It is anticipated that millions more records would disappear from the platform.
As the dispute over royalties with Universal songs Group (UMG) continues, TikTok is being compelled to remove additional songs off its platform. Earlier this month, Universal Music Group (UMG) removed off TikTok recordings that it either owns or distributes. These recordings included songs by artists such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and The Weeknd, among others. Due to the ongoing dispute, songs that are released by UMG are currently being affected, and it is anticipated that millions more music will be muted on TikTok by the end of this week.
According to Variety, the most recent development in this drama has an impact on the works of musicians who have collaborated with composers who are under contract with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). In the event that a UMPG-contracted writer has contributed to a song in any manner, it is possible that the music will need to be deleted from TikTok. This is because of a problem known as split copyrights. There is a possibility that musicians who have worked with artists such as Taylor Swift, Adele, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Ice Spice, Elton John, Harry Styles, and SZA will have their songs removed from TikTok and muted on videos that are currently using them. As a result of this shift, a greater number of musicians will be prevented from marketing their work on the most significant platform for music promotion.
The United Music Group (UMG) reportedly deleted approximately three million songs off TikTok when an agreement over its recording catalogue expired, as reported by the BBC. When the agreement between UMG and TikTok about the latter’s publishing catalogue, which includes approximately four million songs, comes to an end later this week, it is possible that all music that are relevant to the short-form video service will be removed.