After negotiations over the social media platform’s licensing arrangement broke down, Universal Music appears to be planning to remove all of its songs from TikTok.
Following the disclosure by Universal Music Group (UMG) that its contract with TikTok has not been renewed, millions of songs are scheduled to be taken down from the platform.
Due to the modification, songs by extremely well-known musicians like Drake, Taylor Swfit, and The Weeknd won’t be accessible.
UMG has allegedly “placed their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” according to TikTok, which has described the news as “sad and disappointing.”
The group said in an open letter that TikTok was “bullying” them and that they were only willing to pay a “fraction” of what other platforms were willing to charge for the millions of songs in their collection. However, the Chinese-owned social media company dismissed this as a “false narrative.“
Despite Universal’s assertion that the social media network, which has over one billion users, only contributes 1% of their earnings, the change will cause many TikTok users’ beloved musicians and sounds to disappear.
The biggest record company in the world represents a wide range of artists, including Drake, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift.
Due to Universal Music Group’s (UMG) decision to remove songs off TikTok, seven of the top ten artists in the world for Spotify streams in 2023 are quitting the platform.
The most streamed artist globally in the past year, Taylor Swift, will be the main attraction. Starting on February 1, users of TikTok will not be able to view her content.
The Weeknd, Drake, and Bad Bunny made up the top four. All three artists are connected to Universal labels, which include Virgin Music and Republic.
Peso Pluma, Feid, and Travis Scott were among others not signed to the label yet got it to the top 10.
But Lana Del Rey, KAROL G, and SZA are also scheduled to depart from the platform.
Universal artists also dominated the top songs on the streaming behemoth, with Miley Cyrus and Flowers at the top.
As It Was by Harry Styles will also be removed.
Some of the biggest names in the industry, both past and present, are among the other outstanding performers signed to the company’s labels.
The Beatles, Elton John, Ariana Grande, BTS, Billie Eilish, Post Malone, and Bob Dylan are just a few of them.
Moreover, several of TikTok’s most well-known songs—such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder On The Dance Floor”—which may not originate from the largest artists in the world will also be removed.
