In a bitter open letter, the music giant, the record company Universal Music Group (UMG), has announced that it is breaking off negotiations with the TikTok platform, the Chinese social network, owned by ByteDance and whose headquarters are in Shanghai.
The current agreement between the two parties expires today, January 31, and there will be neither its renewal nor a new one, according to the exchange of communications between the two companies.
So the songs of the artists whose catalog the record company manages will no longer be available to TikTok users.
Starting tomorrow, the song library for the videos created and consumed by users of this social network will no longer include songs by Rosalía, Taylor Swift or Harry Styles, among many others.
The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elton John, U2 and Adele are just some of the groups and artists in the catalog managed by this music giant.
UMG's open letter, addressed to the community of songwriters and singers it represents, states that the three key points of the negotiation for Universal have been “fair compensation for artists and songwriters, the protection of creators from the harmful effects of Artificial Intelligence, and
online
security for TikTok users.”
The social network allows its users to make short videos to which they can add music and sound effects.
“TikTok's success as one of the most successful social media platforms in the world has been built largely on the music of our artists and songwriters.
Its executives have proudly said that 'music is at the heart of the TikTok experience its users enjoy,' notes UMG, 'and our analytics confirm that the majority of TikTok content has music, more than any other major platform".
Despite this, according to Universal, the Chinese platform proposed paying artists and composers “a fee that is a fraction of what other platforms pay,” it states without giving a clear figure.
The record company adds, as indicative of the terrible compensation that TikTok offers despite the rapid expansion of its immense number of users and the increase in advertising revenue, that today the income it receives from the social network represents only a 1% of the total amount received by UMG.
“Ultimately, TikTok is trying to build a business based on music without paying fairly for that music,” the letter denounces, adding to its harsh criticism the growing use of music created by AI.
“As our negotiations have progressed, TikTok has tried to force us to accept an agreement with less compensation than the previous one, well below market value and in no way reflective of its exponential growth.”
According to the record company, the Chinese giant's intimidation tactics have consisted, among other things, of removing artists from its library who are not yet established, while maintaining the big stars who attract the public.
“Their tactics are clear: use the platform to harm vulnerable artists and force us to accept,” the letter explains.
TikTok has released its response in which it regrets that Universal “has put its greed ahead of the interests of artists and composers.”
The Chinese company denounces the “falsehood” of the record company's speech: “They have decided to distance themselves from the powerful support of a platform with more than one billion users that serves as free promotion and a vehicle for the discovery of talent.”
TikTok claims that it has managed to reach agreements with the rest of the record companies, and in fact, something similar has happened with companies like Sony and Warner.