Drake accuses record company of using bots to ‘artificially inflate’ Kendrick Lamar’s song ‘Not Like Us’ on Spotify
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. 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. 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 sues Universal Music for defamation over Kendrick Lamar's diss track Not Like Us
Drake accuses music group, Spotify of inflating popularity of Lamar's diss track
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