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Limp Bizkit, frontman Fred Durst, and Flawless Records have filed a joint lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the music giant of withholding music streaming royalties. I woke you up.
In a recent complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, seen by The Independent, the band and record label are being compensated for the more than 500 million streams they’ve amassed during their resurgence in popularity. claims that he has not been paid.
They are suing UMG for more than $200 million for breach of contract, fraudulent concealment, and copyright infringement. Durst is also representing the nu metal band and Flawless Records in seeking to void all contracts with UMG.
The Independent has contacted UMG for comment.
The five-piece “Break Stuff” band, consisting of lead singer and guitarist Durst, bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, and turntablist DJ Lethal, say in the lawsuit: He claimed that his assets have taken a huge hit every year since 2017. Despite not releasing any new music, it has experienced steady growth of 30-40 percent, peaking at around 68 percent in the last year alone.
“Despite this incredible ‘comeback,’ the band had not been paid a cent in royalties by UMG until the band filed suit against UMG,” the filing states.
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Wes Borland and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit perform in New York in 2022 (Getty Images)
Durst, 54, said in his lawsuit that the band has not received any royalties because UMG claims the royalties are being withheld to recoup the approximately $45 million it has invested in the band over the years. There is.
The lead singer is a former owner of Flip Records (the label Limp Bizkit signed to in 1996 before signing to UMG’s Interscope label in 2000). He added that he had no concerns until he revealed that he had received “millions of dollars.” Collected “dollars” from UMG over the years from the band’s assets.
“A review of the documents to which Plaintiffs had access shows that UMG has not provided a detailed explanation of the alleged collection costs, has billed collection costs for an unusually long period of time, and has issued no royalty statements at all for periods of time. “Including albums from when Limp Bizkit was selling millions of albums,” the lawsuit states.
In particular, UMG claims it failed to issue royalty statements from 1997 to 2004, when Limp Bizkit were at the height of their fame, when they sold the most records and received the most airplay on the radio. are.
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Limp Bizkit, formed in 1994 and known for hits such as “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)” and “Behind Blue Eyes,” announced their 2021 Lollapalooza performance on social media and in support of their latest album. As a result, its popularity has increased significantly. , but still no good.
