Universal Music Group and TikTok have announced a new “multi-dimensional” licensing agreement that will bring music from UMG’s family of artists, songwriters and labels back to the short-form video platform.
Earlier this year, Universal Music pulled its songs from TikTok, citing financial conditions and concerns about inadequate restrictions on artificial intelligence tools. The four million song catalog includes titles by Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Adele and many others.
The joint agreement announced today “marks a new era of strategic collaboration between the two organizations, building on a shared commitment to helping UMG’s artists and songwriters realize their creative and commercial potential,” the company said in a statement Company.
The deal is expected to provide improved compensation for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs, and industry-leading protections related to generative AI.
UMG and TikTok say they are working “expeditiously” to return music to TikTok from artists represented by Universal Music Group and songwriters represented by Universal Music Publishing Group.
Under the agreement, both organizations will collaborate to realize new monetization opportunities using TikTok’s growing e-commerce capabilities and collaborate on campaigns that support UMG’s artists across all genres and regions around the world.
TikTok will continue to invest significant resources in developing artist-centric tools that help UMG artists realize their potential on the growing platform. Tools like Add to Music App, enhanced data and analytics, and integrated ticketing features “will benefit artists both financially and in building their global fan bases, leveraging TikTok’s scale and engaged community while maintaining online safety protections.” for artists and their fans.” UMG and TikTok said.
Additionally, TikTok and UMG will work together “to ensure that AI development across the music industry protects human artistry and the economies that benefit these artists and songwriters.” TikTok is also committed to working with UMG to not to remove authorized AI-generated music from the platform and provide tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution.”
Lucian Grainge, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group, said: “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human art and the well-being of the creative community.” We look forward to working with the team at TikTok to advance the interests of our artists and songwriters and drive innovation in fan engagement while driving social music monetization.”
Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, added: “Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group.” We are committed to working together to deliver the value that “To increase the discovery and promotion of all of UMG’s great artists and songwriters and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.”
Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music Business Development at TikTok, commented: “We are pleased to welcome UMG and UMPG back to TikTok. We look forward to working together on a path that creates deeper connections between artists, creators and fans. In particular, we will work together to ensure that AI tools are developed responsibly to enable a new era of musical creativity and fan engagement while protecting human creativity.”
Michael Nash, Chief Digital Officer and EVP of Universal Music Group, said: “Developing transformative partnerships with key innovators is critical to UMG’s commitment to fostering an environment in which artists and songwriters thrive. We are pleased to renew our relationship with TikTok, based on significant advances in commercial and marketing capabilities as well as the protections offered to our industry-leading team on their platform. Given the ever-evolving way social interaction, fan engagement, music discovery and artistic ingenuity converge on TikTok, we see great potential for our future collaborations.”