Universal Music Group returns to TikTok after reaching ‘generative AI’ deal
Universal Music Group, which represents a vast array of artists including Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Adele, and Drake, signed a deal that will allow its music to return to TikTok on Wednesday.
The company’s music was pulled from TikTok after a deal between the two ran out on Feb. 1, according to the Verge. UMG and TikTok agreed to a deal that would reportedly protect artists against exploitation via “generative AI.”
“TikTok and UMG will work together to ensure AI development across the music industry will protect human artistry and the economics that flow to those artists and songwriters,” according to a press release. “TikTok is also committed to working with UMG to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, as well as tools to improve artist and songwriter attribution.”
Last month, the estate of Tupac Shakur threatened to sue rapper Drake for featuring an AI-generated vocal track of Shakur on a “diss track” insulting foe Kendrick Lamar, according to Billboard.
“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” the estate wrote at the time. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.”
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Congress recently voted to ban TikTok from the United States unless its owner, ByteDance, divests from the app or sells it within nine months to a year. The furor initially erupted over TikTok’s origin in China and raised concerns about users’ data being collected by the Chinese government.
Swift’s music reportedly returned to TikTok in April, according to Variety. Swift owns the masters of her own recordings, but her music is distributed by UMG.
