Taylor Swift, Drake, and Olivia Rodrigo’s songs will no longer be available on TikTok, and music firm Universal Songs Group has begun withdrawing the music catalogs of various artists it represents from the platform. Negotiations between the two platforms to renew licensing agreements slowed, prompting the action. The previous licensing arrangement between UMG and TikTok expired on January 31.
Videos featuring UMG-owned songs will be muted, and users can select a new tune to accompany their clip. TikTok users must find substitutes for music like Taylor Swift, Drake, and Bob Dylan. The platform has more than one billion users.
In recent years, TikTok has emerged as one of the most significant forces in the music industry. It is one of just a few companies that help songs go viral, and record labels use the app to discover new musicians and promote their work. It also allows listeners to discover and enjoy new songs and performers.
On Tuesday, Universal Music Group accused the video platform of attempting to intimidate it into accepting a “bad deal” that did not address the record labels’ concerns about adequate compensation for artists and songwriters, protections against AI-generated music, and online safety on the platform to protect artists from “hate speech, bigotry, bullying, and harassment.”
TikTok responded, calling it “disappointing” because UMG had “chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users,” and accused the label of putting its “own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”