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Louise Thomas
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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 company behemoth of withholding music streaming royalties.
In a recent complaint filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, seen by The Independent, the band and record label claim they have not been paid for more than half a billion streams they’ve amassed amid their resurgence in popularity.
They are suing UMG for more than $200m for breach of contract, fraudulent concealment and copyright infringement, among other issues. Durst is also seeking to void all contracts with UMG on behalf of the nu metal band and Flawless Records.
The Independent has contacted UMG for comment.
The five-piece “Break Stuff” band – comprised of lead singer and guitarist Durst, bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland and turntablist DJ Lethal – have claimed in the suit that every year since 2017, their assets have experienced a steady growth of 30 to 40 percent and peaked at around 68 percent in the last year alone, despite not having released any new music.
“Despite this tremendous ‘come back,’ the band had still not been paid a single cent by UMG in any royalties until taking action against UMG,” the filing reads.
Durst, 54, explains in the lawsuit that the band hadn’t received royalties because UMG claimed it was being withheld to recover approximately $45m that the company invested in the band over the years.
The lead singer adds that he didn’t raise any concern until the former owner of Flip Records – the label Limp Bizkit was previously signed to in 1996 before they signed with UMG’s Interscope label in 2000 – revealed to him that Flip Records had received “millions of dollars” from UMG over the years from band’s assets.
“In reviewing the documents Plaintiffs had access to, they discovered that UMG had not provided a detailed accounting of its alleged recoupment costs, had claimed recoupment costs for an extraordinarily long time, and had failed to issue any royalty statements at all for certain periods, including those during which Limp Bizkit was selling millions of albums,” the lawsuit says.
Notably, it alleges that UMG failed to issue royalty statements during Limp Bizkit’s height of fame from 1997 to 2004 – when they sold the most records, had the most radio plays and more.
Formed in 1994, Limp Bizkit, best known for hits including “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)” and “Behind Blue Eyes,” has experienced a significant jump in popularity thanks to social media and their 2021 Lollapalooza performance in support of their latest album, Still Sucks.
