In short, Universal has demanded that TikTok pay more to artists and songwriters when they use their music in videos. TikTok has so far paid a fraction of what other social media pay. If the parties do not agree on a new agreement by Thursday, all Universal music will be removed from TikTok. Norwegian artists such as Ramón and Alessandra, who both have a contract with Universal, may also be affected. TikTok writes that Universal saw its own greed over the interests of the artists and songwriters. If Universal pulls the music out of TikTok, it will be a dramatic change, says senior lecturer in music at the University of Kristiania, Audun Molde. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In an open letter, Universal writes that in the negotiations for a new agreement, they have demanded, among other things, that TikTok should pay more to artists and songwriters when they use their music in videos. Universal wrote in the letter that TikTok would only pay a fraction of what other social media pay. – TikTok is trying to build a music-based business without a fair payment for the music, believes the record company, which says TikTok accounts for less than 1 percent of Universal Music’s turnover. The deadline expired on Thursday, and all Universal music will be removed from the social platform. This means that major international artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd and The Beatles disappear. Taylor Swift is the world’s biggest artist right now. She may disappear from TikTok if there is no new agreement. Photo: George Walker IV / AP Norwegian artists also hit Among the Norwegian artists who have a contract with Universal are Ramón and last year’s MGP winner Alessandra, who both use TikTok to market their music. According to Ramón, TikTok was an important reason why he broke through as an artist. He used the video app, among other things, to promote his own music. The day after the song “ok eg lover” came out in February 2022, it became a new Norwegian streaming record. The success led to a record deal with Universal. It has not been possible for news to get in touch with Ramón, but on Snapchat the artist confirms that he is gone from TikTok. – Now my music and all other Universal artists’ music has been removed from TikTok. Maybe they got that with you. It’s because TikTok doesn’t want to pay the artists what Universal thinks they deserve, says the artist and adds: – I didn’t know I got paid for TikTok, me. Universal Music in Norway says they do not want to comment on the negotiations or that music may be withdrawn. Ramón says he is now losing an important arena to reach out to the fans. – This is beyond my control and I cannot do anything about it. The music is still on Spotify, but TikTok is my biggest platform. But that’s just the way it is, says Ramón on Snapchat. Meiner Universal is greedy It may seem that the distance between TikTok and Universal is very large. On Tuesday evening, a statement came from TikTok, where they write that the record company is failing the artists. – It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group saw its own greed over the interests of the artists and songwriters. They write that they have managed to reach agreements with other record companies and music publishers, and that Universal is now failing artists and fans. – They have chosen to scrap a platform with over a billion users that can be a free advertising channel and a tool for discovering new music. – Dramatic for TikTok This is a dramatic turn, says senior lecturer in music at Kristiania University College, Audun Molde. – It will be dramatic for TikTok, and for many artists. Universal is the world’s largest record company with the largest market share. So they are an important supplier to TikTok. Senior lecturer in music Audun Molde sees that TikTok has become an important source of music for many. Photo: Jonatan A. Quintero / Jonatan A. Quintero The reason it is so locked in is that TikTok has a different model for payment to those who have the copyright. The idea is that people will become curious about the music that is used in videos, and seek out music streaming services to hear more, which will provide money for both record companies, artists and songwriters. But now this has changed, says Molde. – We see that more and more people, and especially young people, spend more time on TikTok, and now use TikTok as a primary channel for listening to music. History repeated itself Right now the situation is deadlocked, but this is a situation the music industry has been through a couple of times in the past. – When MTV came along, the idea was that they would show videos for free, and then people would buy the music. But even with people sitting around listening to free music on TV. The same thing happened with YouTube. And now it’s TikTok. YouTube Music today has over 80 million subscribers. Photo: Richard Vogel / Ap When all Universal music disappears from TikTok, it could be a short-term loss for both artists and TikTok. But in the longer term, it can lead to a change. – In the longer term, this could force better terms for compensation for artists and copyright from TikTok. So, in the long term, it can make artists tend to it.
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Universal artists removed from TikTok – news Culture and entertainment
