DJ Khaled is threatening to sue Billboard after his album failed to hit #1
DJ Khaled is considering taking legal action against Billboard for unfairly disqualified sales.
The renowned producer is reportedly considering legal action against Billboard over a claim that 100 000 Father of Ashad album sales were unfairly disqualified from the chart running thus preventing him from hitting the #1 spot.
Instead the album peaked at #2, trailing behind Tyler the Creator’s critically acclaimed album IGOR, which didn’t bode too well for Khaled being the passionate producer he is.
In a since-deleted Instagram post he ranted about “mysterious s**t” in apparent reference to Tyler’s music, claiming: “I make albums so people can play it and you actually hear it.
“You know, driving your car you hear another car playing it, go to the barbershop you hear them playing it, turn the radio on and you hear them playing it, it’s playing everywhere,” Khaled said.
I tried to tell y’all DJ Khaled felt a type of way about losing to Tyler when he posted then deleted this on IG 😂 pic.twitter.com/MNTjqSuoMt
— Dwayne Ducky (@Pink_Marse) June 6, 2019
Bundle deals
The discrepancy in album sales has to do with bundle deals- where artists offer downloads alongside merchandise- a standard yet controversial practice to boost sales.
Reportedly, Billboard agreed to count Khaled’s bundle deal sales but later backtracked due to “anomalies” in the figures.
A source close to Khaled alleged the situation was more unjust because Tyler the Creator’s bundle deal sales were included in his total sales.
Billboard’s president Deanna Brown said that “In this particular instance, we saw an organization encouraging purchases among their members by promising them material and organizational benefits.”
Desiree Perez, chief operating officer at Khaled’s management company Roc Nation, told the Times:
“We dispute their decision on behalf of DJ Khaled and, frankly, every artist who is forced to navigate bundling an album download with an inexpensive item that still effectively represents their brand,” she said.
Billboard has announced it has reviewed its rules regarding bundle deals and will outline a new policy for 2020.
Whether DJ Khaled bundle sales will be qualified stands uncertain, although that is the only thing he’s after.
Sourced