Universal Music Group and Virgin Music Group are facing a breach-of-contract lawsuit from The Game’s independent label, 100 Entertainment, over the promotion of his 2022 album Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mind.
The complaint, filed Wednesday, Sept. 30, claims UMG spent $179,000 of a promised $500,000 recoupable marketing budget for the project. According to 100 Entertainment, that shortfall left the album without nearly two-thirds of the promotional backing covered by the parties’ agreement.
100 Entertainment, which is run by The Game, whose legal name is Jayceon Terrell Taylor, had an exclusive distribution deal with UMG’s Virgin Music Group for Drillmatic. The label alleges that the defendants passed over important digital promotional opportunities and did not spend any of the marketing fund on radio promotion.
The lawsuit argues that those decisions harmed the album’s commercial results. 100 Entertainment is seeking at least $500,000 in damages for what it describes as the project’s “diminished commercial performance.”
Label says it used its own money to support the rollout
Beyond the disputed promotional spending, 100 Entertainment claims it had to contribute its own funds to keep the release campaign on schedule.
The label says it financed a “substantial portion” of the music video production for “Stupid,” The Game’s collaboration with Big Sean. According to the complaint, UMG has not reimbursed those costs.
Attorney Michael Trauben, representing 100 Entertainment, said in the filing that the alleged marketing shortfall affected the income the label expected the album to generate.
“Deprived of nearly two-thirds of its bargained-for promotional support during the critical release cycle, the album did not perform as it would have had Defendants administered the marketing and promotion fund as the parties approved,” Trauben wrote.
He continued: “Plaintiff thereby lost royalties, streaming and sales revenues, and related income that the album would have generated with the promised marketing support, in an amount to be proven at trial.”
The complaint says UMG and Virgin previously denied breaching their contract in legal communications with 100 Entertainment. A UMG representative did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the lawsuit Thursday, Oct. 1.
Drillmatic reached No. 12
Released in 2022, Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mind debuted at No. 12 on the U.S. albums chart that August. It remained on the chart for two weeks.
The 30-track release was The Game’s 11th solo studio album. Along with Big Sean, its roster of collaborators included Ye, formerly Kanye West, Fivio Foreign, Ty Dolla $ign, Roddy Ricch, Lil Wayne, French Montana, Tory Lanez, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Cam’ron, Rick Ross and Chris Brown.
The legal dispute now centers on whether UMG and Virgin fulfilled the promotional commitments attached to their distribution arrangement and what financial impact, if any, the alleged spending gap had on the album’s performance. While 100 Entertainment has set its damages request at no less than $500,000, the complaint says the full amount of allegedly lost royalties, streaming revenue, sales revenue and related income would be established at trial.