Last summer, Taylor Swift’s “August” went viral on TikTok thanks to an adorable pet-spinning trend. Viral moments aside, Swift’s songs are consistently popular on the video platform, but at the moment, their future on the site looks uncertain.
Are Taylor Swift’s Songs Leaving TikTok?
Maybe.
Universal Music Group currently has beef with TikTok, which could result in them pulling their artists’ songs from the platform. UMG artists include heavy-hitters like Swift, Drake, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Adele, J Balvin, and many others. As of this post, Swift’s songs are still available to use when creating a new TikTok post.
In an open letter shared yesterday (January 30), UMG noted that its licensing agreement with TikTok expires today (January 31). As for negotiations to renew the contract, they have so far not been fruitful.
The letter notes, “The terms of our relationship with TikTok are set by contract, which expires January 31, 2024. In our contract renewal discussions, we have been pressing them on three critical issues — appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”
It goes on to say:
“As our 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. How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.
TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.
We will never do that.
We will always fight for our artists and songwriters and stand up for the creative and commercial value of music.”
The letter concludes:
“We recognize the challenges that TikTok’s actions will cause, and do not underestimate what this will mean to our artists and their fans who, unfortunately, will be among those subjected to the near-term consequences of TikTok’s unwillingness to strike anything close to a market-rate deal and meaningfully address its obligations as a social platform. But we have an overriding responsibility to our artists to fight for a new agreement under which they are appropriately compensated for their work, on a platform that respects human creativity, in an environment that is safe for all, and effectively moderated.
We honor our responsibilities with the utmost seriousness. Intimidation and threats will never cause us to shirk those responsibilities.”
TikTok then shared a response and kept it short and sweet, writing:
“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.
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.”
Ultimately, if WMG and TikTok do not reach some sort of agreement before their current contract expires, it looks like TikTok users might have to go without songs by Swift and others.