The dispute between TikTok and Universal Music, explained

FYPs are about to get a lot quieter, unless your algorithm is deep into ASMR-Tok. Universal Music, the biggest record label in the world, is severing ties with TikTok, the company revealed in an open letter published late Tuesday.

This means the music of any artist signed to Universal – a completely stacked roster that includes Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Elton John, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Billie Eilish, Adele, Coldplay, Ariana Grande, and more – will be unavailable for use in videos moving forward (it’s unclear how old videos containing these sounds will be handled, but it’s likely they’ll be muted).

The sticking points: The impasse between Universal and TikTok boils down to three issues, per the open letter – appropriate compensation for artists and songwriters, the online safety of TikTok users, and protections from AI.

• Universal alleges TikTok proposed paying artists and songwriters a fraction of what similarly situated major social platforms pay. The label says TikTok only accounts for 1% of its advertising revenue – despite its artists representing 8 out of 10 of the most popular bands and singers on the platform last year.
• Universal also takes issue with TikTok’s copyright enforcement (or lack thereof) and investment in AI-related music features. For example: TikTok is piloting an “AI Song” feature that uses AI to create songs based on prompts that users enter.

They said, they said *cue Spider-Man pointing meme*

Billie Eilish’s songs may not be available on the FYP anymore, but “Bad Guy” is the perfect soundtrack for how negotiations have been going – both Universal and TikTok take issue with how the other has reportedly been handling the situation.

• Universal claims TikTok attempted to strongarm them in negotiations, selectively removing the music of certain developing artists while keeping the work of audience-driving global stars on the platform.
• TikTok calls this narrative false, saying in a statement: “It’s sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”

This dispute isn’t the only issue TikTok is facing. As the app leans more into commerce (just count the number of orange-cart icons you see each day), its user growth is slowing – and there’s evidence this shopping push may be partially to blame.