Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Rihanna…and Musicals Leave TikTok!

Your Favorites Gone from TikTok!

Gay gasp! Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande and...double gay gasp! Broadway musicals left TikTok! Well, not of their own accord, but if you've been trying to use their music in your TikTok videos, sorry! There is no love lost between TikTok and Universal Music Group as negotiations (much like the SAG actor's strike) regarding AI use and musician payment fell through affection UMG's full library, affecting a huge amount of TikTok videos. Any videos using music under the library now pop up with a message saying that the sound was removed due to copyright restrictions.

According to UMG's 2022 Annual Report, their library (and subsidiaries) contain over 4 million songs. Girl! UMG said only 1% of their sales were generated from TikTok. In an open statement by UMG, they claimed that as "negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth." They also stressed the blatant use of AI that can easily manipulate the artists they represent. UMG also pointed out that TikTok's offer was less than the already substandard royalty structure implemented by Spotify. TikTok gave a statement to USA Today responding that claims UMG was releasing a "false narrative" created out of "greed." The claws come out!

 

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Among Capitol Records music libraries are Capitol Records, Republic Records, Interscope Records, Def Jam Recordings, Abbey Road Studios, Virgin Music Group, Motown, Dreamville, and more. Not only are big artists represented by UMG, but viral, other songs like "Murder on the Dance Floor" from Saltburn, Lady Gaga's "Bloody Mary" from Netflix's Wednesday, and "Hey Sexy Lady" are all examples of songs that have been sampled over and over on TikTok. The platform was also a useful tool for users to discover new musicians. TikTok reported that 75% of their users discovered new artists from viral posts. Other big names that are included in the viral TikTok music list that are gone are Harry Styles, Drake, Adele, Billie Eilish, BTS, Demi Lovato, SZA, and more!

 

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Another music genre that has been affected and absent from TikTok is Broadway musicals. Decca Broadway is a label under UMG and has a library with the BIG Broadway musicals. Musicals include Wicked, Mamma Mia, Les Miz, Phantom of the Opera, Dreamgirls, and the list goes on and on. Many users have recorded their own covers for use, including original Wicked star Kristin Chenoweth.

With the mudslinging that has occurred between the two organizations, it is doubtful that a negotiation will be reached anytime soon. Remember how long the writer's strike went on? At least UMG, on the surface, is trying to get their artists a better payment structure.

Has the UMG library deletion affected your TikTok content?