The gagging of Universal Music Group artists on TikTok has become the talk of the music industry ahead of the Grammys, as fans and UMG-signed artists have spoken out over the licensing rift between the major label and the massively popular social app. networking.
Of the artists who have so far spoken publicly about the rift, none have spoken in a way that provokes either party. Instead, the affected singers approached the situation with humor and optimism.
Noah Kahan, who is signed to Universal label Republic and whose career was partly launched when his 'Stick Season' went viral on TikTok, told his fans on the app: 'Well, like you, I've been reading the news about TikTok's UMG catalog took off, some of my songs won't be there anymore. I will no longer be able to promote my music on TikTok. But luckily, I'm not a TikTok artist, right?”
He added, “You're going to have to pre-save forever now if you want to hear it, because I can't stick it down your throat anymore on this app. I'm still releasing it, it's still coming out, and I'll probably be okay, right? I'm going to walk, right? Correctly?”
Fellow artist Conan Gray was equally blunt when discussing the UMG-TikTok split when asked by Rolling rock on the red carpet at Spotify's Best New Artist Party. “My career is over, for sure. I will never make a hit song at this rate again,” Gray said.
“No, no, it's fine. TikTok has its ups and downs and I guess we'll see what happens. I guess we'll be creative. There will be many interesting a cappella covers by UMG artists until this is settled.”
Yungblud, signed to Universal's Geffen label, viewed the split as typical corporate “crap” but welcomed it as an opportunity for a new creative challenge.
“I'm a bit confused to be honest. Am I relieved? Same bullshit, though, isn't it? Two huge corporations decide what to do with people's art. It's a bit fucked up, isn't it?' Yungblud said on TikTok. “Ultimately, it's a great reminder to myself and hopefully other artists that the things you create don't have to be owned by huge tech companies and like the metrics they show.”
However, “I think it's going to be cool what can happen, when people who like it can just focus on pure expression and not some fucking algorithm,” the British singer added.
Fletcher (at UMG's Capitol) and LANY's Paul Klein (at UMG's Virgin Record) also addressed the label's TikTok gag in simple ways:
Movements began gradually late Wednesday afternoon. Official versions of UMG-owned recordings such as Taylor Swift's “Cruel Summer,” Olivia Rodrigo's “Get Him Back,” and Lana Del Rey's “Let the Light In” no longer appeared in search results. Meanwhile, UMG song videos — like a Kylie Jenner Position set to Del Rey's “Cherry” and Dwayne Johnson's “The Rock.” video soundtracked Rick Ross' “Hustlin” — was on mute. Videos now have a prompt at the bottom noting that the audio was removed due to copyright restrictions.
UMG set the stage for sonic stripping when it published an open letter Tuesday night saying that the previous licensing agreement with TikTok was set to expire on Wednesday and that talks for a new deal had reached an impasse. The world's biggest music label – whose artists include Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Daddy Yankee – said it was taking a stand “for the creative and commercial value of music”.
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