UMG to pull music catalogue from TikTok amid failed talks

Sad news for African content creators, especially fans of Stonebwoy and other African musicians, as Universal Music Group(UMG) will stop licensing its music library to TikTok after both companies failed to reach an agreement over several issues.

Effective today, January 31, 2024, any song under the Universal Music Group label may no longer be accessible on the widely used video-sharing platform. Existing videos featuring UMG's music are now at risk of being either muted or removed.

The rift between TikTok and UMG stems from their inability to strike a new deal regarding the compensation for the use of UMG's music on the platform.

In a statement, Universal decided to pull its entire song catalog from TikTok, citing three critical issues:

1. Compensation dispute: UMG demands appropriate compensation for its artists and songwriters.
2. AI impact on artists: Concerns about protecting human artists from the potentially harmful effects of artificial intelligence (AI).
3. Online safety: Ensuring the safety of TikTok's users.

According to the statement, UMG alleged that TikTok is not paying a fair value for its music and accused the platform of attempting to build a music-based business without adequately compensating artists and songwriters.

UMG further accused TikTok of bullying and intimidating them into accepting an unfavorable deal and not respecting their copyright. They highlight that TikTok contributes only about 1% to their total revenue, underscoring the minimal compensation the platform provides for its extensive music library.

In response, TikTok vehemently denied UMG's allegations, expressing disappointment at UMG for prioritizing greed over the interests of artists and songwriters. TikTok argued that it has reached artist-first agreements with every other label and publisher, and UMG's actions are not in the best interests of the artists, songwriters, and fans.

TikTok also defended its role as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for UMG's talent, emphasizing its billion-strong user base that supports and loves music.

The loss of access to UMG’s content library is likely a major setback for TikTok content creators, including Stonebwoy and other African artiste's fans, who are now facing limited music options on TikTok.

They risk missing out on viral trends and challenges associated with UMG's songs, such as Apotheke and Into the Future. Favorite videos featuring UMG's music may also be muted or deleted from TikTok, leaving the digital content creation community grappling with the fallout of this high-profile compensation dispute.

UMG is the largest record label in the world and its stable of artists includes Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Stonebwoy, Mr Eazi, Yemi Alade and several other high profile stars.

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