Universal Music Group hopes to dismiss $200 million lawsuit from Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst

26 Nov 2024, 11:53 · louder

By Matt Mills
( Metal Hammer )
published 26 November 2024

Durst’s suit claims the multinational behemoth tried to short Limp Bizkit and possibly “hundreds” of other artists out of owed royalties

(Image credit: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

Universal Music Group is trying to dismiss Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst’s lawsuit pursuing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

The multinational corporation has responded to the suit, which seeks $200 million and alleges it has withheld royalties from artists. According to a Rolling Stone report, UMG says it is “based on a fallacy”. It also claimed in its motion to dismiss the suit, “Plaintiffs’ entire narrative that UMG tried to conceal royalties is a fiction.”

Durst filed his suit against UMG last month, arguing that the company was using software which reduced the royalties it paid to artists. “[UMG has] designed and implemented royalty software and systems that were deliberately designed to conceal artists’ royalties and keep those profits for itself,” the suit read.

The singer added that he had “not seen a dime” in royalties from UMG and demanded that Limp Bizkit receive full ownership of their music. Durst also claimed the fraudulent financing affected not just his band, but potentially “hundreds” of other artists.

UMG’s response says the allegations are all he said, she said bullshit. It claims to have access to emails which “eviscerate” the fraud claims. A representative for Limp Bizkit has clapped back against that clap-back, saying, “We believe UMG is using a typical, formulaic, well-trodden strategy of reaching for any escape route by desperately grasping at technicalities.”

As the legal battle rages on, Limp Bizkit are preparing for a stacked 2025. They will headline shows in the UK and Ireland in March and then support Metallica across North America during the spring and summer.

If a recent Instagram story from Durst is to be believed, the band are also hard at work on a new studio album, their first since 2021 comeback Still Sucks. In it, the frontman is seen saying, “Oh shit, in the studio with [drummer] John Otto … we ’bout to lay it down with those drumsticks dawg. Let’s get that funky funky. Let’s get that Limp Bizkit popping off!”

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Matt Mills
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

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