Fred Durst, frontman of Limp Bizkit, has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the record label of withholding millions in royalties owed to the band.
As per Rolling Stone, the suit, filed in federal court, alleges that UMG implemented a royalty system designed to conceal artists’ earnings and retain profits for itself.
Durst claims that despite Limp Bizkit selling over 45 million records and experiencing a recent resurgence with 450 million streams in 2024, he has never received royalty payments from UMG. The lawsuit suggests that UMG owes the band as much as $200 million and demands that Durst and Limp Bizkit receive sole ownership of their music copyrights.
The legal action was sparked when Durst’s team discovered two previously undisclosed accounts totalling about $1 million payable to the band. Further investigation revealed that UMG had allegedly failed to provide accounting for royalties and unrecouped costs related to several of the band’s albums and music videos from their peak years.
The suit also claims that UMG had overdrafted some of Limp Bizkit’s accounts, turning them from profitable to unrecouped. In one instance, an account for a music video from the band’s fourth album showed a six-figure payable balance in mid-2022, only to be six figures in debt two quarters later.
Durst’s Flawless Records, which signed artists like Puddle of Mudd and She Wants Revenge, reportedly never received any profit share from UMG for those releases either.
In July, Durst’s lawyers contacted UMG, claiming the label had “grossly underpaid” the band and requesting payment from their accounts and the return of their master recordings. UMG initially attributed the payment issues to a technical problem with new software and later stated that the band had received $43 million in advances since signing, resulting in a longer recoupment period.
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However, Durst’s team claims they could only find recoupable charges totalling about $13.1 million in the limited royalty statements available to them. In August, UMG paid Limp Bizkit and Flawless Records $1,038,321.87 and $2,348,060 respectively, which the suit alleges were the first payments ever received.
The lawsuit includes claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and copyright infringement against UMG. Durst and his team filed to terminate the contract in September, but UMG has not accepted, leading to this legal action.
