TikTok responded by accusing UMG of greed and dishonesty. The social media platform argued that it has agreements with all other labels and publishers and reminded UMG of the promotional opportunities it would miss out on due to its large user base. The standoff between the two companies could lead to a significant change in the music available on TikTok, with UMG's music potentially being removed as soon as the current contract expires on January 31.
Key takeaways:
- Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's largest music corporation, is planning to remove its music from TikTok due to disagreements over payment, AI, and safety issues.
- UMG accuses TikTok of underpaying its artists, promoting AI-generated music, and having inconsistent content moderation, leading to hate speech, bigotry, and harassment on the platform.
- UMG's departure from TikTok will affect a large number of popular artists, including Taylor Swift, BTS, Drake, Ariana Grande, and others.
- TikTok has refuted UMG's claims, accusing the music group of greed and prioritizing their own interests over those of their artists and songwriters.