As Drake prepares to celebrate the May 15 launch of his long-awaited new album ‘Iceman,’ he’s been given even more reason to raise a glass after reports confirmed a payola lawsuit mentioning him has been put on ice by a federal judge.

A lawsuit accusing Spotify of boosting streams by Drake, Justin Bieber, and other artists has been dismissed with prejudice by a federal judge, meaning it cannot be re-filed over similar allegations.

For clarity, Drizzy (born Aubrey Graham) and Bieber – though mentioned specifically – were never listed as defendants.

Filed in November by a subscriber to the streaming giant named Genevieve Capolongo, the case alleged Spotify’s ‘Discovery Mode’ is a form of illegal payola and that the platform deceives users by promoting playlists that have been purchased by major labels.

The judge tossed the case after pointing to Capolongo signing an enforceable arbitration agreement with Spotify which waived the right to sue via the courts and instead requires the signer to seek resolution via private arbitration.

While the case outlined above is a contextual win for Drizzy, he’s not off the hook from a separate lawsuit also filed in November against Spotify for similar allegations.

As reported here, rapper RBX (born Eric Dwayne Collins) sued the streamer on behalf of himself and “a similarly situated class of music recording artists, songwriters, performers, and other music rights holders” who earn income on Spotify on claims of streaming fraud that benefit major-label artists like Drake.

Again, Drizzy – though mentioned – is not a co-defendant in this case either.

“Spotify in no way benefits from the industry-wide challenge of artificial streaming. We heavily invest in always-improving, best-in-class systems to combat it and safeguard artist payouts with strong protections like removing fake streams, withholding royalties, and charging penalties,” a spokesperson said in response to news of the lawsuit.

At writing, a verdict on the RBX suit is pending.

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