Limp Bizkit is taking Universal Music Group to court, seeking a staggering $200 million in unpaid royalties. The complaint, which Pitchfork has obtained, alleges that UMG’s royalty systems may be withholding payments not just from Limp Bizkit, but possibly from “hundreds of other artists” as well.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and asserts that since the band’s revival in popularity, they have not received any streaming royalties from nearly half a billion streams. Fred Durst, the band’s frontman, is aiming to nullify all contracts with UMG, as Limp Bizkit and Flawless Records—Durst’s independent label—pursue claims of breach of contract, fraudulent concealment, and copyright infringement among other allegations.
The legal action reveals that Limp Bizkit has experienced a year-on-year growth of 30-40% in assets since 2017, with a notable surge of about 68% in the last year alone. This comes despite the fact that the band has not issued any new music. According to the lawsuit, “Despite this tremendous comeback, the band had still not been paid a single cent by UMG in any royalties until taking action against UMG.” The complaint claims UMG has deliberately created royalty software intended to obscure artists’ earnings, thus retaining those profits for itself. It also suggests that this systematic issue may impact a wide range of other artists who have similarly seen their royalties withheld.
Durst, who changed legal representation in April 2024, stated he only grew suspicious after learning from the former owner of Flip Records—who first signed Limp Bizkit in 1996—that Flip had reportedly received substantial funds from UMG connected to the band’s assets in recent years. The lawsuit indicates that UMG has not provided sufficient accounting for the alleged $43 million they claimed to have spent on the band over the years, nor have they issued royalty statements for significant periods, particularly from 1997 to 2004, when Limp Bizkit was at the peak of their success.
Furthermore, the suit mentions that UMG’s statements indicated that Limp Bizkit’s 2005 album, Greatest Hitz, yielded no positive royalties due to unrecouped losses as late as the end of 2022. The lawsuit also highlights UMG’s failure to provide detailed royalty statements for the band’s fourth album, alongside their music videos using the Master Recordings during key periods.
This legal battle not only seeks to address the financial reckoning for Limp Bizkit but also raises broader questions about transparency and fairness in the music industry regarding artist royalties.