The months-long standoff between Universal Music Group and TikTok over royalty payments and AI policies is finally over, at least for the time being, with the announcement that the two entities have struck a deal to bring the label's music back on the platform.
UMG's music will return to the platform imminently, and the companies will collaborate on realizing ⁘new monetization opportunities utilizing TikTok's growing e-commerce capabilities and will work together on campaigns supporting UMG⁘s artists across genres and territories globally.⁘
⁘This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community,⁘ said Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of UMG. ⁘We look forward to collaborating with the team at TikTok to further the interests of our artists and songwriters and drive innovation in fan engagement while advancing social music monetization.⁘ Popular on Variety
Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, added, ⁘Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group. We are committed to working together to drive value, discovery and promotion for all of UMG's amazing artists and songwriters, and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.⁘
Beginning in February, the ban resulted in a near-complete blackout of all music owned, distributed and published by the company on the platform ⁘ the videos were still there, but the music was muted ⁘ although there was no shortage of artists breaking the ban, both officially (Taylor Swift, in an apparently UMG-sanctioned promotion around her new album, ⁘The Tortured Poets Department⁘) and unofficially ( plenty of others ). While UMG⁘s reasons for the ban were indisputably high-minded ⁘ an attempt to fight for greater compensation and intellectual-property protections for its artists and, of course, to protect its own interests ⁘ there is no question that it caused significant disruption in countless artists⁘ careers .
