TikTok Calls UMG Greedy Amid Its Plans To Pull Music Over Contract Dispute

BYCaroline Fisher751 Views
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WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 07: In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. On Thursday evening, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that bans any transactions between the parent company of TikTok, ByteDance, and U.S. citizens due to national security reasons. The president signed a separate executive order banning transactions with China-based tech company Tencent, which owns the app WeChat. Both orders are set to take effect in 45 days. (Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
According to TikTok, UMG is putting its own needs above artists and their fans.

Earlier this week, Universal Music Group threatened to pull its artists' music from TikTok due to a contract dispute. They shared an open letter with the platform yesterday, citing issues they wanted to address with a new deal. The issues include fair compensation for artists, "protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI," and more.

"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," they wrote.

TikTok Issues A Statement

They failed to reach an agreement. This means that tracks from the likes of Taylor Swift, SZA, Billie Eilish, and more will be pulled from TikTok. The platform recently shared a statement in response to this latest development, accusing UMG of being greedy. According to them, TikTok provides UMG artists with free promotion, and the company has decided to put their needs above those of them and their fans.

"It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters," the statement begins. "Despite Universal's false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent. TikTok has been able to reach 'artist-first' agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal's self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans." What do you think of Universal Music Group announcing plans to pull its artists' music from TikTok? What about TikTok's recent response? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

About The Author
Caroline Fisher is a News Writer at HotNewHipHop from Chicago, Illinois. She started at HNHH this year, and has since spent her time writing about all that is newsworthy in the world of hip-hop. With a drive for hunting down the hottest stories, she enjoys documenting new developments in culture and entertainment. She also has an appreciation for hip-hop and seeks to cover the most important trends and shifts. She has a Bachelor of Arts which she received at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Having graduated in 2022, she majored in English with a concentration in Media, Rhetoric and Cultural Studies. Specializing all things music, pop culture and entertainment, some of her favorite musical artists include Snoop Dogg, OutKast, and Nicki Minaj. When she’s not writing about music she’s also a fan of attending shows, watching the latest movies, staying up-to-date with current events, photography, and poetry.
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