Universal Music Group is pulling out of TikTok. TikTok is accusing UMG of being greedy (which tbf probably isn’t that wrong), UMG said that the deal with TikTok collapsed on three main points: songwriter compensation, safety of artists from harm caused by AI and the online safety of TikTok’s users.
I heard UMG is in talks with YouTube and artists on their label to try and figure out how AI can be used ethically in the music industry, so I guess TikTok failed on that point.
They also called out TikTok on hate speech and harrasment issues in their open letter which is respectable. Even though I suspect it’s primarily about not wanting their artists to be any way connected to this due to bad PR. Nonetheless a very fair point.
If TikTok is managing the feat of paying less than other ‘platform partners’, and makes brazen statements like “[TikTok] serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.”, they can suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck it