New artists disappear from Tiktok

At the request of Universal Music Group (UMG), the Chinese social network is in the process of removing all music written or co-written by artists from the label. The stalemate continues.

Tiktok is removing all songs written or co-written by artists on the Universal Music Group (UMG) label. The Chinese social network announced the news in a press release published on Wednesday, February 28. A decision that is part of a standoff that TikTok is engaged in against music labels over the renewal of their licensing agreement, which expired on January 31.

The Chinese social network simply says “reply to request” from Universal Music. “Their demands affect not only their artists, but also many artists who are not signed to Universal.”

Bad Bunny and SZA tracks removed?

The removal of these large-scale titles will affect artists who have a simple publishing contract with a label (an agreement between an artist and a label with the objective of marketing a song in exchange for financial gain), in addition to those who have a contract with UMG.

According to information from Rolling Stone MagazineLike highly successful actors Harry Styles, SZASteve Lacy or so became bad Their songs may be removed from the platform soon.

In early February, all tracks recorded under the UMG license were removed from Tiktok’s music library. All videos containing Universal-licensed music were edited to remove sound.

Music “Not at Its True Value”

“It was unclear how many songs were affected by this new request,” Variety says. According to the media, sources close to UMG confirmed that the label owns a “rights stake in most of the songs on the platform”. While Tiktok estimates a more limited figure, “between 20 and 30%”.

Last January, before the licensing agreement between the two parties expired, the CEO of Universal Music Group called TikTok an app “based on music, without paying fair value for the music”.

He added that the Chinese application only represents “1% of the company’s total revenue”, which clearly shows that it can do without the distribution of labeled music on social networks.

Considered by many as a promotional tool and a key springboard for emerging artists, the platform is one of the world’s most popular social networks. With over a billion users.