Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok Reach New Licensing Agreement, Ending Music Catalog Dispute

At the beginning of this year, news for music and social network fans TikTok he shocked the world after learning that the record company Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced that the artists’ entire music catalog has been removed from the platform.

Through an open letter UMG announced that all the songs of its artists such as Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, among otherswould not be available in the application due to the issue of compensation for the song rights.

In the first instance, the music company claimed that “TikTok is trying to build a business based on music, without paying a fair price for the music.”

On the subject of artificial intelligence, UMG noted that the Chinese social network allows its platform to be filled with records generated by these new technologies: “A step no less than supporting AI to replace artists. “

“TikTok is making little effort to address the amount of content on its platform that infringes on our artists’ music and has not offered any meaningful solutions to the rise in issues surrounding content, not to mention the wave of hate speech, intolerance, “Anxiety and harassment on stage”he added.

However, a few weeks ago, Internet users were surprised that only one of the artists of the record company is getting her music back on stage.

This is the American composer and singer Taylor Swift, who is the only one who returned his catalog to the social network, despite the fact that the other UMMG artists are staying out because of the dispute between the record company and the social network about the loyalty of the songs of the people – art.

The entire Swift catalog released from 2019 onwards: ‘Lover’, ‘Folklore’, ‘Evermore’, Midnights’, ‘Red Taylors Version’, ‘Fearless Taylors Version’, ‘Speak Now Taylors Version’ and ‘1989 Taylors Version’, which are available in TikTok.

This is because the 34-year-old artist owns not only all the music she has released since 2019, but the distribution and publishing rights to her catalog, so that she can redistribute her music without being affected by the dispute between UMG. and TikTok.

Now, months after the controversy he had TikTok by UMGThe two companies have announced that they have reached a new licensing agreement, ending the months-long dispute over the removal of popular music from the social media platform.

The companies issued a joint statement saying that the new agreement included a “better pay” for artists and composers under umbrella Universal Music Group (UMG), and will also reduce concerns about the growth of AI-generated content on TikTok.

Universalist President Sir Lucian Grainge said: “this new chapter in our relationship” drive”innovation in fan engagement while promoting the social currency of music.”

The agreement “focusing on the value of music, the primacy of human art and the wellbeing of the creative community”he said.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew also said: “We are committed to working together to drive value, discovery and advocacy for the amazing artists and songwriters at UMG, and to deepen their ability to grow, connect and connect with the TikTok community.”

The deal ends negotiations that ended earlier this year, when the companies, two of the most powerful players in the music and technology industries, publicly criticized each other and compete for victory.