🚀 Medial Secures Investment on Shark Tank India - Fueling the Future of Professional Social Networking. 🔥

Startup Showcase

Premium Content

Try our Valuation Calculator →

News on Medial

After spat with TikTok, UMG expands Spotify partnership to include music videos and more

TechCrunch · 1y ago

After spat with TikTok, UMG expands Spotify partnership to include music videos and more

Universal Music Group (UMG) has expanded its deal with Spotify to focus on music discovery and social interaction. The partnership will introduce music videos in the US, allowing users to watch videos instead of just streaming audio. UMG's artists include Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Ariana Grande. Spotify's "Switch to Video" option will enable users to watch videos from the Now Playing Screen, and artists will have promotional and social features to generate excitement for new releases. Further collaborations between the companies are expected. The deal comes as UMG had a public disagreement with TikTok, resulting in the removal of its music catalog from the app.

Related News

Taylor Swift's music is back on TikTok, despite platform's ongoing UMG dispute

TechCrunch · 1y ago

Taylor Swift's music is back on TikTok, despite platform's ongoing UMG dispute

Taylor Swift's music has returned to TikTok after a 10-week absence. However, only her more recent songs and "Taylor's Version" cuts, for which she owns the masters, are available on the platform. This comes after a licensing dispute between Swift's label, Universal Music Group (UMG), and TikTok. UMG accused TikTok of trying to undermine emerging artists by selectively removing their music while keeping popular artists on the platform. Swift's return coincides with the upcoming release of her new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," providing both marketing opportunities for her and audio trends for TikTok.

TikTok is removing even more songs as music rights battle drags on

The Verge

The Verge · 1y ago

TikTok is removing even more songs as music rights battle drags on

TikTok is removing all songs written or co-written by Universal Music Group (UMG) artists from its platform as their battle over music rights continues. This decision not only affects UMG-signed artists but also those with publishing deals under the label, including Harry Styles and SZA. TikTok began removing UMG songs in February after failing to renew their licensing agreement. The platform claims UMG wanted an unfair deal that did not address concerns about AI-generated music and artist compensation. TikTok remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with UMG while allowing users to enjoy millions of other tracks.

TikTok loses Taylor Swift, Drake, and other major Universal Music artists

The Verge

The Verge · 1y ago

TikTok loses Taylor Swift, Drake, and other major Universal Music artists

Universal Music Group (UMG) has removed the music catalogs of artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, and Olivia Rodrigo from TikTok after failing to renew licensing agreements. UMG accused TikTok of pressuring them into a "bad deal" that didn't adequately compensate artists and safeguard against AI-generated music and online safety issues. TikTok responded by expressing disappointment and accusing UMG of prioritizing greed over the interests of their artists and songwriters.

Music on TikTok is disappearing amid battle with Universal Music Group. Can it make photos work?

Business Insider

Business Insider · 1y ago

Music on TikTok is disappearing amid battle with Universal Music Group. Can it make photos work?

TikTok is facing a standoff with Universal Music Group (UMG), resulting in the removal of songs owned by UMG from the platform. The conflict is now expanding to Universal's music-publishing catalog, potentially affecting songs written by Universal's songwriters but performed by artists on different labels. In response to potential restrictions on music usage, TikTok appears to be encouraging creators to focus on making photo slideshows instead of videos. While the loss of music from big-name artists is a concern, it remains to be seen how crucial it is to TikTok users, as the platform often features music from lesser-known artists.

YouTube Shorts adds music video remixing as UMG goes silent on TikTok

The Verge

The Verge · 1y ago

YouTube Shorts adds music video remixing as UMG goes silent on TikTok

YouTube is now allowing creators to add and remix music videos in their Shorts, in a move that appears to be a response to TikTok's ongoing music licensing dispute with Universal Music Group (UMG). TikTok recently lost access to tracks from artists like Taylor Swift and Drake, while YouTube still has access to UMG's libraries. This new feature gives YouTube an advantage over TikTok, as it allows creators to make Shorts using music videos as backgrounds and incorporate clips from those videos.

Taylor Swift’s music is back on TikTok

The Verge

The Verge · 1y ago

Taylor Swift’s music is back on TikTok

Taylor Swift's music has returned to TikTok after being removed alongside other Universal Music Group (UMG) artists a few months ago. UMG and TikTok had failed to renew their licensing deal, causing a dispute over payment and the use of AI-generated content. The return of Swift's music suggests she may have struck a separate deal with TikTok. TikTok is a significant platform for music discovery, showcasing both indie and established artists. Despite its influence, artists have reported low royalty payments from the platform. TikTok has become a vital community for Taylor Swift fans to share content and engage with the artist.

TikTok loses even more songs over its dispute with Universal Music Group

TechCrunch · 1y ago

TikTok loses even more songs over its dispute with Universal Music Group

TikTok is removing songs published by Universal Music Group (UMG) as a result of an ongoing dispute over royalties. The conflict arose after UMG failed to reach a deal with TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. Songs owned or distributed by UMG were initially removed by January 31, and now TikTok must remove songs that contain compositions controlled by Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). This change could impact popular songs on the platform, as UMPG accounts for 20-30% of TikTok's song catalogue. The dispute highlights the challenges faced by artists and songwriters in promoting their music and earning royalties on social media platforms.

Universal Music Group expected to pull music from TikTok over concerns with AI and artist pay

The Verge

The Verge · 1y ago

Universal Music Group expected to pull music from TikTok over concerns with AI and artist pay

TikTok is facing backlash from Universal Music Group (UMG) for allowing AI-generated content and not adequately addressing copyright infringement issues and hate speech on the platform. UMG accuses TikTok of attempting to dilute the royalty pool for human artists and promoting AI music creation. UMG refuses to concede to a deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and fans, vowing to protect the rights of artists.

Universal Music, Meta expand music licensing agreement

Economic Times

Economic Times · 11m ago

Universal Music, Meta expand music licensing agreement

Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced an expanded agreement with Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook. This agreement aims to create new opportunities for UMG's artists and songwriters across Meta's social platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. It also addresses compensation for artists and songwriters. UMG was the first major music company to license Facebook in 2017 and this agreement further expands their collaboration. Despite UMG's previous decision to end a partnership with Meta for streaming premium music videos, the two companies continue to explore ways to integrate music into the social media ecosystem.

Spotify adds music videos in some countries

TechCrunch · 1y ago

Spotify adds music videos in some countries

Spotify is introducing music videos to its mobile and desktop apps in select markets. Users can seamlessly switch between audio and music videos on the app, which will be available in beta in 11 countries including Brazil, Italy, and the UK. Music videos are accessible to premium subscribers, while free users are still directed to YouTube for video content. The feature will allow users to start music videos from the "Now Playing" screen and switch back to audio whenever desired. Spotify plans to expand the catalog of music videos and increase availability to more countries.

Trackers

Active Indian VC’s

OG Capital Email

With a hands-on approach, OG Capital aims to invest in over 20 promising...

Accel Partners Email

Early and growth-stage investments in disruptive technology companies with...

Early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology startups in India. Focus on...

Access All Trackers

Startup Showcase Winners

June 2025

Helping your parents when you are miles away

The Pit Stop Your Cravings Deserve

The next generation E-commerce platform

Enter Ongoing Startup Showcase

Top Users

Trending News on Medial

Meta acquires voice startup Play ...

Exclusive: Porter turns profitabl ...

Who is Varun Mohan, the Windsurf ...

Download the medial app to read full posts, comements and news.