Artists like Beyoncé, SZA and Harry Styles aren't signed to Universal Music Group, but some of their songs have still been removed from TikTok amid the record company's dispute with the social media platform.
Universal's licensing deal with the short form video platform expired on Jan. 31, which led to the removal of songs directly owned by the label on Feb. 1.
The record company says it's seeking a new licensing deal that will secure "appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users," according to an open letter published on Jan. 30.
Today, Universal ratcheted up the heat by beginning the process of removing songs their artists worked on from the platform, as well, including songwriters signed to the company's publishing arm, Universal Music Publishing Group.
The latest slate of removals impacted non-Universal artists like Metallica, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber.
For example, Beyoncé's "Cuff It" was released by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, but it's been removed from TikTok because the Universal artist Raphael Saadiq worked on the track, Billboard reported.
Adele, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Ice Spice, Elton John, Metallica and Taylor Swift also saw their tracks removed from the platform due to similar corporate entanglements, Variety reported.
It's not clear exactly how much music will ultimately be removed from the platform. Writing credits for modern pop tracks can include dozens of artists who are often signed to different companies.
It's also not obvious when Universal would have the prerogative to remove a track from TikTok. There are some songs where an artist signed to Universal is just one of several writers credits.
Sources close to the record company told Variety they believe Universal would have control over a majority of the music on TikTok, but sources with knowledge of the social media company said the label would only has control of between 20% and 30%.
Universal insists that it's simply standing up for artists and the music industry at large.
"With respect to the issue of artist and songwriter compensation, TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay," the Jan. 30 open letter says.
"Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music."
The company has said money from TikTok only accounts for 1% of its revenue.
This is because writers signed to Universal worked on songs with those musicians.
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The social media platform obviously sees the situation very differently.
"It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters," the company said in its own open letter released on Jan. 30.
"TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans."
It's not clear if or when the dispute will be resolved.
It's not clear if or when the dispute will be resolved, but it's already been detrimental for artists who rely on TikTok to reach their fans and find new ones.
This is particularly true for young listeners, who spend a lot of time on the platform and rely on it heavily to find new music.
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