“Taylor Swift’s label UMG to pull music from TikTok, accusing the social media app of bullying”
January 31, 2024
“Universal Music Group said Wednesday it will cease licensing its music to TikTok and accused the short-form video giant of bullying and intimidation in its contract negotiations.
A music licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, expired Wednesday, and new terms have not been agreed. This means that UMG could pull its music catalog from TikTok…
The music label, which represents megastars from Taylor Swift to Drake, said that TikTok proposed paying its artists and songwriters “at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay.”… UMG also alleged that TikTok is allowing its platform to be “flooded with AI-generated recordings,” as well as developing tools to “enable, promote and encourage AI music creation.”…”