TikTok users can use Taylor Swift‘s music in their videos again, as her songs have reappeared on the app after Universal Music Group’s negotiations with TikTok broke down recently. UMG removed all artists under their management from the platform, which included Swift. Allegedly, Swift made the personal decision with her team to market her new album on the platform.
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The Tortured Poets Department, Swift’s most recent album, drops on April 19, and TikTok is crucial for capturing the 13 to 24 demographic, which ultimately makes up a majority of Swift’s fanbase. With her music removed from TikTok, she would lose influence over a good chunk of fans. Now, it seems that Swift’s catalog has returned to the platform, with allegations that it was a personal move by Swift and her team.
According to a report from Digital Music News, Swift’s team has prioritized marketing for The Tortured Poet Department on TikTok over the current UMG-TikTok royalties dispute. The report states that Swift’s agreement with UMG also allows her to strike deals with platforms like TikTok, since she owns all the rights to any new music she makes. Because of that unique ownership, she can allow her music to be featured on TikTok even during UMG’s boycott of the platform.
In a report from the Wall Street Journal, UMG apparently asked Swift’s team to reconsider allowing her music back on TikTok. Swift’s team refused. Taylor Swift’s entire catalog is returning to TikTok, which will allow her music to be used in videos again.
[RELATED: Taylor Swift Returns to TikTok—or at Least Her Music Does]
Taylor Swift Returns to TikTok as Universal Music Group Asks Her to Reconsider
The negotiations between Universal Music Group and TikTok broke down in January as UMG cited issues with the platform not honoring previous agreements. The issues pertained mostly to royalties and use of AI.
“TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay,” UMG said in a statement at the time. TikTok also put out a statement around the same time, writing, “TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”
Following the breakdowns in late January, UMG pulled more than 3 million audio tracks and 4 million songs from the platform. This included Taylor Swift, The Beatles, and Billie Eilish, among many others.
Featured Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
