Music From Universal Music Group Will No Longer Feature On TikTok

Universal Music Group will no longer allow its music on TikTok following the Wednesday expiration of a licensing deal between the two companies.

The takedown of UMG-related music began overnight. 

Universal Music Group is literally the largest record label ... in the history of the music industry,” said Andrew Mall, an associate professor of music at Northeastern University. An “uncountable number of tracks and sounds” would be impacted on TikTok, he added, significantly limiting options for creators."

The expiration of licensing between UMG and TikTok arrived after the two companies were unable to reach a new agreement — and soon shared heated exchanges.

In a Tuesday letter addressed to artists and songwriters, UMG said that it had been pressing TikTok on three issues: “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”

UMG said that TikTok proposed paying its artists and songwriters at a rate that’s a fraction of the rate that other major social platforms pay, adding that TikTok makes up only about 1% of its total revenue. The music giant also took issue with TikTok’s promotion of AI music creation — which UMG says poses risks to human artists — and the platform’s record with what it says is hate speech, bigotry, bullying and harassment.

TikTok pushed back against claims by UMG, saying that it has reached “artist-first” agreements with every other label and publisher.

“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” TikTok said.

Despite the licensing deal’s expiration, experts note that we’re still a moment of negotiation between UMG and TikTok — and it probably won’t last forever.

“We’ve seen this movie before. It’s a wonderful, theatrical stand-off between two very major corporations ... who are wanting to assert their authority on the landscape,” said former president of UMG’s Virgin EMI Records Ted Cockle, who now runs music advisory company called Mussel Music Management.

Credit: NEW YORK (AP).