Technology
Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 4:09 pm EDT
Key Points
- Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have reached a new licensing agreement, ending their dispute and allowing UMG artists’ music to return to the platform.
- Earlier, TikTok removed songs from UMG artists due to failed negotiations over content licensing, leading to accusations of bullying and intimidation from UMG, which alleged TikTok offered significantly lower payment rates.
- The new deal aims to enhance compensation for songwriters and artists, provide promotional opportunities, and introduce protections against unauthorized AI-generated songs, focusing on valuing music, preserving human artistry, and safeguarding the creative community.
Universal Music Group (UMG), home to music icons like Taylor Swift and Drake, has resolved its dispute with TikTok, culminating in a new licensing agreement. The deal signals the return of UMG artists’ music to the popular social media platform TikTok, ending a contentious period during which songs by notable artists were removed due to failed negotiations over content licensing. UMG accused TikTok of employing bullying tactics and proposed payment rates significantly lower than those offered by similar platforms. Central to the disagreement was TikTok’s alleged facilitation of unauthorized artificial intelligence-generated songs, a practice UMG deemed detrimental to artists’ intellectual property rights. The new agreement seeks to address these issues by enhancing compensation for songwriters and artists, offering promotional opportunities, and implementing robust protections against the unauthorized use of generative AI. Lucian Grainge, UMG’s chairman and CEO, emphasized the deal’s focus on valuing music, preserving human artistry, and safeguarding the creative community. TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, expressed commitment to collaboration aimed at enhancing value, discovery, and promotion for UMG’s roster. Both parties pledged to collaborate on AI development that respects artists’ rights and ensures fair compensation. Additionally, TikTok will collaborate with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from its platform and enhance artist and songwriter attribution tools, signaling a step forward in protecting artists’ intellectual property in the digital age.
For the full original article on CNBC, please click here: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/02/taylor-swift-label-umg-agrees-licensing-deal-with-tiktok-ending-spat.html
