Soon the catalog of songs offered by TikTok may be reduced... On the Chinese platform, it will no longer be possible to choose the music of American superstars Taylor Swift or The Weeknd to illustrate your videos.
The main global major in the music industry, Universal Music Group (UMG), announced that it was withdrawing its songs from TikTok after the failure of negotiations with the platform, particularly on the remuneration of artists and songwriters.
In an open letter on Tuesday, Universal accused TikTok of "trying to build a business based on music, without paying fair value for the music."
The two sides discussed the terms of a new deal, with the existing contract set to expire on Wednesday.
But the agreement was not renewed.
TikTok reacted by saying it was “sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group put its own greed before the interests of its artists,” according to a press release.
Among the issues raised during the negotiations were "appropriate compensation" for artists and songwriters, online security for users, as well as protecting artists from the harms of artificial intelligence, the letter added. UMG.
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But as negotiations progressed, “TikTok attempted to intimidate us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, well below fair market value and not reflecting its growth exponential,” Universal said.
According to a source close to the matter who requested anonymity, all music labeled Universal “will be removed from TikTok in the coming days, starting January 31.”
1% of Universal's turnover
Universal said TikTok was offering to pay "a rate that is only a fraction of the rate paid by major platforms in a similar situation."
The major record labels in fact receive royalties from streaming platforms and social networks.
Calling Universal's statements "false", TikTok believes that the record company has "chosen to turn away from the powerful support of a platform that has more than a billion users and which serves as a vehicle for promotion and free discovery for their talents.”
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Although TikTok has a large number of users, it only represents around 1% of Universal's total revenue, UMG further denounced in its letter.
Universal notes other issues such as the presence of a large number of AI-generated recordings on the TikTok platform.