Universal Music Group’s Taylor Swift Regains Songs on TikTok Amid Licensing Dispute

Taylor Swift’s music has made a triumphant return to TikTok after a licensing dispute earlier this year led Universal Music Group (UMG) and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) to pull their songs from the popular app. While artists like Drake, Lana Del Rey, and Ariana Grande were affected by the ban, Swift’s music is now back on the platform.

According to a report by Variety, it is speculated that Swift, who owns her masters, may have struck a separate deal with TikTok to have her music reinstated. This is despite the fact that the ban extended to all artists under similar deals with UMG and UMPG.

Swift’s return to TikTok comes after she signed a global recording agreement with UMG in 2018 and a global publishing deal with UMPG in 2020. The singer has been busy releasing new albums and re-recording her back catalog to regain control of her masters.

The licensing dispute between UMG, UMPG, and TikTok stemmed from issues of appropriate compensation for artists and songwriters, as well as concerns about AI and online safety. UMG chairman-CEO Lucian Grainge expressed disappointment in TikTok’s failure to meet these issues, while TikTok accused UMG of prioritizing greed over the interests of their artists and songwriters.

As Swift’s music returns to TikTok, fans can once again enjoy her songs on the platform, adding another layer of excitement to the singer’s upcoming album release.