The recent silence from the platform TikTok has been strikingly loud.
The Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have begun a war over the rights to music on the platform. Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company, has decided to no longer allow its music following an ongoing disagreement with TikTok executives. The licensing deal between the two massive companies expired on Jan. 31 and was not renewed.
Universal Music Group demanded appropriate compensation for their artists, safeguard against the detrimental effects of artificial intelligence and safety for TikTok users. Concerns were raised regarding deep fakes flooding the platform, which disrespects artists’ work, along with app-wide issues regarding harassment and hate speech.
The two companies could not come to an agreement, and consequently, by Thursday morning a roster of popular songs had disappeared from the social media app’s library.
Some of the most beloved artists including Drake, Taylor Swift, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, Noah Kahan and Justin Bieber, all under UMG contracts, lost their ability to post their songs to the platform. Conversely, content creators lost their access to trending sounds. All previous content featuring UMG-owned songs has been removed, leaving behind silent videos.
As one of the largest record labels in the music industry, UMG magnifies the impact of this difference of opinion across the industry in the digital marketing realm. This significantly limits the options for both creators and brands hoping to utilize these songs for entertainment or promotion purposes.
“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” TikTok said when asked for a statement about the ongoing disagreement. TikTok executives noted that it has reached “artist-first” agreements with other labels and publishers.
This issue threatens emerging artists who rely on TikTok to build momentum around their work. Artists such as Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion experienced viral success with previous songs on the platform, and have gained a dedicated following.
For many the question becomes “So what happens now?” Universal Music Group maintains much of its revenue from well-known artists who do not necessarily need the platform to promote their work. This strikes the issue of how long this disagreement may last.
This is not the first stand-off of this nature, and certainly won’t be the last. The battle between two major corporations can take days or even months to resolve.
The hope is that the pressure from both artists and content creators, along with the mutual benefits of the relationship, will compel a compromise and prompt a resolution sooner rather than later. Follow @VALLEYmag on TikTok for inspiration on how to creatively post without UMG sounds.
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