Limp Bizkit and frontman Fred Durst recently filed a lawsuit against Universal Music for $200 million, claiming the band had “received no royalties whatsoever” until recently.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday (October 8), Durst’s lawyers say Limp Bizkit and “possibly hundreds of other artists” are being held accountable for a “rigged” system created by Universal Music. He claims that his royalties have been “unjustly withheld for many years.”
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“Durst explained that he has been informed that he has not received a royalty statement from UMG because his account is still far from being collected,” the singer’s attorney said in the complaint. “This is because we have been saying for years that there is no need to submit a document.” . Durst’s representatives became suspicious that UMG was falsely claiming that the plaintiff’s accounts were not in collections and suggested further investigation. ”
The lawsuit further alleges that “UMG failed to issue royalty statements on its most popular albums, particularly from 1997 to 2004, when the band was at the height of its fame and record-breaking sales. “This suggests that UMG intentionally concealed royalties.” The amount of actual sales, and therefore royalties, that must be paid to Limp Bizkit to unfairly appropriate those profits. ”
Durst’s attorney also questioned the record company’s accounting practices, saying $199,676 was mysteriously billed to the band. UMG claims the band was paid $43 million in recoverable advances, seemingly explaining why Durst and his bandmates were “not paid a penny” until recently. This spring, after Durst’s new legal representatives called attention to the issue, the label ultimately paid the band $1.03 million and Durst’s Flawless Records $2.3 million, but Durst’s Lawyers argue that the company must pay more for the nu-metal movement.
“Given the vast sums of money that UMG has collected over the years in connection with Limp Bizkit and Flawless Records album sales, UMG owes Plaintiffs tens of millions of dollars in copyright infringement claims, if not more. and is held responsible,” the lawsuit continues. “In fact, Plaintiffs allege that the amount owed by UMG following termination of these agreements could well exceed $200 million.”
In addition to unpaid royalties, the lawsuit seeks to void the band’s record contract and give the band back the copyright to their songs, according to Billboard. It is also seeking damages for copyright infringement.
Limp Bizkit recently completed their headlining tour, Rotherville, and will return to the road in 2025 when they support Metallica’s next North American tour, the M72 World Tour. Pick up your ticket here.
