After three months of halted service due to a breakdown in negotiations, music from artists under Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music content company, is set to return to the video-sharing platform TikTok. UMG announced on April 2nd that they had reached a new licensing agreement with TikTok, allowing their artists' music to return to the platform.
This development marks the end of a service interruption that began in February when negotiations initially fell through. UMG manages content for global pop music stars, including Taylor Swift, BTS, Justin Bieber, and Drake.
Both parties had faced challenges during negotiations due to differences in stance over content usage fees. While specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed, they have agreed to improve compensation for artists and provide more opportunities for record promotion.
Additionally, in relation to generative AI, both sides have committed to striving for "the highest level of protection" in the industry. They plan to develop tools to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform and to improve attribution for artists and composers.
Previously, UMG accused TikTok of expanding its business using popular music content without paying fair compensation, while TikTok countered by accusing UMG of prioritizing greed over the interests of artists. The licensing disagreements led to the service disruption starting February 1st. Taylor Swift's music made a return to TikTok on April 12th, earlier than music from other artists under UMG's license.
