Universal Music Group artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish will return to TikTok as the two sides reached a new licensing deal after a roughly three-month dispute.
The two parties announced Thursday that they are now “working quickly to return music from Universal Music Group-represented artists and Universal Music Publishing Group-represented songwriters to TikTok in a timely manner.”
Universal Music Group (UMG) said in January that it had not agreed to the terms of a new deal with TikTok and planned to stop licensing content from artists it represents on the owned social media platform at ByteDance, as well as on TikTok Music services.
At the time, Universal was pressuring TikTok on three issues: “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protection of human artists from the harmful effects of artificial intelligence (AI), and online safety for users of TikTok”.
TikTok objected to UMG’s claims, saying it had “artist first”-based deals with all other labels and publishers.
On Thursday, both parties announced that their new deal would bring significant benefits to UMG’s global stable of artists, songwriters and labels and return their music to TikTok.
“Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group,” TikTok President and CEO Shou Chew said in a statement.
“We are committed to working together to generate value, discovery and promotion for all of UMG’s incredible artists and songwriters, and to deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community. »
Part of the new agreement calls for UMG and TikTok to work together to find new monetization opportunities. They will also work together on campaigns supporting UMG artists across genres and territories around the world.
Additionally, the companies will combine efforts to ensure that the development of AI in the music industry will protect human artistic talent and payments to artists and songwriters. TikTok will also work with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, as well as on tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution.
TikTok plans to continue investing in creating artist-centric tools that will help UMG artists realize their potential on the platform. Some tools include “Add to Music App,” enhanced data and analytics, and integrated ticketing capabilities.
“We are excited to renew our relationship with TikTok, based on significant advancements in business and marketing opportunities and the protections provided to our roster of industry leaders on their platform,” said Michael Nash, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer. general vice president of Universal Music Group.
If TikTok has settled its dispute with UMG, the future of the platform remains uncertain. Last month, President Joe Biden signed a law requiring TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or go out of business. It is unclear whether this law will survive an expected legal challenge or whether ByteDance would agree to sell.