Spotify Fires Back At Drake: Calls 'Artificially Inflated Streams' Allegation Over Kendrick Lamar's Hit Unfounded
Spotify Fires Back At Drake: Calls 'Artificially Inflated Streams' Allegation Over Kendrick Lamar's Hit Unfounded
Drake's company Spotify Technology SA (NYSE:SPOT) has strongly denied allegations from Drake that it "artificially inflated" streaming numbers for rival artist Kendrick Lamar's track "Not Like Us."
Spotify科技公司（紐交所：SPOT）強烈否認了德雷克的指控，稱其對競爭對手肯德里克·拉馬爾的歌曲《Not Like Us》進行了「人爲誇大」的播放數字。
What Happened: In opposition papers filed, Spotify stated it "has no economic incentive" to favor Lamar's track over Drake's music, reported Variety.
發生了什麼：Spotify在提交的對立文件中表示，它「沒有經濟動力」來偏袒拉馬爾的歌曲，選擇德雷克的音樂，Variety報道。
"Marquee was purchased on behalf of the song, for €500 to promote the track in France. Marquee is a visual ad that is disclosed to users as a Sponsored Recommendation," stated a Spotify spokesperson.
Spotify的一位發言人表示：「Marquee是爲這首歌購買的，花費500歐元在法國推廣這首歌曲。Marquee是一種視覺廣告，向用戶披露爲推薦廣告。」
Drake's company Frozen Moments had previously filed a petition claiming that Spotify and Universal Music Group (OTC:UMGNF) artificially boosted Lamar's streaming numbers.
德雷克的公司Frozen Moments之前提交了一份請願，聲稱Spotify和環球音樂集團（場外交易：UMGNF）人爲提升了拉馬爾的播放數字。
The petition alleged UMG offered Spotify a 30% discount on licensing rates in exchange for promoting "Not Like Us," a claim both companies deny.
請願書聲稱，UMG向Spotify提供30%的許可費折扣，以換取推廣《Not Like Us》，這一說法被兩家公司都否認。
Earlier, Universal Music Group rejected the accusations as "offensive and untrue," underscoring their commitment to ethical marketing practices. A UMG spokesperson stated that fan choice, not manipulation, drives streaming numbers.
早些時候，環球音樂集團拒絕了這一指控，稱其「冒犯且不真實」，強調他們對道德營銷實踐的承諾。一位UMG發言人表示，推動播放數字的是粉絲的選擇，而不是操控。
Drake's legal team responded through a statement to Variety, challenging both companies to comply with discovery requests if they have "nothing to hide."
德雷克的法律團隊通過一份聲明回應Variety，挑戰這兩家公司，如果他們「沒有什麼好隱瞞的」，就應遵守發現請求。
Why It Matters: The dispute has expanded beyond streaming numbers, with Drake filing a separate action in Texas alleging defamation and improper radio promotion practices.
爲什麼這很重要：爭議已經超出了播放數字，德雷克在德克薩斯州提起了另一項訴訟，指控誹謗和不當的廣播推廣行爲。
Neither artist is directly signed to UMG, instead licensing their music through their own companies – Drake's OVO and Lamar's pgLang – to Universal labels for marketing and distribution.
兩位藝術家都不是直接與UMG簽約，而是通過他們自己的公司——德雷克的OVO和拉馬爾的pgLang——將他們的音樂授權給環球公司的營銷和發行。
Sources familiar with the matter suggest that Drake's petition primarily targets Universal — the label responsible for distributing his music since his 2009 debut with Lil Wayne's Young Money — rather than Spotify, iHeart, or Lamar himself, the report noted.
熟悉此事的消息來源指出，德雷克的申請主要針對環球——自2009年與小韋恩的Young Money首演以來負責發行他音樂的唱片公司——而不是Spotify、iHeart或拉馬爾本人，報告指出。
However, the timing of the legal action, revolving around a song tied to the prolonged feud between the two artists, seems far from coincidental.
然而，這項法律行動的時機與兩位藝術家之間長期爭端相關的歌曲似乎遠非巧合。
"Not Like Us" stands out as a diss track that not only climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 but also secured multiple nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards.
"Not Like Us"作爲一首不和諧曲目脫穎而出，不僅登上了Billboard Hot 100的榜首，還獲得了2025年格萊美獎的多個提名。
Price Action: Spotify's stock rose by 1.48% on Friday, closing at $460.88. Year-to-date, the company's shares have skyrocketed 144.11%, significantly outperforming the Nasdaq 100 index, which has gained 28.68% during the same timeframe, according to Benzinga Pro data.
價格走勢：Spotify的股價在週五上漲了1.48%，收於460.88美元。今年迄今，該公司的股票飆升了144.11%，明顯超過同期上漲28.68%的納斯達克100指數，數據來源於Benzinga Pro。
- Jim Cramer Warns Nvidia's 'Vicious' And 'Fast' Reversal Is Coming Amid 174% Surge This Year And China Antitrust Probe
- 吉姆·克萊默警告稱，英偉達在今年上漲174%之際，'惡性'和'迅速'的反轉即將到來，且面臨中國反壟斷調查。
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
免責聲明：此內容部分由Benzinga Neuro生成，並由Benzinga編輯審核和發佈。
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
照片提供：Shutterstock
