“I hope it’s just temporary. This is really bad news for developing artists
,” judges Artemisia Toussaint.
The 21-year-old signed with Universal a year ago for the distribution of her first two singles.
Since the breakup between Universal and Tiktok, the young artist can no longer promote her music on the social network.
On Spotify, she has nearly 110,000 plays and
“half of my listeners have listened to my music thanks to
TikTok ,
”
she estimates.
In a statement at the end of January, Universal accused TikTok
“of building a business based on music, without paying fair value for the music”
.
The major accuses the Chinese social network in particular of having exerted pressure so that future remunerations are less attractive than those set in the previous agreement.
Universal therefore estimates that the rights paid are lower than those of other platforms such as Spotify.
Tiktok is not a platform for music but for creative and entertaining content, retort the Chinese, who forget a little quickly that the application absorbed the old social network Musically, whose success came from the choreography clips created by users on great hits.
The application also judges that the exposure offered to artists thanks to its 1.2 billion users is incomparable.
“Tiktok makes it easier to discover new sounds and artists, which accompany these videos, much more than all other digital platforms, streaming services or recommendations from friends,”
says Fabien Laxague, communications director of TikTok France and Spain.
Taylor Swift, BTS, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna...
There was an urgent need to conclude a new contract, the previous one expiring on January 31.
Due to lack of agreement, TikTok and its users are now deprived of all the compositions of Universal artists.
And among these, heavyweights like Taylor Swift, BTS, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Bieber, Drake, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Weekend, Selena Gomez etc.
On the French-speaking side, we find: Angèle, Eddy de Pretto, Clara Luciani, Dadju, Maes, Bigflo & Oli, Vitaa & Slimane, Kendji Girac, Louane…
A sign that tensions are far from eased, TikTok considers it
“sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put its own greed before the interests of its artists”
.
Flowery language for official business communication.
“We have established partnerships with the main labels, publishers, collecting societies etc.
Our music rights teams are in constant dialogue with rights holders around the world to ensure that music creators and performing artists are remunerated when their music is used
,” add representatives of the Chinese company.
In the sector of streaming platforms and social networks, the remuneration of artists and their label is negotiated over-the-counter, contract by contract.
At Tiktok, for example, the number of views can be monetized in the event of a commercial partnership with a brand.
More generally, “content creators” with more than 10,000 subscribers and those having accumulated more than 100,000 views in the last 30 days receive a tithe for their video.
But the conditions are drastic and all views are sorted.
Only so-called “eligible”
views
are retained for monetization.
This number is multiplied by the RPM (revenue per minute) which is generally a few tens of cents.
In the end, original content, without a commercial partnership, which has accumulated several hundred thousand views can bring in a few hundred euros.
In the end, the artists most to be pitied in the conflict between the two behemoths are not the best known.
Artemisia Toussaint, Adamé, 2TH, Nour… These names are not yet known to the general public, yet they are part of the very young pool of talent who have signed with Universal.
They are the most affected by the non-renewal of the contract with Tiktok.
Artemisia Toussaint, who took her first steps on television, notably in the series
Tomorrow belongs to us
, found a second wind in music.
But she became disillusioned when she saw her two pieces deleted from the platform.
“
Using
TikTok is a really good way to promote our music.
We hope that our music will come back quickly because it is very disabling
,” she declares in a video to her 465,000 subscribers on the platform.
@artemisiatoussaint
I was absolutely not ready #guesstheperson #fyp #foryou
healjnga -
For her part, Polish singer Daria Marx “
understands the decision”
of her label but regrets that it comes three months after the release of her first single
Feelings.
The young artist hoped to hear her music covered in “ cover
” formats
which are a hit on the application and which allow certain music to go viral.
@syamalimusic
elastic heart #sia #cover #singing #vocals #elasticheart #elasticheartsia
original sound - syamali
The “covers” therefore offer free promotion to singers and sometimes allow some of them to experience a second glory.
This is the case of the song
Makeba
by the singer Jane, the official version of which has been used in nearly three million videos on Tiktok.
@jainmusic
8 summers later, thank you for bringing Makeba back !#SongOfTheSummer #Popmusic #Tiktokmusic
Makeba - Jain
“Tiktok is a springboard to promote emerging artists”
Fabien Laxague, communications director of TikTok France.
A role that TikTok claims by presenting it as a service offered to artists.
“TikTok is increasingly used as a search tool for new talents and artists.
Thus, a certain number of music creators spotted on TikTok have signed with labels, boosting their careers,
estimates Fabien Laxague, communications director for TikTok France and Spain.
It is
a key player in the music industry - a springboard for promoting emerging artists but also strengthening the visibility of recognized personalities.
TikTok is becoming a preferred platform to support the release of new titles.
More and more artists are exclusively sharing the first notes of their new song to unite the community.”
Singer Nej, who recently received a gold disc for her album
Enchantée
, also rode the viral phenomenon of the application.
His hit
Paro
, although released in 2021, enjoyed immense success on TikTok in 2022 and 2023 with more than four million videos covering the song.
“He came out and “farted” a year later.
I discovered K-pop groups in Korea doing choreography to it.
Then it went around the world, I wasn't ready
,” she says in an Interview with Konbini in October 2023. Two years after its release, her title
Paro
remains viral.
Nej was even invited to the show
Star Academy
2024
to sing it alongside candidate Lénie.
Young artists under contract with Universal Music would certainly like to experience the same boom as the singer.
The young rapper 2TH expressed his disappointment when he noticed that his music produced with the label was no longer available on the platform.
In a “point of view” video, the rapper jokes about his own situation:
“Point of view: You signed with Universal to break through but they left Tiktok.”
Singer Adamé shares his disappointment in the first person:
“All my music is deleted from Tiktok.
I'm sad."
In this same video, the artist takes the opportunity to share an acoustic version of his music
De ta fault
which, not being produced with the label, cannot be deleted.
@jesuisadame
how long will a stay online?
#musician #singer #concert #funny
original sound - Adam
They therefore need to find some tricks to continue publishing videos with their music.
“I add my songs in the background when editing the video on software.
The music comes from my computer and not from the platform, so for the moment they are not deleted
,” explains Artemisia Toussaint.
A restrictive method which could be established over time if no agreement is reached.
Universal did not wish to comment on this prospect.
Meanwhile, some are delighted to be able to promote new independent artists or those from other backgrounds.
Since the breakup between Tiktok and Universal, Indian music has been featured in many videos.
“Universal Music Group has blocked its entire catalog from Tiktok, maybe this is a sign to start using Indian rock bands in our videos
,” advises one user.
@ericamanzoli
maybe theres a chance for indie artists #universalmusic
The Stages of Grief - Erica Manzoli