TikTok said goodbye to content from hundreds of major music artists on Thursday after failing to reach a new licensing deal with Universal Music Group.
Artists such as Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny, Drake and others are among those removed from the platform following the expiration of a three-year deal between Universal Music Group (UMG).
That means TikTokers who want to use them in videos will no longer be able to use millions of songs, and clips with removed content will now be silent.
The move comes as UMG accused the Chinese-owned company of trying to “bully” it into signing a contract it did not agree with.
The music label called it a “bad deal” that failed to address its concerns about AI-generated music, adequate compensation for artists and songwriters, and online safety for TikTok users.
Universal Music Group declined to sign a new music licensing deal with TikTok over concerns about AI-generated music, adequate compensation for artists and songwriters, and online safety for TikTok users.
TikTok users will not be able to search for music from artists signed to UMG, including Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Lana Del Rey and many more.
UMG’s website features its most popular artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Adele, J Balvin, U2, Elton John, Coldplay, Yahritza, Otis Redding, Post Malone, Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam, all of whom will no longer be available on TikTok.
Users can check The UMG List to see if your favorite song has been removed.
TikTok and UMG first reached a deal in 2021 to make artist content widely available on the social media platform.
The label accused TikTok of quietly removing promising artists from the platform while promoting UMG’s most famous artists, adding that the social media company did not pay “fair value” for the music.
in a open letterUMG said: “TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters a fee that is a fraction of the fee paid by major social platforms in similar situations.”
The company accused TikTok of allowing AI-generated music to flood its platform and claimed it had even gone so far as to “promote and encourage AI music creation.”
UMG removed an AI-generated TikTok song that cloned Drake’s voice last year
Bad Bunny criticized TikTok in November for allowing an AI-generated song featuring a clone of his voice to go viral.
UMG has previously fought against AI-generated music and filed a lawsuit against AI creator Anthropic for distributing copyrighted lyrics with its Claude 2 AI model.
It also successfully removed Drake’s AI-generated song last year, called Heart on My Sleeve, alleging copyright infringement.
In November, Bad Bunny expressed outrage after an AI-generated song, nostalgIA, went viral on TikTok.
The song not only created an AI imitation of his voice, but also cloned the voices of Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee.
UMG said it is embracing the possibilities created by AI technology, although it did not specify which possibilities it is adopting, but said it will also work tirelessly to protect the rights and interests of its artists.
By allowing AI music to flourish on its platform while also demanding a contractual right to UMG artists’ music, the company said TikTok is massively diluting the royalty pool for human artists, adding that it is ” nothing less than sponsoring the replacement of artists with AI.”
TikTok users will not be able to search for music from artists signed to UMG, including Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Lana Del Rey and many more.
Tik Tok fend against UMG’s allegations, saying the music label was putting “its own greed above the interests of its artists and songwriters” and claimed it was promoting a “false narrative and rhetoric.”
TikTok said it has been able to sign “artist first” deals with all other labels on its platform, and by refusing to do so, UMG has eliminated a promotion and discovery platform that serves more than one billion users.
UMG stood by its decision, saying TikTok only accounts for one percent of its revenue and while it understands what this will mean for its artists and fans, the company said it has a responsibility to ensure its artists are fairly compensated in a platform that shows respect for human creativity.
“TikTok’s tactics are obvious: using the power of its platform to harm vulnerable artists and trying to bully us into accepting a bad deal that undervalues music and defrauds artists and songwriters, as well as their fans,” he said. UMG.
‘We honor our responsibilities with the utmost seriousness. Intimidation and threats will never make us avoid those responsibilities.”