Universal Music Threatens To Millions Of Songs From TikTok Amid Licensing Dispute
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Roshan Amiri
- . February 1, 2024
- . Update: February 1, 2024 5:03 pm
Universal Music Group (UMG), the largest music company in the world, is planning to remove its songs from TikTok. This decision comes after their music licensing agreement with TikTok ended.
UMG and TikTok haven’t agreed on new terms yet. UMG earns money when its songs are played on platforms like TikTok, through royalty payments.
UMG’s decision was explained in a letter to artists and songwriters. The letter mentions three main concerns.
- First, UMG wants fair payment for artists and songwriters.
- Second, they want to protect artists from the risks of AI technology.
- Third, they aim to ensure online safety for TikTok users.
Universal Music Group says its main goal is to support artists and songwriters to reach their full potential. However, they feel TikTok is not offering a fair deal.
TikTok’s proposed payment is much lower than what other similar platforms pay. Even though TikTok is a huge platform with over a billion users, it only makes up about 1% of UMG’s revenue.
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TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, allows users to create short videos. It’s one of the most popular social media apps worldwide. In response to UMG’s decision, TikTok expressed disappointment.
They accused UMG of being greedy and not considering the interests of artists and songwriters. TikTok argues that it is a valuable platform for promoting and discovering new talent.
TikTok also stated that they have successfully negotiated agreements with all other labels and publishers. They believe UMG’s actions are not in the best interest of artists, songwriters, or fans.
Universal Music Group (UMG) owns the rights to music by famous artists like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and many others. Their removal from TikTok could have a big impact on both the platform and its users.
