Taylor Swift attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Neilson Barnard | Getty Images
Universal music groupthe label of biggest music artists including Taylor Swift has reached a new licensing deal with TikTok, ending a feud between the two companies.
In a statement released Thursday, UMG said the licensing deal would lead to the return of its artists’ music to TikTok.
As of Thursday morning, several Taylor Swift songs, including tracks from the pop star’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, were reinstated on the platform, CNBC verified.
Earlier this year, TikTok removed songs from artists signed to UMG after the two sides failed to agree on a new content licensing deal, sparking a public feud. Music from artists such as Swift and Drake has become unavailable on TikTok, which is owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance.
UMG accused TikTok of bullying during its contract negotiations and alleged that TikTok offered to pay its artists and songwriters “at a rate that is a fraction of the rate major social platforms pay in a similar situation.”
At the heart of the dispute was the claim that TikTok allowed its platform to infringe on artists’ intellectual property with unauthorized AI-generated songs. UMG claimed the social media platform was “flooded with AI-generated recordings.”
The new agreement between UMG and TikTok aims to improve compensation for songwriters and artists, provide promotional opportunities for their recordings and introduce “cutting edge protections” in generative AI.
The new agreement “focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the well-being of the creative community,” said Lucian Grainge, UMG chairman and CEO.
“We look forward to collaborating with the TikTok team to promote the interests of our artists and songwriters and drive innovation in fan engagement while advancing the monetization of social music.”
Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, said the platform is “committed to working together to drive value, discovery and promotion of all of UMG’s incredible artists and songwriters.”
TikTok and UMG said they would work to ensure that the development of AI in the music industry protects artists and that they are paid enough for their material.
TikTok will also work with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from its platform, as well as implement tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution.
cnbc
