TikTok has removed music by stars including Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Olivia Rodrigo.
TikTok users will no longer be able to create videos with songs from Taylor Swift and there is a simple reason why. Songs from artists signed to Universal Music Group have started disappearing from TikTok after the two sides failed to agree on a new deal over content licensing.
Therefore, music will be restricted from use on the platform until said deal is reached.
“We have an overriding responsibility to our artists to fight for a new agreement under which they are appropriately compensated for their work, on a platform that respects human creativity, in an environment that is safe for all, and effectively moderated,” Universal Music Group shared in a statement on its website.
TikTok has begun muting short videos featuring the label’s artists.
The high-profile dispute erupted as the music industry executives and artists gathered in Los Angeles for Sunday’s Grammy award ceremony.
Universal Music Group also accused TikTok of bullying and intimidation in its contract negotiations. They alleged TikTok proposed paying its artists and songwriters “at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay.”
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The music label also alleged TikTok is allowing its platform to be “flooded with AI-generated recordings.”
“Our agreements with TikTok have expired because of TikTok’s unwillingness to appropriately compensate artists and songwriters, protect human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and address online safety issues for TikTok’s users,” a Universal spokesman said in a statement Thursday.
Taylor Swift has already been dealing with sexually explicit images of her likeness that spread on the internet using AI. Fake explicit images of Swift, which were created using artificial intelligence without her consent, spread via social media site X in January.
TikTok responded: “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,” it added.
We’ll see if this issue gets resolved before the big game.
