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Universal-contracted songwriters’ tracks set to disappear from the platform.
TikTok is facing pressure to remove more music from its platform due to an ongoing dispute over royalties with Universal Music Group (UMG). UMG recently removed recordings owned or distributed by them, including tracks from popular artists such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and The Weeknd. This standoff now extends to songs published by UMG.
“We are currently complying with Universal Music Group’s request to remove all songs written (or co-written) by songwriters signed to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), based on the information they have provided,” TikTok stated. “Their actions not only affect the songwriters and artists they represent, but also impact many non-UMG artists and songwriters.” TikTok added that it remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with UMG.
Due to a legal issue known as split copyrights, any song on TikTok that involves a UMPG-contracted writer must be removed. Therefore, songs featuring collaborations with artists like Swift, Adele, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Ice Spice, Elton John, Harry Styles, and SZA will disappear from TikTok and will be muted in videos that currently use them. This move will prevent more artists from promoting their work on the platform known for its music promotion capabilities.
According to the BBC, UMG has already removed approximately three million songs from TikTok after the expiration of its agreement concerning the recording catalog. The deal between UMG and TikTok regarding the publishing catalog, which covers around four million songs, is set to end later this week, resulting in the removal of all related tracks from the short-form video platform.
Update 2/28 3:30PM ET: Confirmed that TikTok is removing songs by UMPG-contracted songwriters.