The tracks of the renowned ‘Shake it Off’ singer were withdrawn from the social media platform in January by her label, Universal Music Group (UMG), citing unfair compensation for artists and concerns about the detrimental use of A.I.
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However, according to Variety, Taylor’s entire catalog has now reappeared on the video-sharing platform, seemingly due to the 34-year-old Grammy winner reclaiming ownership of her master recordings.
Despite this development, music from other UMG artists such as Drake, Billie Eilish, Adele, Coldplay, The Weeknd, Post Malone, and Bad Bunny remains absent from TikTok.
The label’s licensing agreement with TikTok expired on January 31st, and negotiations to renew the contract failed due to disagreements over the proposed terms.
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In a statement on their website, UMG addressed the issue of artist and songwriter compensation, criticizing TikTok’s proposal to pay artists and songwriters at a significantly lower rate compared to other major social platforms.
They highlighted that despite TikTok’s substantial and expanding user base, along with its increasing advertising revenue and reliance on music-based content, the platform contributes only about one percent to UMG’s total revenue.
UMG accused TikTok of attempting to establish a music-centric business model without adequately compensating artists for their work.
Regarding the use of A.I., UMG expressed concerns about TikTok flooding the platform with A.I.-generated recordings and developing tools to promote and encourage A.I. music creation, which could potentially reduce royalties for human artists.
UMG further alleged that TikTok employed bullying tactics during negotiations, including selectively removing music from certain developing artists while retaining content from high-profile stars.
They condemned TikTok’s tactics as an abuse of its platform power, aimed at pressuring UMG into accepting unfavorable terms that undervalue music and disadvantage artists, songwriters, and their fans.
UMG asserted their commitment to fair compensation for artists and vowed not to succumb to intimidation tactics from TikTok.
