Not Tik Tok entering the 2024 bingo card with a serious beef versus Universal Music Group! The drama started when UMG released a statement proclaiming Tik Tok is making more money off their songs than they should. On Wednesday, they threatened to pull tracks if their artists and songwriters didn’t start seeing checks immediately. NBC News reports that Tik Tok responded and said UMG is putting, “their own greed above the interests of artists and songwriters.”
Oh yeah, things got heated pretty quickly. UMG ‘stood on business’ and followed through with pulling catalogs from some of the biggest names in music! This leaves Tik Tok’s estimated 1.5 million monthly users without access to make videos to their favorite songs from artists like:
- Drake
- Bad Bunny
- SZA
- Rihanna
- Adele
- Billie Eilish
- Ariana Grande
- J. Cole
- Demi Lovato
- Kendrick Lamar
- The Weeknd
- Alicia Keys
- Nicki Minaj
- Muni Long
Leave it to ‘Tik Tokers’ to make light of the situation, and still find the fun in using the app. Many users are opting for singing their favorite songs acapella or by using royalty free music.
Until Tik Tok pays artists “at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay,” UMG said in a statement, looks like there will be a strike on music. Universal also said, “Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music.” In 2021 Tik Tok released a report where they proved that TikTok “is the driving force behind music discovery in the industry, and that TikTok users are active, engaged and highly valuable drivers of music industry revenues.” Check out the numbers for yourself!
Graphic courtesy of Tik Tok Newsroom
Let’s hope these two global brands can kiss and make up so we can get back to making fun content!
READ THE OPEN LETTER FROM UNIVERSAL MUSIC HERE
The Kickback w/ Jazzi Black Weekdays 9A-3P, Saturdays 12P-3P | Follow Me on IG @jazziblack, Follow Me on Twitter @yojazziblack
