but we won’t rule it out all together. The GOOD Music founder continues to lean on his faith during this unprecedented fight.

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Kanye West Calls Out Drake, J. Cole, Sony and Universal Music in Latest Tweets

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Kanye West Calls Out Drake, J. Cole, Sony and Universal Music in Latest Tweets

It’s been relatively quiet for Kanye West on Twitter lately. But the presidential candidate is back and taking aim at Drake, of course, but also J. Cole, Sony Music, and Universal.

Kanye hit the timeline and ruffled it up by revealing that he will not be releasing music until he is free with his contracts with Sony and Universal. That would lead to a lengthier tweet storm about how Black billionaires are represented and revealing obtaining his Masters could cost over $300 million. He would then share texts online of his journey to locate officials in the office of both music giants.

Then Kanye, or as he refers to himself, “the new Moses,” turned toward his fellow rappers.

“I need a publicly apology from J Cole and Drake to start with immediately … I’m Nat Turner … I’m fighting for us,” he wrote.

Why Drake? Well, obviously. But why J. Cole? Maybe he feels away about “Middle Child“?

See the tweets below.

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