Universal Music and popular video-sharing platform TikTok are at the center of a heated row that is creating quite a stir around the world. The music giant officially confirmed through a letter that it will be pulling the music of various top artists from the social media site following TikTok’s failure to abide by the rules of the agreement which expires on January 31st.
The record company accused TikTok of using bullying tactics to renew their contract while also citing issues concerning unfair artist compensation among other facts. Following Universal Music’s decision to end its association with TikTok, the platform has now mounted a defense against the music company in equally brutal fashion.
Universal Music Cuts Ties With TikTok
In big news coming from the music world, Universal Music has officially stated that it has ended its partnership with TikTok following the latter’s failure to negotiate a new contract after the old terms of agreement ended on January 31st, 2024. In a letter confirming this move, the record company laid down the hard facts and issues that ultimately went into taking the decision.
Among the various accusations made, Universal Music stressed on TikTok’s failure to compensate artists fairly, trying to use their influence to negotiate a lower deal, and encouraging the detrimental effects of AI. In an open letter to the artists community on the Universal Music site, the company was clear about its stance on the matter.
“TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.We will never do that. We will always fight for our artists and songwriters and stand up for the creative and commercial value of music.
The label also quoted statistics and pointed out that the video-sharing platform accounts for just 1% of Universal Music’s total revenue despite having a billion users. The letter also detailed TikTok’s failure to pay fair value for the music it was promoting.
As a result of this break in collaboration, the social media site will not have any access to the vast database of music by various superstars who are tied to record company, including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, and Justin Bieber to name a few.
This Is TikTok’s Ruthless Response To Universal Music’s Letter
Universal Music has made its stance absolutely clear regarding its break of agreement with TikTok. The company which owns one third of the music in the world, called out the video platform for its callousness towards artists and its inability to abide by the rules of the contract that were integral to promoting music.
Following this open criticism, it was TikTok’s turn to take a dig with an equally brutal reply that accused Universal Music of spreading false information about what had transpired. The social media site also addressed the record company’s criticism regarding the treatment of artists, and stated via a comment on BBC,
“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters. Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.”
While this is the first time that Universal Music will be removing songs and albums from any platform, it remains to be seen how this telling move could affect TikTok and its impact on users.
