Universal Music Group begins removing music from TikTok

Songs by Universal Music Group artists including Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, and Olivia Rodrigo have been removed from TikTok after the label's licensing agreement with the social media platform expired on Wednesday. Rolling Stone notes that Swift‘s "Cruel Summer," Rodrigo‘s "Get Him Back," and "Let the Light In" by Del Rey no longer appear when searched on the platform.

Similarly, existing posts soundtracked by music from the label (including one of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson that used Rick Ross’s "Hustlin'") are muted. These videos now come with a notice alerting users that the sound was removed due to copyright restrictions.

The dispute between Universal and TikTok was made public this week when the major label published an open letter accusing the ByteDance-owned social media platform of "bullying" tactics and being willing to pay just a "fraction" of the money they receive from rival companies.

The letter stated that TikTok accounts for as little as 1% of their total revenue and that "ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music."

TikTok responded by claiming Universal are presenting a "false narrative and rhetoric" and putting their "own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters."