Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst has filed a $200 million lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the label of fraudulent accounting practices that deprived the group of owed royalties. UMG requested the dismissal of this complaint, calling the allegations “fallacious”.
A dispute over royalties and musical rights
According to the complaint filed in October, Fred Durst accuses UMG of having paid no substantial royalties for the 45 million albums sold or streamed by Limp Bizkit. The singer claims that the label systematically claimed that the $43 million advanced to produce the albums had not been recovered, thus justifying the lack of payment.
After hiring new financial representatives, Fred Durst reportedly discovered that UMG had paid $1.03 million to the group and $2.3 million to his label Flawless Records, a sum he believes was far less than what was owed.
Durst also seeks to cancel Limp Bizkit's recording contract with UMG, regain ownership of the band's masters and terminate its past agreements for Flawless Records.
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UMG responds and requests dismissal of the complaint
According to Rolling Stone, UMG filed a motion to have the case dismissed, stating: “The story that UMG tried to hide royalties is fiction.”
The company says the payments made covered all royalties and profits owed. She adds that email exchanges between representatives of the group and those of UMG contradict the accusations of fraud.
According to UMG, the confusion comes from discussions between a manager of Limp Bizkit and a director of UMG concerning the establishment of a payment profile for royalties.
Limp Bizkit rejects UMG's arguments
Limp Bizkit representatives responded vehemently to the motion to dismiss filed by UMG. They declare: “When someone is caught red-handed, their first reaction is often to hire very expensive lawyers to try to get the case thrown out. We believe UMG is using a classic strategy, desperately clinging to technical details.”
Durst's complaint also points out that UMG failed to provide royalty statements between 1997 and 2004, a period when the group enjoyed immense commercial success.
A precedent that could concern other artists
Fred Durst alleges that Limp Bizkit is not the only group affected and that hundreds of artists may also have been victims of similar practices. If these allegations are confirmed, this case could have major implications for the music industry.
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