Universal Music Group has reached a settlement to end a $500 million lawsuit accusing Believe and TuneCore of “massive” infringement by distributing sped-up or remixed knockoffs of tracks by Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and others.
The lawsuit, filed in 2024, claimed that Believe and its TuneCore unit were “overrun with fraudulent artists” and had “turned a blind eye” to it. The French music firm has strongly denied the accusations, saying it takes “respect of copyright very seriously.”
In court filings on Friday (April 3), attorneys for both UMG and Believe asked a federal judge to dismiss the case. It was unclear if Believe had agreed to pay any money to UMG, or to alter any of the practices at issue in the lawsuit. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed publicly, and neither side immediately commented on the deal or shared details.
Founded in 2005 by Denis Ladegaillerie, a former Vivendi executive, Believe has grown substantially in recent years by focusing on large European markets and developing markets globally. From 2020 to 2024, its revenue rose 124% to $1.05 billion, and it launched a new publishing arm in October. In 2015, Believe bought TuneCore, a popular distribution service for self-releasing artists.
But in 2024, UMG claimed in its lawsuit that Believe and TuneCore had been able to “achieve dramatic growth and profitability” by turning themselves into “a hub for the distribution of infringing copies of the world’s most popular copyrighted recordings.” The music giant said it would seek a whopping $500 million in damages from Believe over the alleged illegal conduct.
Joined in filing the case by ABKCO and Concord Music Group, UMG claimed that Believe’s catalog included phony tracks by “Kendrik Laamar,” “Arriana Gramde” and “Jutin Biber,” songs that were “overtly infringing versions” of the originals, often only lightly remixed or sped up. And it claimed Believe knew about it, but had agreed to distribute “anyone willing to sign one of its basic form agreements.”
“Believe’s illicit strategy to accumulate and monetize a vast catalog of infringing recordings has been wildly successful,” UMG’s lawyers wrote at the time. “While Believe is fully aware that its business model is fueled by rampant piracy, it has eschewed basic measures to prevent copyright violations and turned a blind eye to the fact that its music catalog was rife with [infringement].”
As Billboard‘s Kristin Robinson wrote at the time, the lawsuit not only made major accusations about Believe and TuneCore, but also raised big questions about the business model of DIY distribution as a whole: “These problems are definitely not unique to TuneCore,” one expert said.
But the case essentially never got underway. The litigation almost immediately went into settlement talks that lasted for more than a year, and in December, both sides said they had reached “a tentative settlement in principle on many of the key issues” and the case was formally paused to allow them to finalize a deal.
