Lawsuit Accusing Spotify Of Fabricating Drake's Streams Has Been Dismissed

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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Lawsuit Accusing Spotify Fabricating Drake Streams Dismissed
Nov 2, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canadian recording artist Drake (center, black outfit) watches the action between the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
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This is a separate lawsuit to the one from RBX, who also accused Spotify of boosting Drake's streams on the platform.

Drake is sadly facing a few legal battles ahead of the release of his new album ICEMAN. But the most recent update regarding him in court connects to a class action lawsuit that only mentions him rather than placing him as a codefendant.

Per The OVO Docket on Twitter, a federal judge in the United States District Court's Southern District of New York dismissed a lawsuit from plaintiff Genevieve Capolongo that accused Spotify of artificially inflating Drizzy's streams on the platform. This is a separate lawsuit to RBX's claims alleging similar conduct.

These specific "pay for play" scheme accusations saw a dismissal with prejudice, meaning the court closed the door on a refile over similar allegations. Reportedly, no discovery in the case occurred.

According to this report, the federal judge's ruling pointed to Capolongo signing an enforceable arbitration agreement with the streaming service. This agreement reportedly waived the right to sue and stipulated any dispute must find resolution via private arbitration.

To be clear, the Toronto superstar never became a defendant in this case, so the legal pursuit has nothing to do with him directly. He was one of many massive artists the plaintiff accused Spotify of artificially boosting via fake streams.

Drake's Spotify Streams

Amid these claims and others, Drake is doing great on Spotify. He recently set the record for most streams in a single day in 2026 for a rapper, with 57.8 million.

Funnily enough, Drake's launched botting claims against Spotify before, specifically in relation to his "Not Like Us" defamation lawsuit. He continues to appeal its dismissal and argue Kendrick Lamar's diss track ruined his reputation. The OVO mogul more significantly places the blame on UMG for distributing and promoting the track.

Drake also faces other botting claims regarding Spotify, but these connect more to his involvement in lawsuits against Stake. Various legal moves accused him, the online casino, DJ Akademiks, Adin Ross, and more of defrauding users via an illegal gambling scheme.

With this most recent dismissal in mind, it seems like these inflation accusations won't lead anywhere anytime soon. All the while, fans and haters alike continue to build anticipation or criticism for ICEMAN, which drops in two weeks.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.

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