Universal signs TikTok deal allowing artists back on platform
Artists such as Olivia Rodrigo (pictured) and Drake will now return to TikTok after the deal. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters
TikTok and Universal Music Group have reached a deal that will allow songs and artists from its labels including Olivia Rodrigo and Drake to return to the platform.
The world’s largest music company began pulling content from TikTok in February after falling out with TikTok over issues including artist compensation and the use of artificial intelligence-generated music on the video-sharing app.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the companies said they were working “expeditiously” to return music by the label’s artists to TikTok. The deal pledges to tackle concerns about generative AI – the term for technology that produces highly convincing audio, image and text from simple hand-typed prompts – with TikTok saying it would work with Universal to remove unauthorised AI-made content.
“TikTok and UMG will work together to ensure AI development across the music industry will protect human artistry and the economics that flow to those artists and songwriters,” the companies said.
One of the earliest examples of deepfake, AI-generated music featured two Universal artists, Drake and the Weeknd, and was called Heart on My Sleeve. Released in April last year, it was pulled from TikTok, Spotify and YouTube, with Universal warning at the time that unapproved AI-generated music was “denying artists their due compensation””
The companies said the deal would deliver improved pay terms for Universal artists, provide new promotional opportunities for recordings and songs and introduce “industry-leading protections” on AI.
TikTok has become a vital conduit for the music industry, with a quarter of US consumers saying they listen to songs they have heard on TikTok. TikTok is where 16- to 19-year-olds in the US most commonly discover music, ahead of YouTube and music streaming services such as Spotify, according to MIDiA Research.
Taylor Swift, a Universal artist, has already allowed her music to return to TikTok because she owns the copyright to her work through a 2018 deal that gives her control of where her songs are made available.
Sir Lucian Grainge, the chair and chief executive of Universal Music Group, said in a statement: “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.”
Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s CEO, said: “Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group.”