Universal Music Group is threatening to remove to music of its artists, including that of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, and more, from TikTok due to a contract dispute with the company. The music label explained its thinking in an open letter addressed to the social media platform on Tuesday.
In the open letter, UMG explains that its contract with TikTok expires on January 31, 2024, and they have two primary issues they want to address in a new deal. These include: "appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users."
Drake Performs At "Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert"
"With respect to the issue of artist and songwriter compensation, TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay. Today, as an indication of how little TikTok compensates artists and songwriters, despite its massive and growing user base, rapidly rising advertising revenue and increasing reliance on music-based content, TikTok accounts for only about 1% of our total revenue," the letter argues. The company also accuses TikTok of making "little effort to deal with the vast amounts of content on its platform that infringe our artists’ music," as well as "allowing the platform to be flooded with AI-generated recordings."
UMG Calls Out TikTok
Our core mission is simple: to help our artists & songwriters attain their greatest creative and commercial potential, which is why we must call time out on TikTok.
Learn More: https://t.co/yJDQ7FdgNc pic.twitter.com/Lhluz1ez5H
— Universal Music Group (@UMG) January 31, 2024
Furthermore, UMG says when it pressed TikTok on these concerns, "it responded first with indifference, and then with intimidation." Check out the full open letter above. TikTok has since responded to the accusations, arguing in a letter of its own that the platform has "been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher" and put the dispute on UMG's own "greed." Be on the lookout for further updates on UMG's contract with TikTok on HotNewHipHop.
[Via]