Limp Bizkit is suing UMG for $200 million in unpaid royalties
Universal Music Group is getting into some Hot Dog Flavored Water with Limp Bizkit. Fred Durst, the frontman of the nu metal band, is suing the label for $200 million in damages because, he alleges, the company neglected to pay him millions in royalties. The complaint, in which he also asks for the return of Limp Bizkit's copyrights, was filed in Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday. According to Bloomberg, Durst isn't stopping with just his own band. He's taking his he says/she says bullshit all the way up the ladder to protect other bands that worked with UMG under his Flawless Records label as well.
Per the outlet, Durst maintains that he's never received any royalties from Universal throughout his career, despite the fact that the band has sold over 45 million records and is experiencing a renewed surge in popularity due to streaming. It seems like lots of people are just doing it for the nookie, because the band has already received 450 million streams so far this year.
UMG has countered by claiming that Durst still owes them money. Apparently, the label paid the band an advance to cover recording and other album rollout costs, that was meant to be paid back before the band started receiving royalties. The company is alleging that they are still $43 million in debt to Durst, and the band hasn't received any royalty statements since they are "not required to provide them since his account was still so far from recoupment."
The plot thickens, however. Bloomberg explains that Durst's team discovered that Flip Records, the original label that had signed Limp Bizkit, had allegedly been paid millions through profit sharing with UMG, while Durst had received nothing. Further, when the team logged into a UMG database to view Durst's statements, the complaint claims that they found over $1 million in earnings that had not yet been paid. UMG is apparently blaming this oversight on a software error.
This suit is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to really shake the music industry if what Durst is claiming is true. Our biggest question now is whether Durst will draw on his experience acting in I Saw The TV Glow to play himself in the movie adaptation, or whether the inevitable future studio will go in a different direction. Timothée Chalamet might want to start preparing for his next great music biopic now.