Image source: Music Ally

By Akil Brathwaite

Co-Managing and In-Depth Editor

On the 31st of January, TikTok, a social media app that has been gaining popularity since its creation in September of 2016, found itself in a new era of sorts. Universal Music Group, a Dutch-American music company with many notable names under their label, made the decision to remove all of their music off of the app after being unable to reach an agreement with TikTok. Now, after the removal of these songs, they are inaccessible to users to use as audios. Any previous TikToks with these audios had their sound completely removed with a message that the sound has been removed due to copyright restrictions displayed at the bottom, though on the 2nd of May the two parties announced an agreement and the once removed songs have now returned to the platform. Despite the returning of the sounds, the removal showed how much the music industry and TikTok depended on each other. 

At the top of the chain, very popular musicians and artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd and others were minimally affected due to their stardom and popularity being established before the rise of TikTok. Despite this, there is still something to be said about the removal. Although these artists were popular before, it is not far off to say that a lot of their popularity came from the app. Their songs introduced them to new audiences, which only grew their popularity even further. Now, some of those very same songs are now inaccessible to their audiences, and they can’t even be heard.

Though, who were arguably affected the most by the decision, were the artists under UMG who aren’t as widely known as the previously named artists.

In a TikTok by peachprc, an artist with around 2.2 million followers, the creator ranted in a somewhat satirical manner about her situation in relation to the banning. In the TikTok, she is shown panicking, with text explaining how UMG muted all of the songs on the platform that her music gained traction on and the very same platform that they discovered her and signed her from. In the comments, artists with around the same following share similar sentiments in the same jokey manner. Despite the lighthearted and somewhat satirical tone, the situation for these artists is still sad; they built their following, launched their music careers, and made a living off of TikTok, and for a time that was disrupted because UMG decided to remove their songs entirely. 

Though, what was arguably even more interesting about the situation were the responses from both Universal and TikTok. In a letter from UMG titled, “An Open Letter to the Artist and Songwriter Community: Why We Must Call Time Out on TikTok,” the company elaborates on the issue the two parties had. The contract allowing UMG’s music to be played on TikTok ended on January 31, 2024, with neither company being able to reach an agreement. The company outlined three key issues they wanted addressed: their artists receiving appropriate compensation for their songs being on the platform, protecting their artists from the uprising of AI, and “online safety for TIkTok’s users,” as they say. They have been successful with other platforms, but TikTok was where it didn’t work so well, according to Universal. They claim that the app proposed paying their artists and songwriters a fraction of the rate they receive on other platforms, has sponsored artist replacement by AI, and made no little steps to solve content adjacency issues and the hatred and inappropriate behaviors on the app. The most interesting part of the letter is their claim that TikTok attempted to bully the company into “accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal.” They claim that all of this is to protect their artists and songwriters, when TikTok wants to do the opposite.

TikTok, though, shared a different perspective of this. In a much briefer statement, they express their disappointment in the company “putting their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.” They claim Universal has spread false narrative and rhetoric, and emphasizes the fact that the group chose to walk away from the support they gave to their artists through promotion of the artists’ talent, especially with their over a billion users, they claim. They end their statement with how they’ve been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher, and that Universal’s actions are not in favor of their creators and fans, but rather in favor of them. 

Following a three-month dispute, the companies announced a, “new era of strategic collaboration,” UMG CEO Lucian Grainge describing it as, “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community.” In their statements both companies share similar sentiments of looking forward to collaboration for the betterment of the artists under UMG and their involvement in the TikTok community and the larger TikTok ecosystem that depends on music.