By Michelle Chapman -
The Associated Press
Universal Music Group (UMG), which represents artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, said it will
no longer allow their music on TikTok
now that a licensing agreement between the two parties has expired.
UMG said it had not agreed to the terms of a new deal with TikTok, and plans to stop licensing content from the artists it represents on the ByteDance-owned social media platform, as well as TikTok Music services.
Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during a concert of her Eras tour, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 9, 2023. Associated Press
The licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok expired this Wednesday.
In a letter to artists and songwriters on Tuesday, UMG said it had been pressing TikTok on three issues: “adequate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety.” for TikTok users.”
UMG said TikTok proposed paying its artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of what other major social platforms pay, adding that the network accounts for only about 1% of its total revenue.
“Ultimately, TikTok is trying to build a business based on music, without paying a fair value for the music,” UMG said.
TikTok responds
TikTok defended itself against UMG's claims and noted that it has reached agreements with all other labels and publishers.
“Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions do not benefit artists, songwriters and fans,” TikTok said.
However, Universal Music also called the new technology a potential threat to artists and stated that TikTok is developing tools to enable, promote and encourage music creation using artificial intelligence.
UMG accused the platform of “demanding a contractual right that would allow this content
to massively dilute the royalty pool for artists
, in a move that is nothing less than sponsoring the replacement of artists with AI.”
UMG also took issue with what it described as security issues at TikTok.
The organization is not satisfied with the social network's efforts to address what it considers hate speech, intolerance, intimidation and harassment.
He asserted that removing problematic content from TikTok is a “monumentally cumbersome and inefficient process that is similar to the digital equivalent of
Whack-a-Mole
. ”
Bad Bunny at the Billboard Latin Music Awards 2023.Getty Images
UMG said it proposed that TikTok take steps similar to those used by some of its other social media platform partners, but was
met with indifference at first, and then intimidation.
“As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal that was worth less than before, well below fair market value, and did not reflect its exponential growth,” UMG added.
“How did he try to intimidate us?
Selectively removing music from some of our developing artists, while keeping our audience-driving global stars on the platform.”
TikTok, however, stated that Universal Music is putting “its own greed above the interests of its artists and songwriters.”