The widely popular social media platform, TikTok, may soon lose the musical content of thousands of artists under Universal Music Group (UMG). This potential development comes after talks to extend a prevalent licensing deal between the two hit an impasse.
UMG, a globally recognized and dominant music publisher, issued a scathing open letter last Tuesday. In it, UMG criticizes TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd., for what UMG considers unfair licensing terms. It also accuses the social video platform of endangering artists’ livelihood through embracing artificial intelligence. On their end, TikTok responded by alleging that UMG is prioritizing monetary gain over the interests of their artists and songwriters.
The existing agreement between UMG, which houses prominent artists such as Taylor Swift and Drake among others, and TikTok is quite expansive.
However, if the talks completely break down, the platform’s users may no longer have the ability to use songs from artists under UMG in their viral videos.
Further details about the impasse, including any potential for resolution or compromise, are yet to be shared by either party.
You can find more details about the story at this Bloomberg Law’s article.