AceShowbiz - Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, with his band, has embarked on a legal battle against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the music giant of deliberately withholding millions in royalties.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles' Central District, Durst claims that UMG implemented royalty software designed to conceal millions owed to the band. According to the complaint, UMG owes Limp Bizkit approximately $200 million in unpaid royalties, despite the band's resurgent popularity, boasting over 450 million streams on Spotify in 2024 alone without releasing new music.

The lawsuit states that UMG's system "systematically prevented artists from being paid their royalties," and alleges the label had no intention of paying Limp Bizkit from the outset. Durst, who only started probing into the band's royalties after UMG reached out about anniversary re-releases, discovered that UMG had fraudulently reclassified payable accounts as unrecouped to avoid payment.

Further investigations by Durst's new legal team found suspicious activities, such as one account for a music video from Limp Bizkit's fourth album, which showed a significant payable balance in Q2 of 2022, mysteriously turning into a deficit by Q4. This prompted Durst to demand immediate payment and the return of master recordings, but UMG attributed the discrepancies to technical issues with their new software.

Adding to the controversy, it was revealed that Flip Records, the label that initially signed Limp Bizkit, had been making millions through a profit-sharing arrangement with UMG, with none of the funds reaching the band. This led Durst to claim the gross underpayment of the band's royalties and question UMG's $43 million advance expenditure, which his team only substantiated to $13.1 million.

Despite UMG eventually paying Limp Bizkit and Flawless Records (Durst's label) sums of $1.03 million and $2.3 million respectively, the lawsuit pressed on. By the end of September, Durst and his team sought to terminate their contract with UMG, which hasn't been accepted, forcing them to file the suit to reclaim the owed amounts and assert control over their music.

This lawsuit doesn't only highlight Limp Bizkit's plight but also hints at a broader issue possibly affecting hundreds of other artists, as the complaint alleges widespread deceptive practices by UMG. The band is seeking damage relief, amounting to over $200 million, and the termination of their contracts.

UMG has so far declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.