Taylor Swift's music is back on TikTok — just in time for the release of her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is set to come out next week.
Swift's catalog was among the thousands of songs that Universal Music Group pulled from TikTok in February amid their ongoing battle over a new licensing agreement with the popular app.
"TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay," UMG claimed in an open letter. "Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music."
In response, TikTok said, "It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters. Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent."
UMG continued to turn up the heat by removing songs that featured contributions from songwriters signed to their Universal Music Publishing Group arm. Another major publishing group, the National Music Publishers Association, also decided not to renew its license with TikTok when it expires at the end of April.
TikTok has repeatedly denied claims that it may share data or be used as an espionage tool by the Chinese government.
Although the dispute remains very much unresolved, Swift's music — and seemingly only Swift's music — has returned to the social media platform as of this Thursday.
Official audio for hits like "Lover," "Anti-Hero," and "Cruel Summer," all of which were released since Swift left Big Machine and signed to Universal Music Group in 2018, is once again unmuted on TikTok.
Older songs from Swift's Big Machine era are still unavailable, although her "Taylor's Version" re-recordings of Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989 can all be found.
Swift's music — and seemingly only Swift's music — has returned to the social media platform as of this Thursday.
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Although it is not immediately clear exactly how and why Swift's music is back on TikTok despite UMG's continued boycott, it is worth noting that unlike many artists, Swift retains control over her masters and publishing rights under her deal with Universal.
Swift partnered with TikTok to promote the release of her last album of new material, Midnights, in 2022, exclusively premiering a track reveal video for every song on the album on the platform.
Music from other big artists signed to UMG, including Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Post Malone, is still unavailable on TikTok.
Swift partnered with TikTok to promote the release of her last album of new material, 'Midnights,' in 2022.
Swift's 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department is scheduled to drop next Friday, April 19.
The pop star has already revealed the tracklist for the album, which includes collaborations with Post Malone and Florence and the Machine.
She also teased some of the lyrics from the upcoming record, which will come in several different variants featuring unique bonus tracks, on her Instagram story during the solar eclipse.
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