TikTok and Universal Music Group Announce Global Licensing Deal

Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have announced a new multi-year licensing deal. News of the agreement comes two years after UMG and TikTok resolved their infamous licensing standoff, which led UMG to pull its entire catalog of master recordings and compositions from the service for the first three months of 2024.

TikTok notes in a press release that the new deal will provide UMG artists with “expanded marketing and advertising campaigns, as well as access to ecommerce and other artist-centric tools.”

The release also notes that the new agreement “build[s] on the success of the multi-dimensional partnership announced in 2024” and extends TikTok and UMG’s “groundbreaking commitment to AI protections that promote human artistry.” It adds that “TikTok and UMG will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, while further improving artist and songwriter attribution.”

In January, UMG chief digital officer and executive vp Michael Nash was a guest on Billboard’s On the Record podcast, when he revealed new details about what happened between UMG and TikTok in 2024 that led the music company to pull its catalog from the social media service in retaliation. “There was a proposal [from TikTok] that the service would use AI music in a way that went far outside of what we thought really made sense for us to support in the interest of our artists,” Nash said at the time. “And specifically, what they were proposing is that creators would be able to generate AI content, and that AI content on the TikTok platform would get paid on the same basis as artists’ [music]. It would dilute the artists’ royalty pool.”

When the two companies finally resolved their dispute, Nash explained that, ultimately, “we got the best protections that we had been able to obtain to that point, and they remain some of the best protections that we have in any agreement with the music service, in terms of AI protection and what we call ‘anti-dilution,’ meaning our royalties won’t be diluted by pure AI content.”

Typically, licensing agreements between music companies and tech platforms last for about two to three years, so license renewals between TikTok and other music companies are expected in the near future.

In a statement about the new deal, Nash said: “We’re proud of the pioneering work we’ve done with TikTok to create wide-ranging benefits for our artists and songwriters. 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, added: “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. 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.”