Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst filed a $200 million lawsuit against Universal Music Group for unpaid royalties.
The lawsuit, filed in California federal court on Tuesday, says UMG used a dishonest policy to hide royalties from artists and keep the money. It also seeks compensation for other artists linked to Durst’s Flawless Records.
Durst says he has never received royalties from Universal. Limp Bizkit has sold over 45 million records. Their songs have been streamed over 450 million times on Spotify this year. Durst and the band want $20 million in damages. They believe Universal owes them more than $200 million.
UMG allegedly told Durst’s team that $43 million still needs to be paid back before he can get royalties. Because of this, Universal said they don’t have to pay royalties yet. Durst’s team later found out that Flip Records, the band’s old label, has made millions from sharing profits with Universal.
“Given the vast amounts of money collected by UMG in relation to sales of Limp Bizkit’s and Flawless Records’ albums over the years … UMG is liable to plaintiffs for tens of millions of dollars in copyright infringement, if not more,” the lawsuit read. “Indeed, Plaintiffs allege that the amounts owed to them by UMG following the rescission of these agreements will easily surpass $200 million.”
“UMG’s creation of such a system, while holding itself out as a company that prides itself on investing in and protecting its artists, makes Plaintiffs’ discovery of UMG’s scheme all the more appalling and unsettling,” the suit also said.
The band says their assets grew by 68 percent in the past year, compared to 30 to 40 percent in earlier years. They note that this rise in popularity happened without releasing new music, but the company has still deceived them.
Durst wants to cancel their contracts with UMG for both Limp Bizkit and his label, Flawless Records. The group is suing for breaking the contract, hiding information, copyright infringement, and other issues.