Taylor Swift wowed the crowd in Arlington, Texas in March 2023 with her captivating performance. However, her music, along with other artists like The Weeknd and The Beatles, can no longer be enjoyed on TikTok due to a dispute with Universal Music Group over compensation.
All music licensed to Universal Music Group has been removed from TikTok’s library, and videos containing Universal-licensed music have been muted. This comes after the expiration of the previous licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok on January 31st.
Universal accused TikTok of not paying fair value for the music and prioritizing its own interests over those of the artists. The negotiations also involved concerns about artist compensation, online safety, and protection from AI-generated recordings.
Despite TikTok’s massive user base, it only contributes about one percent of Universal’s total revenue. Universal also criticized TikTok for not adequately addressing copyright infringements and AI-generated recordings.
TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is a popular platform with over one billion users and is widely used by emerging artists and music labels for promotion. However, the feud with Universal has led to the removal of music from some of the industry’s biggest names, including Kendrick Lamar, U2, and Bob Dylan. For more details, you can visit www.ibtimes.com.