TikTok has become a tool music labels and independent artists use to promote their songs in recent times, but not every label is eager to use the app.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) songs are set to be removed from TikTok, and songs from Mavin music, including Rema’s Calm Down and Rush, will not be available for content creation on the platform again.
UMPG, according to Music Week, has failed to reach a new licensing agreement with TikTok’s ByteDance, which will lead to the removal of their recordings from the platform by the end of February.
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How does it affect Mavin?
UMG recently acquired Mavin Music Group’s majority stake. Universal said on Monday that Mavin’s operations in Nigeria would be amplified through UMG’s global network of labels and businesses by the investment.
This means UMG will play a significant role in producing, marketing, and distributing songs or albums from all artists under the Nigerian music label.
Currently distributed internationally [ex-Africa] through Virgin Music Group with Rema, UMG noted that Mavin and its roster are already well integrated into UMG’s network, with multiple signings across U.S. labels, including Republic partnering for Ayra Starr, and Interscope for Lifesize Teddy.
With the recent licensing tussle between UMG and TikTok, songs from artists like Rema, whose ‘Calm Down’ remix blew up on TikTok, resulting in the song’s popularity and Ayra Starr’s Rush, among other Mavin acts, won’t be found on TikTok for users.
This will affect how fans engage with their music, especially the Gen Z fans who are most likely to use TikTok and won’t be able to share the music from Mavin artist’s future albums – including any singles issued before their arrival on the social media app.
According to Music Business Worldwide (MBW), sources claim that around 4 million songs affiliated with Universal Music Publishing Group ‘s writers will no longer be legally licensed on TikTok.
MBW also reports that industry sources generally agree with the estimate that up to 80 per cent of all “relevant music repertoire” on TikTok will be affected by UMG’s actions should the UMPG catalogue come down. The IFPI just announced its list of 2023’s Top 10 most prominent revenue-generating global recording artists; nine of them are distributed by UMG.
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The artists include Taylor Swift, Seventeen, Drake, The Weeknd, Morgan Wallen, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, New Jeans, and Lana Del Rey, all distributed by UMG for publishing.
The question remains about how long TikTok can go on without music from these superstars, especially with UMPG’s entire catalogue expected to come down on March 1.
