TikTok Begins Removing Universal Music Publishing Songs

The battle between Universal Music Group and TikTok has reached a new phase, with songs published by Universal now included in the company’s boycott of the video app.
To recap: Universal has been seeking a new licensing deal with TikTok in hopes of securing “appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.” The conflict led to a war of words and — on Feb. 1, after the prior licensing agreement expired on Jan. 31 — the removal of UMG artists from TikTok.

Now, with no deal in sight, Universal is removing even more music from the platform. As Variety explains, previously Universal only pulled recordings owned or distributed by UMG; this latest round of removals includes a much broader list of releases by songwriters affiliated with Universal Music Publishing Group. The list of UMPG songwriters cited by Variety includes Adele, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Ice Spice, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Metallica, Metro Boomin, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, SZA, and the Weeknd.

Many songs credit multiple songwriters, especially in a modern pop landscape where the number of writers on a track can balloon into double digits. For this reason, it’s unclear how many songs UMPG’s ban will encompass: Songs where the majority of writers work with Universal? Songs where even one songwriter is a Universal affiliate? Universal claims to have a share in the majority of songs on TikTok, while TikTok estimates that 20 to 30% of songs will be affected.