"The music of Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Drake, and many other singers will be available again to the millions of TikTok users. The Universal Music Group (UMG), the company that owns the rights to the artists, has signed a new 'multidimensional licensing' agreement with the Chinese social network, committing to improving the compensation for artists, providing them with new promotional opportunities, and offering greater protection against artificial intelligence (AI)."
"Agreement for a new strategic collaboration."
"The joint agreement, which replaces the one that expired in February, marks the end of the dispute. This agreement signifies a new era of strategic collaboration, where UMG considered the payment of royalties to its artists insufficient. Its aim is to assist singers and songwriters in reaching their creative and commercial potential. In turn, TikTok followers will once again have access to UMG's music and catalogs, enabling them to create videos not only with the soundtracks of the world's most important artists and songwriters but also with those of emerging talents."
"Greater protection of artists against AI."
""The three main strengths of the new pact focus on improving the compensation for UMG composers and artists, providing them with new opportunities for promotion and participation in their recordings and songs, as well as giving them more protection regarding generative AI.
This last issue, which has concerned the music industry, was the most difficult to resolve during negotiations. Thus, the highlight is the commitment to ensure that AI does not harm the creativity of artists and the" to remove from the platform music generated by such unauthorized technology."
"We are pleased to welcome UMG back," stated Ole Obermann, global director of music business development at the Chinese social network. "We will work together to ensure that AI tools are developed responsibly, enabling a new era of musical creativity and fan engagement, while also protecting human creativity."
"New monetization opportunities for singers."
Furthermore, as part of the signed agreement, UMG artists will benefit from "new monetization opportunities" by leveraging TikTok's growing e-commerce capabilities and campaigns supporting UMG artists across all genres and territories globally.
The agreement comes amid doubts about the long-term future of TikTok in the United States. President Joe Biden signed a law granting the Chinese owner of the platform, ByteDance, 270 days to sell its assets in the United States. A measure that TikTok describes as a ban and for which... legal process. It's no wonder that the Chinese social network ensures that over 170 million Americans use its video service, and globally, Statista data shows it has over 1.5 billion monthly active users, as reported by Reuters.
Fuente: Reuters, Wired, Comunicado UGM y TikTok
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