UMG AND TIKTOK
WORK IT OUT

UMG and TikTok have forged a new licensing agreement that will result in the return of Universal artists, songwriters and labels to the platform following a three-month absence.

In a near-simultaneous email, UMPG also announced the new pact.

According to the joint announcement, disseminated by Uni corporate PR just before midnight PT on Wednesday, 5/1, the deal “marks a new era of strategic collaboration built on a shared commitment to help UMG’s artists and songwriters achieve their creative and commercial potential. By harnessing TikTok’s best-in-class technology, marketing and promotional capabilities, UMG and TikTok will deliver improved remuneration for UMG’s songwriters and artists, new promotional and engagement opportunities for their recordings and songs and industry-leading protections with respect to generative AI."

“As part of the agreement,” the announcement continues, “the organizations will work together to realize new monetization opportunities utilizing TikTok’s growing e-commerce capabilities and on campaigns supporting UMG’s artists across genres and territories globally.”

The announcement included the broad-stroke statements from the principals found below, and Uni ruler Sir Lucian Grainge provided a detailed explanation of the deal in a memo to staff Thursday morning.

Grainge: “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the welfare of the creative community. We look forward to collaborating with the team at TikTok to further the interests of our artists and songwriters and drive innovation in fan engagement while advancing social music monetization.”

TikTok CEO Shou Chew: “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 drive value, discovery and promotion for all of UMG’s amazing artists and songwriters and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.”

TikTok Global Head of Music Business Development Ole Obermann: “We are delighted to welcome UMG and UMPG back to TikTok. We look forward to working together to forge a path that creates deeper connections between artists, creators and fans. In particular, we will work together to make sure that AI tools are developed responsibly to enable a new era of musical creativity and fan engagement while protecting human creativity”.

UMG Chief Digital Officer/EVP Michael Nash: “Developing transformational partnerships with important innovators is critical to UMG’s commitment to promoting an environment in which artists and songwriters prosper. We’re gratified to renew our relationship with TikTok, predicated on significant advancements in commercial and marketing opportunities as well as protections provided to our industry-leading roster on their platform. With the constantly evolving ways that social interaction, fan engagement, music discovery and artistic ingenuity converge on TikTok, we see great potential in our collaboration going forward.”

No timetable was given for the repopulation of Uni-repped artists and writers on TikTok, but the companies stated that they “are now working expeditiously” to do so, and that things will return to normal “in due course.”