Universal Music Group and TikTok have struck a new multi-year global licensing deal.
According to a press release, the deal will see TikTok “continue to offer its global community access to UMG’s expansive recorded music and publishing catalogs,” while expanding the commercial and creative opportunities available to Universal’s artists and songwriters.
The agreement, announced on Friday (May 22), builds on the “multi-dimensional partnership” struck between the two companies in May 2024 – a deal that ended a months-long licensing standoff between UMG and TikTok.
Under the new agreement, UMG‘s artists and songwriters will gain access to expanded marketing and advertising campaigns, as well as ecommerce and other “artist-centric tools” on TikTok.
The deal also extends what the companies describe as their “groundbreaking commitment to AI protections that promote human artistry and ensure platform economics effectively flow through to artists and songwriters”.
As part of the agreement, TikTok and UMG say they will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, while further improving artist and songwriter attribution.
Michael Nash, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer of Universal Music Group, said: “We’re proud of the pioneering work we’ve done with TikTok to create wide-ranging benefits for our artists and songwriters.”
“We’re proud of the pioneering work we’ve done with TikTok to create wide-ranging benefits for our artists and songwriters.”
Michael Nash, Universal Music Group
Added Nash: “With this new agreement, we look forward to driving innovative new fan experiences, while further improving social media monetization, and protecting and amplifying human artistry.”
Tracy Gardner, Global Head of Music Business Development at TikTok, said: “We’re excited to take our partnership with UMG to the next level, and build on the strong foundation we’ve already created together for artists, songwriters and fans.”
“We’re excited to take our partnership with UMG to the next level, and build on the strong foundation we’ve already created together for artists, songwriters and fans.”
Tracy Gardner, TikTok
Added Gardner: “TikTok is a unique platform where music discovery, culture and fandom intersect, and this agreement will help create even more opportunities for artists and songwriters to engage audiences, grow their communities and achieve career success on a global scale.”
The new agreement will also deepen collaboration between TikTok and UMG across fan engagement experiences and artist development initiatives, according to the companies.
The companies say the deal will help highlight emerging artists from around the world, strengthen connections between artists and audiences, and unlock new opportunities across discovery, fandom and digital experiences.
The renewed deal comes as TikTok has been stepping up efforts to crack down on unauthorized and AI-manipulated audio on its platform – including through its distribution service SoundOn, which deployed new detection technology from ACRCloud earlier this year.
UMG‘s 2024 licensing deal with TikTok followed a high-profile dispute that began in January of that year, when UMG announced that its agreement with the ByteDance-owned platform had expired without renewal.
UMG said at the time that it had been pressing TikTok on “three critical issues” – compensation for artists and songwriters, protections against AI, and online safety for users.
The 2024 deal was described as a “multi-dimensional licensing agreement” that would deliver “improved remuneration” for UMG‘s artists and songwriters, along with commitments on AI protections and new monetization tools.
The TikTok renewal arrives one day after UMG and Spotify announced a licensing agreement enabling fans to create AI-powered covers and remixes of songs from participating UMG artists and songwriters – the latest in a series of AI-related deals struck by Universal over the past year.Music Business Worldwide
