Several of Taylor Swift's songs have made a comeback on TikTok after a 10 weeks hiatus, following a licensing dispute between the app and Universal Music Group (UMG), which handles Swift's music distribution.
This return coincides with the anticipation surrounding Swift's upcoming studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, scheduled for release on Friday, April 19.
The dispute between UMG and TikTok led to the label removing all its music from the platform on February 1 which affected not only Swift but also artists such as Lady Gaga, Drake, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande.
At the time, UMG said in an open letter: “In our contract renewal discussions, we have been pressing them on three critical issues – appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”
The music label explained that the lack of a resolution led to the decision to pull the music, adding: “Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music.”
TikTok rejected UMG's allegations, accusing the label of prioritising "their own greed over the interests of their artists and songwriters."
The social media platform said it has reached “artist-first” agreements with every other label and publisher.
Responding to UMG’s claims at the time, TikTok said in a statement: “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”
Currently, the songs that are available on the app are from her albums with UMG starting in 2018, including Lover, Cardigan and Cruel Summer, as well as her Taylor's Version re-recordings of older tracks such as Style and Shake It Off.
Swift left her original label, Big Machine Records, in 2019 and went on to sign a deal with UMG.
The deal came after her former label headed up by Scott Borchetta, sold her first six studio albums to Ithaca Holdings, a company owned by Scooter Braun. In 2020, Braun then sold her masters to a private equity company, Shamrock Holdings, for $300 million.
After the sale, Swift revealed that she had attempted to buy her masters back but wasn’t afforded the opportunity thus announced she would re-record these albums to gain complete ownership of her music, four of which are already out.
Under her 2018 agreement with UMG, Swift affirmed that she possesses the rights to her recordings and also maintains her songwriting rights. This gives her control over the distribution of her work.
Many artists have voiced concerns over TikTok's inadequate royalty payments and insufficient safeguards against unauthorised use of their music by AI.
However, they are also wary of the ongoing dispute, fearing that without TikTok, they will miss out on a vital platform for promoting their music.
The Standard has reached out to a representative from TikTok and Universal for comment.
