Iggy Azalea has taken to social media to call out Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming that the record label owes her millions in unpaid royalties. In a series of tweets posted on March 15, the Australian rapper accused UMG of withholding payments for her international music sales, alleging that the amount owed is in the “eight-figure range.”
According to Azalea, despite her long career and commercial success with hits like Fancy and Work, she has “never been paid a single royalty by UMG for anything outside of the USA.” She further criticized the label for allegedly exploiting artists who cannot afford legal battles, calling them “the scummiest company” in the industry.
Crazy how in my entire career I was never paid a single royalty by universal music for anything outside of the USA.
They owe me millions of dollars in back pay, that they technically stole from me, as per my contract Iam due payment.
The amount owed is in the 8 figure range.…— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) March 15, 2025
The controversy is part of a larger pattern of disputes between artists and major record labels over unpaid royalties. In 2024, Limp Bizkit sued UMG, alleging they were owed over $200 million. More recently, Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against the company, accusing it of manipulating the industry to promote Kendrick Lamar’s diss tracks against him.
While Azalea has been privately negotiating with UMG for two years over the issue, it remains unclear if she will take legal action. So far, UMG has not responded to her claims, but her outspokenness has reignited conversations about artists’ rights and transparency in the music industry.