Will Contract Troubles Take Song And Dance From TikTok?

Musicians get loads of publicity from TikTok. But when Taylor Swift wished publicity, she’d simply go to her boyfriend’s soccer video games. The artists need cash and Common Music Group — working of their curiosity — desires to barter good pay for play. UMG and TikTok have been enjoying hardball with one another over contract phrases and UMG is poised to name the dance app’s bluff and take away their complete catalog. From NPR:

Early Wednesday morning, UMG launched what it known as “An Open Letter to the Artist And Songwriter Group – Why We Should Name Time Out On TikTok.” The letter, one suspects, is definitely for music followers and tech watchdogs as effectively.

…“TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a charge that may be a fraction of the speed that equally located main social platforms pay. Immediately, as a sign of how little TikTok compensates artists and songwriters, regardless of its huge and rising consumer base, quickly rising promoting income and rising reliance on music-based content material, TikTok accounts for less than about 1% of our whole income. Finally TikTok is making an attempt to construct a music-based enterprise, with out paying honest worth for the music.”

Generations Z and Alpha will in all probability be resilient sufficient to shake off not having UMG’s catalog. This could possibly be an opportunity for smaller labels and particular person artists to innovate and occupy a share of consideration they’d have been blocked out of. Both means, it’s a great reminder that while you’re negotiating with somebody, consider what you’ll do if certainly one of you decides to go nuclear. UMG will in all probability be fantastic after nixing a 1% income stream. How TikTok will fare is way much less clear.

Taylor Swift, Drake, BTS And Extra Might Have Their Music Taken Off TikTok — Right here’s Why [NPR]

Chris Williams turned a social media supervisor and assistant editor for Above the Regulation in June 2021. Previous to becoming a member of the employees, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ within the Fb group Regulation Faculty Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri lengthy sufficient to graduate from Washington College in St. Louis Faculty of Regulation. He’s a former boatbuilder who can not swim, a printed creator on essential race principle, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for biking that often annoys his friends. You possibly can attain him by e mail at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.