The royalty rumbles between music behemoth Universal and social star TikTok took an unexpected turn recently! After a short break in play, UMG unleashed another volley by seriously upping the ante in their anthem altercation.
Believe it or not, even the biggest players in the music biz sometimes disagree on who gets the dough. And as the number one label with legends like Adele, Bieber, and Swift on speed dial, Universal clearly wasn’t messing around when negotiations with ByteDance’s booming video platform broke down.
After initially dimming the dials on a selection of UMG recordings, they cranked up the contractual conflict by greatly expanding the exiled EP playlist. Suddenly a HUGE portion of audio on the app faced a muting – from future hit-makers to certified chart-toppers!
No one was safe it seems, not even multi-platinum pop powerhouses and Grammy darlings. But determining what tunes were caught in the crossfire was far from simple, like untangling spaghetti when only one noodle’s on your fork.
Both behemoths took shots at each other in scathing statements, each claiming the high ground for hardworking hip-hoppers and rockers. UMG argued they deserved the same deal as other apps while TikTok fired back that labels should think of the fans, man!
Artists found themselves unexpectedly disconnected from a go-to promo platform just as new material was primed for launch. Ouch, that’s got to hurt both Buzz and Bucks. Looks like this fight’s only heating up as the heaviest hitters in the industry throwdown, who will emerge victorious from the YouTube-style bout?! Stay tuned for the next round in this record label rumble…
Hitting a Sour Note: Licensing Dispute Puts UMG Catalog at Risk on TikTok. Read Here
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