Universal Music Group’s deal with TikTok is set to expire in the next 24 hours after the two companies failed to reach an agreement on issues including artist compensation and AI. This means some of the world’s most popular music, including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and the newly-popular Murder On. Dance Floor – will be removed from your TikTok library.
In a scathing open letter UMG, the world’s largest music company, published an article on Tuesday titled “Why you should call a timeout on TikTok,” claiming that TikTok “‘bullied’ you into accepting a contract of less value than your previous contract.” , and is trying to ‘intimidate’ him.” Much lower than fair market value and does not reflect exponential growth. ”
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is a social media app that allows users to create short videos, most of which include sound effects and licensed music.
UMG’s dominance in popular music cannot be overstated, as the company has produced artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Drake, Sting, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Ariana Grande, It owns the rights to artists such as Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, and Coldplay. , Post Malone and more. The company is the only music company to simultaneously hold nine of the top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 music chart, a feat he has achieved four times.
One of UMG’s hit songs, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Dancefloor Murder, has been a particular hit on TikTok lately, with some wealthy users calling it a scene from the 2023 film Saltburn. They recreated the scene and filmed them dancing around the palace-like grounds.
A UMG spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that if UMG does not reach an agreement with TikTok, all songs will be removed from the service after the deal expires on Wednesday.
In an open letter, UMG claimed that TikTok accounts for “only approximately 1% of our total revenue” and that this is due to “a large and growing user base, rapidly increasing advertising revenue, and music-based There is an increasing reliance on content from
The music company claimed that while negotiating a new deal, TikTok “offered to pay artists and songwriters at a fraction of the rates paid by similarly situated major social platforms.” .
When negotiations stalled, UMG claimed that TikTok tried to “blackmail” the company by “selectively removing the music of certain developing artists” while keeping big stars on the platform. did.
“TikTok’s tactics are clear: use the power of its platform to hurt vulnerable artists, intimidate us into undervaluing music, and make bad deals that disrespect artists, songwriters, and fans. ,” UMG wrote.
with a violent reactionTikTok accused UMG of “putting its own desires ahead of the interests of artists and songwriters.”
“Despite Universal’s misrepresentations and rhetoric, the fact is that they have chosen to walk away from the strong support of a platform with well over 1 billion users that serves as a vehicle for free promotion and discovery of talent. That is,” the company said.
The fallout comes as TikTok dabbles more into music production and artificial intelligence.started TikTok music Last year, it attracted attention in some countries as a rival to Spotify and Apple Music. maneuver “AI Songs” feature that allows users to create songs using prompts.
UMG accused TikTok of “flooding its platform with AI-generated recordings.” By developing tools that allow users to tap into AI-powered music production, TikTok is “helping AI replace artists,” UMG said, adding that the only way to seek removal of infringing content on TikTok is to It was a very tedious and inefficient process.”It was the digital equivalent of Whack-A-Mole. ”
TikTok has similar deals with music companies including Sony. warner music – The social media company emphasized this point in a statement on Tuesday, but it remains to be seen whether they share UMG’s concerns.
