Taylor Swift performs onstage at Lumen Field in Seattle on July 22, 2023.
Mat Hayward/tas23 | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Songs from artists signed to Universal Music Group have began disappearing from TikTook after the two sides failed to agree a new deal over content licensing, sparking a public spat.
Music by artists together with Taylor Swift and Drake was not accessible on TikTook when CNBC checked on Thursday morning.
A licensing settlement between UMG and TikTook, which is owned by Chinese tech large ByteDance, expired on Wednesday.
UMG accused TikTook of bullying and intimidation in its contract negotiations. UMG alleged TikTook proposed paying its artists and songwriters “at a fee that’s a fraction of the fee that equally located main social platforms pay.”
The music label additionally alleged TikTook is permitting its platform to be “flooded with AI-generated recordings.”
TikTook responded by saying UMG is placing its “personal greed above the pursuits of their artists and songwriters.”
A UMG spokesperson instructed CNBC on Thursday that since the licensing settlement expired, “TikTook is now eradicating the audio.”
TikTook was not instantly accessible for remark when contacted by CNBC.
Tiktok has grow to be a platform that may make songs, even these which are older, go viral if they’re picked up and used on movies that customers submit on the platform.
But labels have debated whether or not TikTook is paying sufficient to the artists whose songs are on the brief video app.
UMG mentioned only one% of its whole income comes from TikTook, regardless of the social community’s “huge and rising person base, quickly rising promoting income and rising reliance on music-based content material.”