UMG Blames TikTok for Not Fairly Compensating Artists as Their Music Begins to Disappear, Failing to Protect Against AI, and Ignoring Online Safety Issues

Why Are Universal Music Group Artists Vanishing from TikTok?

Universal Music Group (UMG) songs are systematically being removed from TikTok. This move follows a breakdown in licensing discussions between the two entities, leading to an expiration of UMG’s deal with the social media platform. With superstars like Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift witnessing the muting of their songs, it is quite the controversy.

The expiry of UMG’s contract with TikTok happened on January 31. Consequently, all Universal recordings are currently unlicensed on TikTok. There’s a 30-day grace period for UMG’s publishing catalog, meaning the complete removal of UMG’s songs might not occur until February ends. This could give TikTok some extra time to reach a mutually agreeable deal with UMG before the full impact of the dispute is realized.

UMG issued an open letter to its artists and songwriters on January 30 explaining their side of the story. They claimed that negotiations with TikTok collapsed after it pushed for “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users”.

Following the withdrawal of UMG’s songs, Chartdata stated that nearly 50% of the Top 50 songs on TikTok were now ‘unusable’. This constitutes a major reshuffling of TikTok’s popular music playlist. UMG said in a statement that their agreements with TikTok have expired due to three prime disagreements: compensation for artists and songwriters, protection against harm caused by AI, and online safety for TikTok users.

TikTok, on the other hand, accused UMG of putting its own greed above the interests of artists and songwriters. They claimed that they successfully struck ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher, making UMG’s actions questionable. TikTok also defended its stance for offering ‘free promotion’ to artists and called music companies ‘greedy’ for expecting high compensation.

All major artist-right advocates and organizations, including the Future of Music Coalition, have shown their support for UMG’s actions and are closely monitoring the situation.

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