By MICHELLE CHAPMAN (AP Business Writer)
Universal Music Group artists like Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny, and Billie Eilish will come back to TikTok under a new agreement that followed a nearly three-month disagreement.
Both sides announced on Thursday that they are now actively working to bring back music from Universal Music Group artists and songwriters to TikTok as soon as possible.
Taylor Swift, who recently released the album “The Tortured Poets Department,” has hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, had some of her songs return to TikTok last month. The details of how this happened are unclear, according to Variety.
UMG TikTok had previously not agreed to a new deal with TikTok in January and planned to stop licensing content from its represented artists and songwriters on the platform owned by ByteDance, along with TikTok Music services.
At that time, UMG had been pushing TikTok on three issues: fair compensation for its artists and songwriters, safeguarding human artists from the negative effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.
TikTok opposed UMG's claims, stating that it had already reached agreements with other labels and publishers prioritizing artists.
The new agreement announced on Thursday will offer significant advantages to UMG’s global artists, songwriters, and labels, and bring back their music to TikTok.
“Music is a crucial part of TikTok, and we are happy to have reached an agreement with Universal Music Group,” said TikTok CEO Shou Chew. “We are dedicated to working together to create value, discovery, and promotion for all of UMG’s incredible artists and songwriters, and to enhance their ability to grow, connect, and engage with the TikTok community.”
Under the new deal, UMG and TikTok will collaborate to identify new ways to make money. They will also work together on campaigns to support UMG’s artists globally.
Additionally, the companies will jointly focus on ensuring AI progress in the music industry that respects human artistry and ensures payments for artists and songwriters. TikTok will also partner with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform and develop tools to improve artist and songwriter recognition.
TikTok plans to continue investing in artist-focused tools that will support UMG artists on the platform. Some tools include “Add to Music App”, enhanced data and analytics, and integrated ticketing capabilities.
“We are pleased to renew our relationship with TikTok based on major advances in business and marketing opportunities, along with protections provided to our top artists on their platform,” said Michael Nash, Universal Music Group’s chief digital officer and executive vice president, in a statement.
While TikTok has resolved its disagreement with UMG, the future of the platform is still uncertain. Last month, President Joe Biden approved a bill mandating TikTok's parent company ByteDance to sell to an approved buyer within a year or face closure. It's unclear if this law will withstand a likely legal challenge or if ByteDance will agree to a sale. sell Artists from Universal Music Group, such as Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny, and Billie Eilish, will be back on TikTok after the two parties have reached a new licensing agreement following a dispute that lasted around three months. The two sides announced Thursday that they are now working quickly to bring back music by artists represented by Universal Music Group and songwriters represented by Universal Music Publishing Group to TikTok soon.
