Universal Music Group (UMG) did not renew its contract with TikTok and removed the catalog of songs of its artists, including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Drake and many others, from the platform. Pravilamag.ru reports this with reference to UMG.
The agreement, concluded in 2021, expired on January 31. The very next day, February 1, songs belonging to UMG became unavailable to TikTok users.
So, when you try to listen to a video with the song Blinding Lights by The Weeknd, the sound still plays, but when you click on it, a message appears: “The copyright owner has not made this song available in your country”.
The song also does not appear on The Weeknd's page, and when searching by title, only cover versions of the song are offered.
Representatives of UMG reported that they were unable to renew the contract with TikTok due to unfavorable conditions offered by the Chinese platform.
In addition, UMG accused TikTok of ignoring and then threatening discussions on three important issues: payments for musicians, protection of artists' rights and online safety of users.
UMG notes that despite the fact that the label’s songs are used on TikTok more often than on other social networks, payments from the Chinese platform account for only 1% of the company’s total income.
In response, TikTok said that UMG “put its greed above the interests of its own artists and creators”. The platform also calls the company's accusations false.