
Taylor Swift songs pulled from TikTok in payment dispute
CNN
Universal Music Group has pulled its music off TikTok in a dispute over royalties, a move that prevents more than 1 billion users of the platform from streaming a vast catalog of songs by Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Rihanna and other artists.
Universal Music Group has pulled its music off TikTok in a dispute over royalties, a move that prevents more than 1 billion users of the platform from streaming a vast catalog of songs by Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Rihanna and other artists. Many TikTok videos featuring Universal artists’ music went silent Thursday, with notices saying the sound had been removed because of copyright violation. For people making new videos, Universal music was unavailable in TikTok’s catalog. The takedown came after Universal on Tuesday released a statement titled, “An open letter to the artist and songwriter community — why we must call time out on TikTok,” in which it said its licensing agreement with the platform expires Wednesday. It did not respond to a CNN request for further comment. One of the issues Universal has been focusing on in its “contract renewal discussions” with TikTok is “appropriate compensation” for its artists and songwriters, the company said. TikTok allows its users to add music to their videos. TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, had proposed paying a “fraction” of the rate that similarly-sized social media platforms pay, Universal said. Like other music companies, Netherlands-based Universal charges royalty fees when its songs are played on social media platforms. It also owns music by Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, J Balvin and Amy Winehouse.