Universal Music Group yanks catalog off of TikTok

Universal Music Group has moved to take its catalog off of social media platform TikTok in the wake of failed licensing negotiations with the company.

"We started the removal late last night Pacific Time, Jan 31st, as we approached the deadline of the [UMG/TikTok] license expiration," a spokesperson for TikTok told NPR.

UMG's catalog includes major artists such as Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Adele, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Pearl Jam, and many others. UMG on Tuesday published an open letter highlighting its issues with the platform.

"As with many other platforms with whom we partner, TikTok’s success as one of the world’s largest social platforms has been built in large part on the music created by our artists and songwriters," the company wrote. "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."

"Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music," UMG asserted.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.