AT A GLANCE
UMG claimed that an agreement was not reached with TikTok regarding the following issues: “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”
A chunk of the world’s biggest hits and artists won’t be playing on TikTok soon.
This was after Universal Music Group (UMG) pulled out its music catalog from the popular short-form video-sharing platform.
Last Tuesday, UMG posted online that its agreement with TikTok will expire on Jan. 31.
UMG claimed that an agreement was not reached with TikTok regarding the following issues: “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”
The music company, one of the largest in the world today, also said that “TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay.”
“Ultimately, TikTok is trying to build a music-based business without paying fair value for the music,” UMG said.
TikTok, in its announcement on Jan. 30, expressed its disappointment in UMG, saying, " It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put its own greed above the interests of its artists and songwriters.”
“Despite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.”
Universal is home to some of the biggest music artists in the world today, including Taylor Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Kendrick Lamar, BTS, and Post Malone.
