KOLKATA: Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have entered into a global alliance that will further deepen the standing agreement that allows users of the short-form video app to use songs from the record label’s catalogue.
The new deal will deliver equitable compensation for recording artists and songwriters and significantly expands and enhances the companies’ existing relationship, promoting the development of new innovative experiences and the ability to forge deeper bonds between fans and the artists and music they love.
With this agreement, which covers recorded music from artists at UMG’s labels and songwriters with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), TikTok’s massive user base will be more empowered than ever to express themselves through music, soundtrack their video creations with songs about which they are passionate and build communities around artists and music-centered culture. The companies have additionally pledged to experiment with exciting new features. TikTok users will now be able to incorporate clips from UMG’s full catalogue of music, spanning the company’s iconic labels, songwriters and global territories.
"We are excited to enter this new era with UMG and UMPG to continue supporting artists and songwriters, by working together to help reach music fans on TikTok. Our platform has been a driver in creating chart hits and licensing the world's biggest catalog of tracks will continue to inspire our community. In turn, we are proud to partner with UMG and UMPG to be a source to help new talent emerge and to re-introduce legacy acts to a new audience,” TikTok global music head Ole Obermann said.
“UMG and TikTok will now work more closely than ever to promote ambitious experimentation, innovation and collaboration — with the shared objective of developing new music experiences and features. Driving new and deeper connections with fans, this agreement delivers equitable compensation to our recording artists and songwriters, as well as a commitment to develop industry-leading tools, A&R insights and models necessary to advance their careers,” UMG digital strategy executive vice president Michael Nash said.
The UMG deal follows other partnerships with major sectors of the music industry. In the last year, TikTok has forged similar pacts with Sony Music, Merlin (which represents a large portion of indie labels), and Warner Music Group.
TikTok has mentioned in a report that over 70 musical artists that broke on the platform in the past 12 months went on to sign major label deals. The platform also reported that over 176 different songs surpassed one billion video views as TikTok sounds in 2020.
