Every artist who's been handed a marketing budget on paper has wondered where it went. The Game is asking a court.
## The filing His company, 100 Entertainment, sued Universal Music Group and Virgin Music Group in California Superior Court on Sept. 30, seeking $500,000, per AceShowbiz citing Billboard's report. The claim: the parties agreed to a $500,000 marketing budget for Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind, the 30-track album Game released Aug. 12, 2022, and Virgin spent about $179,000 of it. Attorney Michael Trauben's complaint says nothing went to the $125,000 radio line and that key digital pieces were skipped; Digital Music News puts the shortfall at about $320,000.
## Who paid for the rollout The suit says 100 Entertainment covered marketing expenses out of pocket to keep the rollout on schedule, including the campaign for "Stupid" with Big Sean, and that UMG never reimbursed those costs. Digital Music News reports the complaint adds that the money Game fronted was later recouped from his royalties. Translation: he paid to market the label's release, then paid again.
## What the label says UMG and Virgin denied any breach in earlier communications with 100 Entertainment, per Billboard via AceShowbiz. Neither company had commented publicly on the lawsuit as of Friday. Drillmatic debuted at No. 12 with a first week of roughly 25,000 units, per Digital Music News, which the suit argues reflects an album "deprived of nearly two-thirds" of the support it was promised.

## The read This is the ownership story under every label deal. A "budget" in a distribution contract is a promise about someone else's money, and the artist usually can't audit it without a lawsuit. The $500,000 number is small by major-label standards. The discovery is the point: if the case gets to documents, every independent with a Virgin or UMG services deal will be reading them.
## Sources - AceShowbiz, Oct. 3, 2026: The Game sues UMG and Virgin Music for $500K over Drillmatic marketing - Digital Music News, Oct. 1, 2026: The Game sues Virgin and UMG - TMZ, Oct. 1, 2026: The Game's record label lawsuit
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