Limp Bizkit and frontman Fred Durst have filed a lawsuit against Universal Music for $200 million, claiming the band “never received any royalties” until recently.
In the lawsuit, filed on Tuesday (October 8th), Durst’s lawyers allege that Limp Bizkit and “possibly hundreds of other artists” have “unfairly had their royalties wrongfully withheld for years” due to a “fraudulent” system created by Universal Music.
The singer’s lawyers write in the suit, “Durst explained that he had been informed by UMG that he had not received any royalty statements because UMG told him over the years that it was not required to provide them since his account was still so far from recoupment. Durst’s representatives, suspicious that UMG was wrongfully claiming Plaintiffs’ accounts were unrecouped, suggested investigating further.”
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The suit adds, “UMG’s failure to issue royalty statements in particular from 1997-2004 — the height of the band’s fame and during periods in which they made record-breaking sales — with respect to its most popular albums suggests that UMG was intentionally concealing the true amount of sales, and therefore royalties, due and owing to Limp Bizkit in order to unfairly keep those profits for itself.”
Durst’s lawyers also questioned the record company’s accounting practices, saying that $199,676 was mysteriously charged to the band. UMG apparently argued that $43 million had been paid to the band in recoupable advances, explaining why Durst and his bandmates “had not been paid a single cent” until recently. The label did eventually release $1.03 million to the band and $2.3 million to Durst’s Flawless Records after the singer’s new legal representation called attention to the matter this past spring, but Durst’s lawyers claim the company owes the nu-metal act much more money.
“Given the vast amounts of money collected by UMG in relation to sales of Limp Bizkit’s and Flawless Records’ albums over the years … UMG is liable to plaintiffs for tens of millions of dollars in copyright infringement, if not more,” the suit continues, “Indeed, Plaintiffs allege that the amounts owed to them by UMG following the rescission of these agreements will easily surpass $200 million.”
According to Billboard, in addition to the unpaid royalties, the lawsuit is seeking to void the band’s record contract and give the band back the copyrights to its music. It is also seeking copyright infringement damages.
Limp Bizkit recently completed their headlining “Loserville” tour, but will be back on the road in 2025 when they support the next North American leg of Metallica’s “M72 World Tour.” Pick up tickets here.
