For any band, getting the chance to record an album and head on tour is a dream. And for a select few, that dream becomes a reality. Back in the 1990s, Limp Bizkit watched as their stardom took off thanks to singles like “Nookie”, “Break Stuff”, and “Take a Look Around.” Having released several albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide, one would think that the group was rolling in the money. But apparently, that wasn’t the case as the group wanted $200 million in royalties they claimed Universal Music Group hid from them.
With the lawsuit going in front of a judge, UMG hoped to have the case thrown out. But the court appeared to side with Limp Bizkit as their request was denied. According to the band, they “had not seen a dime in royalties.” They added that UMG purposely “concealed artists’ royalties” to keep the profits for themselves.
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Hearing the request to dismiss the case, Judge Percy Anderson wrote in a statement, “The Court denies the Motion to Dismiss challenging the sufficiency of the copyright claims. Defendant shall file its Answer to the copyright claims asserted in the 1st AC by no later than April 7, 2025.”
Limp Bizkit Accused UMG Of Using Band’s Popularity To Steal Royalties
In the lawsuit filed by Limp Bizkit, the band not only accused UMG of hiding funds but manipulating Fred Durst into taking part in the 25th anniversary release of the album Significant Other. Seeing it as nothing more than a cash grab, Durst insisted he did not approve of “new art, new tracks, unreleased tracks, new versions of songs, new mastering, or remixes, etc.”
Looking deeper into the lawsuit, it read, “The fact that UMG had sought to exploit Limp Bizkit’s assets shows that they knew that they would generate significant revenues due to the band’s newly reignited popularity.”
Knowing the popularity surrounding Limp Bizkit, the lawsuit accused UMG of taking advantage of the group while never paying royalties. “Thus, UMG knew that, although Limp Bizkit’s assets were generating millions in income for UMG and Flip Records, and could be further exploited to generate even more, that UMG had still never paid Limp Bizkit a cent in royalties on any of those assets.”
With the case moving forward, Limp Bizkit hoped to gain $200 million in unpaid royalties.
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