Bob Marley‘s music is set to be pulled from TikTok tomorrow as Universal Music is poised to remove its songs from the ByteDance owned platform following a breakdown in negotiations over payment. The move will impact fan’s access to songs from other renowned artists like Sean Paul, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, and Drake. The industry giant, controlling a substantial share of global music, including Bob Marley’s catalog with songs such as the classic Three Little Birds engaged in strained talks with Beijing-based TikTok over the past year. Accusing TikTok of “bullying,” Universal alleges the platform sought to pay a mere fraction of the standard rate paid by other social media platforms for music catalog access. Consequently, Universal has declared its intention to cease licensing content to TikTok when their contract concludes on January 31.
Almost 1000 artists are affiliated with Universal Music Group, and subsidiary labels and among them, a notable subset of artists falls under Universal Music Latin Entertainment (UMLE) such as top streaming acts J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Juanes, and more.
The catalogs of Jamaican artists under subsidiary labels include Buju Banton and Masicka, who are signed to Def Jam, Shenseea, signed to Interscope through a partnership deal with Rich Immigrants, and Stefflon Don, who has her own imprint Island 54 under Universal Music.
Songs from Shaggy‘s catalog, including his debut album “Pure Pleasure” and “Midnight Lover” under Virgin Records, “Hot Shot” (MCA/Geffen), “Lucky Day” (MCA), and “Clothes Drop” (Geffen Records), will also be impacted if Universal follows through on its promise to remove the music it controls from TikTok.
TikTok has been beneficial to Dancehall according to Stefflon Don in an interview with Anthony Miller fo ER. “Dancehall is huge, especially since TikTok. I think when a Dancehall artist drops a song, it transitions to the world through TikTok straight away, like it’s instantly. Before it would have to travel, you’d have to be at a Dancehall party to hear certain songs, or you’d have to have Jamaican friends to hear certain songs. Now, it don’t matter what country you’re from- If you’re on TikTok, you’re going to hear the baddest Jamaican songs,” She told Miller a year ago.
Music companies, including Universal, derive substantial revenue through royalty payments from streaming services and social media sites such as Spotify, Apple, and Meta. These contracts are typically renegotiated every few years. Universal accused TikTok of attempting to strong-arm them into accepting an agreement significantly undervaluing their music, contrary to fair market value and the platform’s exponential growth.
This marks the first instance in the contemporary streaming era where Universal has taken the drastic step of removing its extensive music catalog, encompassing millions of songs from major artists, from a tech company’s platform. TikTok, known for its popularity with users creating short clips accompanied by music, has become a cultural phenomenon.
Recent reports by the Financial Times indicated that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, generated $29 billion in revenues in the three months ending June 2023, marking a 40% increase from the previous year. ByteDance, however, does not disclose its financial results publicly.
Universal alleges that TikTok’s tactics involve leveraging its platform influence to disadvantage vulnerable artists and coerce Universal into accepting an unfavorable deal. Despite TikTok contributing only 1% to Universal’s revenue, the move reflects the music industry’s resistance to accepting undervalued agreements. TikTok has not yet responded to requests for comment. Meanwhile, Warner Music, the third-largest record company, announced last year that it had reached a new deal with TikTok.
Among the Dancehall artists signed to Warner Records include Popcaan and Teejay. The latter inking both a record and publishing deal with Warner Music after his breakout hit “Drift” became a hit on TikTok surpassing a billion views. The self titled Up Top Boss is set to release his debut EP “I Am Chippy” under the deal this Friday, February 2.
