AUXIO ENTERTAINMENT NEWS — The company behind rapper The Game has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Virgin Music, alleging the labels failed to spend most of a promised $500,000 marketing and promotion budget for his 2022 album Drillmatic — Heart vs. Mind.
According to the complaint, The Game’s company, 100 Entertainment Inc., says the parties approved a detailed promotional budget shortly before the album’s release, including money for music videos, digital advertising, international promotion and $125,000 for radio.
The lawsuit alleges only about $179,000 of the $500,000 budget was actually spent, leaving more than $320,000 unused. It further claims none of the $125,000 earmarked for radio promotion was spent.
100 Entertainment also alleges that money which was spent on promotion was later recouped from The Game’s royalties, and that the company had to use some of its own funds to keep the album rollout moving.
The company argues that the reduced promotional support hurt Drillmatic during its critical release window and contributed to weaker sales and streaming performance.
The album debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 in 2022 and reportedly moved about 25,000 equivalent album units in its first week.
100 Entertainment is seeking at least $500,000 in damages for alleged breach of contract and what it describes as diminished commercial performance.
According to reporting on the complaint, UMG and Virgin have previously denied that they breached the agreement.
The lawsuit adds another business dispute to the long-running debate in hip-hop over label marketing commitments, recoupment and how much promotional support artists actually receive after a release is delivered.
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