NOS News•today, 09:26
Music from well-known artists such as Billie Eilish and Harry Styles can return to TikTok. Their music label Universal Music Group (UMG) has signed a deal with the platform after all.
In February this year, the American label removed the music of artists such as Taylor Swift, Eilish and Styles from TikTok after negotiations on a new licensing agreement failed. According to UMG, the company behind TikTok, the Chinese ByteDance, did not want to pay a fair price for the music rights. TikTok consistently contradicted those allegations.
Swift’s music returned to the platform at the beginning of April. That was right before her new album came out.
Influence of TikTok
Major record labels have long complained that TikTok does not pay a fair price for artists’ music, but removing songs is a step too far for many companies. For example, Warner Music Group and Sony Music entered into new licensing agreements with TikTok.
Record companies underline that the social media platform, with approximately 1.4 billion users worldwide, is an important path to success for artists.
In this explainer from NOS op 3 you see examples of how TikTok influences the music industry:
The musical power of TikTok
