Streaming Giant Spotify Fires Back at Drake's Accusations

In a recent legal move, Spotify has rejected Drake's claims that the streaming company helped boost streams of Kendrick Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us" using illegal methods. Spotify labeled Drake's accusations as "legally deficient" and argued that they should be dismissed. Drake had alleged that Spotify used bots to generate 30, 000 streams for the song and that the company accepted undisclosed payments to promote Lamar's track. Spotify refuted these allegations in their court filings, stating that there was no arrangement between them and Universal Music Group (UMG) to manipulate streaming numbers. A Spotify employee, David Kaefer, supported this by pointing out that the company invests heavily in preventing and detecting artificial streaming activities. They also criticized Drake's legal approach, which involved filing "pre-action" petitions rather than full lawsuits. Spotify's legal team felt this was an attempt to bypass regular legal procedures. A Spotify spokesperson added that the company had no financial interest in promoting "Not Like Us" over Drake's tracks. When contacted, Drake's legal team responded that Spotify was trying to distance itself from UMG's alleged practices. They argued that if Spotify and UMG had nothing to hide, they should cooperate with the discovery request. UMG, for its part, has not yet filed an official response but maintained that it employs ethical marketing practices and that fans choose the music they listen to.