Universal Music Group artists including Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish are set to return to TikTok after the two companies reached a new licensing agreement following a three-month dispute.
The two parties announced on Thursday that they are “now working expeditiously to return music from artists represented by Universal Music Group and songwriters represented by Universal Music Publishing Group to TikTok in a timely manner”.
UMG announced in January that it had not agreed to the terms of a new deal with TikTok and intended to stop licensing content from the artists it represents on the social media platform, which is owned by ByteDance, as well as TikTok Music services.
UMG had previously pressed TikTok on three issues: “fair compensation for our artists and songwriters, protection of human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok users.”
TikTok responded to UMG’s concerns by stating that it has “artist-first” agreements with every other label and publisher.
On Thursday, the two parties said that their new agreement would bring significant benefits to UMG’s global roster of artists, songwriters and labels, while returning their songs to TikTok.
“Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a way forward with Universal Music Group,” said TikTok CEO Shou Chew in a statement. “We are committed to working together to drive value, discovery, and promotion for all of UMG’s amazing artists and songwriters, and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.”
As part of the new agreement, UMG and TikTok will work together to identify new monetization opportunities.
They will also collaborate on projects that benefit UMG’s artists across genres and territories worldwide.
In addition, the firms will work together to ensure that AI growth in the music industry protects human artistry and payments to artists and songwriters.
TikTok will also collaborate with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, as well as develop tools for better artist and composer attribution.
