Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Adele… Why were their songs banned from TikTok?

For TikTok users, anonymous and famous like Princess Charlotte or some politicians, on Thursday February 1, there was a surprise. Actually, that’s when internet users realized it Some songs were no longer available on the platform, and even disappeared from videos already released, Many people believe it’s a simple bug, like when a famous politician’s account was banned. But that was not the case… as reported by our colleagues Figaro Promoted via a post on X (formerly Twitter), on January 31, citing an open letter from Universal Music Group. It is the breakdown in negotiations between the TikTok platform and UMG, whose previous licensing agreement expired on January 31, that is at the root of the problem. Given the intensity shown by the two protagonists in the conflict, everything indicates that no settlement will be found in the immediate future …

Indeed, between a music giant and a platform with more than a billion users, there are many sticking points. The disagreement is primarily about the remuneration of UMG-licensed artists for the use of their music, but not exclusively. “Online Security for Users and Protection of Actors Against Threats from Artificial Intelligence” Also mentioned by the record company. While TikTok has publicly said it is “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put its own greed ahead of the interests of its artists.”The music giant accuses the platform of being wanted “Using force to hurt vulnerable actors and trying to intimidate us into accepting a bad deal.”

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Affected hundreds of songs

According to the record company’s statements, the successful TikTok platform represents only 1% of the company’s turnover: not enough to shake its base… On the other hand, for the Chinese giant, the disappearance of the entire catalog of Universal Music is a big deal. A blow, because it means that the titles of the most popular artists of the moment are no longer accessible to its users, From Taylor Swift to The Weeknd, incl Ariana GrandeAdele, Billie Eilish And Bob DylanAs well as legendary groups like the Beatles or U2… Will this force TikTok to review its copy? In addition to accusing the platform“Trying to build a business based on music, without paying the right value for music”Universal calls for better control over provisions to deal with misuse of artificial intelligence and infringement of artists’ rights.

Article written in collaboration with 6Medias

Photo credits: Backgrid USA / BestImage