Universal Music Group and TikTok have ended a three-month dispute. On Thursday, the label and the social platform signed a “multi-dimensional licensing agreement” that will once again make music from UMG artists including SZA, Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar and Ariana Grande available as TikTok audio.
Not only will new videos be able to use music from UMG artists, but existing TikToks that were muted because they featured songs from the UMG catalog will also be unmuted.
“This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry, and the well-being of the creative community,” Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of UMG, said in a statement. I'm guessing,” he said. Big-name stars like Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Drake and the Beatles have been embroiled in the controversy, but their music has returned to the platform.
Three months have felt like a long time since TikTok and UMG announced in early February that they had not reached a new deal. UMG accused TikTok of not only failing to compensate artists fairly for the use of their music, but also not taking sufficient steps to protect artists from AI or keep the platform secure. Meanwhile, one of the UMG artists, Taylor Swift, has returned to TikTok with a new double album, suggesting that relations between the record label and the video-sharing platform have improved and a deal may be nearing. .
read more: TikTok is changing the way we discover music.Introducing young creators who are making this happen.
The deal is now a reality and is designed to help UMG artists and songwriters reach their full creative and commercial potential. The platform has become an important promotional tool for musicians in recent years, but it has also become an important space for creative experimentation and community building. Their new start will allow TikTok's more than 1 billion users around the world to create videos with songs from their favorite artists and discover new music from artists and songwriters.
As part of the new agreement, TikTok and UMG say they will also work closely together on artist campaigns and new opportunities for artists to earn money on the platform. The agreement includes protections around generated AI, including a commitment on TikTok's part to remove AI-generated music and strengthen attribution for artists and songwriters.
This breakthrough is being celebrated by everyone involved, but it's not the end of TikTok's woes. On April 24, President Joe Biden signed legislation that could potentially ban TikTok in the United States, impacting the platform's more than 100 million U.S. users. Lawmakers are concerned that TikTok's China-linked parent company ByteDance could pose a threat to national security and want to sell the platform to a U.S.-approved company.
For now, TikTok users based in the US have full access to the platform and UMG's library, but TikTok's broader battle to prove itself continues.
Editor's note: CNET used an AI engine to create dozens of stories and label them accordingly. The notes you are reading are attached to articles that substantively cover the topic of AI, all written by our expert editors and writers. Learn more about. AI policy.
