Content creators, listen up because this might just be your worst nightmare – there has been a dispute between TikTok and Universal Music Group.
And you might be affected.
The terms of the relationship between UMG and TikTok was set by contract, which expired on 31 January 2024.
Universal Music Group VS TikTok
On 30 January 2024, UMG published a letter on their site, calling for a “time out on TikTok”.
UMG said that TikTok proposed paying UMG’s artists and songwriters at a rate that was a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay.
UMG also said that as their negotiations continued, “TikTok attempted to bully [UMG] into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth.”
On the same day, TikTok posted a statement in response.
TikTok said that UMG “put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”
Claiming that UMG’s letter painted a “false narrative and rhetoric”, TikTok said that UMG’s actions were “self-serving”.
And on 1 February, we experienced silence on TikTok.
UMG music on TikTok videos have been removed, muting those videos.
No videos were spared, even if only a few seconds of a song by a Universal artist was included.
Songs by Universal artists that were previously available on the app are no longer available for use in new videos.
Some of the world’s biggest stars like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Drake, and Ariana Grande have had their songs removed from the social media app.
The full list of artists is available on UMG’s website.
TikTok users were quick to comment on the situation.
Some users have even begun singing their own versions of popular songs that have been removed as a result of the licensing rift.
A large number of users use TikTok to post dance videos, many of which used UMG audios in the background. In the absence of these trending audios, some have started to use unconventional audios for their dancing videos.
We’re not sure what this means for the future of TikTok.
After all, what is the point of TikTok without our favourite audios?
While bigger artists like Taylor Swift won’t be affected much by this, smaller artists stand to lose a lot from this dispute.
As a platform with over a billion users, TikTok is an important space for newer artists to promote their music.
Without the ability to do so anymore, this might be detrimental for many up-and-coming artists.
Due to the lack of UMG songs on TikTok, some users have begun switching over to Instagram Reels, where the audios are still available.
While this comes as upsetting news to many, there is a silver lining. The removal of popular UMG songs frees the app up for independent artists to promote their music and get discovered.
Moreover, songs by Warner, Sony, and small indie artists are still available on the app.
Not all is lost.
Yet?