Universal Music Group and TikTok have signed a new multi-year agreement: music licensing, artificial intelligence and payments to authors are at the center
Universal Music Group and TikTok have announced a new multi-year global licensing agreement, continuing the partnership between one of the world’s largest music companies and the platform that in recent years has become one of the most important places for discovering songs, artists and music trends. According to the companies’ joint announcement of May 22, 2026, the agreement covers the continued use of UMG’s music catalogue on TikTok, broader cooperation on fan experiences, development initiatives for artists and additional protection measures against the unauthorized use of artificial intelligence. The financial terms were not publicly disclosed.
The agreement is important because it concerns two connected, but often opposing, needs of the digital music economy: platforms want music that encourages the creation and sharing of content, while record labels, authors and artists seek greater control over the use of repertoire and a clearer distribution of revenue. In the announcement, UMG states that the new agreement should improve monetization on social networks and further protect human creativity. TikTok, meanwhile, emphasizes that its platform is a space where music discovery, culture and fandom meet, and that the agreement will open up more opportunities to connect creators with audiences.
What the new agreement provides for
According to the official announcement, the new agreement deepens the cooperation between TikTok and Universal Music Group on experiences for fans, artist development initiatives and the promotion of new talent from different parts of the world. The companies state that they want to strengthen the ties between artists and audiences and open up new opportunities in the field of music discovery, digital experiences and fan communities. In practical terms, this means that TikTok should remain one of the key channels on which songs by UMG artists can be used in short video content, while the music company should receive better terms for exploiting the value that its catalogue creates on the platform.
UMG’s Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer Michael Nash said, according to the statement, that the company is proud of its work with TikTok so far and that it sees the new agreement as an opportunity to develop innovative fan experiences, improve monetization on social networks and protect and strengthen human creativity. On TikTok’s side, Global Head of Music Business Development Tracy Gardner said that the agreement builds on the existing foundations of cooperation and should enable artists and songwriters to expand communities and achieve career success on a global level.
A special part of the agreement concerns artificial intelligence. According to the companies’ announcement, TikTok and UMG have committed to cooperating on removing unauthorized music generated by artificial intelligence from the platform and on improving attribution for artists and songwriters. That formulation shows that negotiations are no longer limited only to standard licensing fees, but also to the question of who has the right to use a voice, style, performance, composition or recording in new AI tools and how such use should be monitored.
AI protections have become a key issue for the music industry
The agreement comes at a time when the music industry is dealing increasingly intensively with the consequences of generative artificial intelligence. Tools that can create songs, imitate voices or produce remixes have opened up new creative possibilities, but also disputes over copyright, payments and the identity of artists. In the new announcement, UMG and TikTok say they will continue working to ensure that the development of artificial intelligence in music protects human creativity and ensures that economic value flows to artists and songwriters.
For record companies and music publishers, the issue of unauthorized AI recordings that can appear on platforms before effective mechanisms for removing them are available to rights holders is especially sensitive. Such content may resemble the real voices of well-known artists, use elements of existing songs or create confusion among audiences about whether it is an official release. That is why attribution, meaning clearer labeling and linking of content with the real authors and rights holders, has become one of the main demands in negotiations between music companies and technology platforms.
The regulatory framework is also changing. Through the Artificial Intelligence Regulation, known as the AI Act, the European Union has established rules for the development and use of AI systems, including transparency obligations for certain types of generated content and a broader framework for risk management. Although the agreement between UMG and TikTok cannot be reduced to European regulation, European rules show that the issue of labeling, responsibility and protection of rights in an AI environment is no longer only an industry topic, but also a political and regulatory priority.
The agreement follows an earlier dispute
The new agreement carries additional weight because of the earlier conflict between Universal Music Group and TikTok. At the beginning of 2024, the previous licensing agreement expired, and UMG then announced that it had not reached an agreement with TikTok on new terms. According to Associated Press reporting in January 2024, Universal Music Group stated in a letter to artists and songwriters three key problems: appropriate compensation for artists and authors, protection of human artists from the harmful effects of artificial intelligence, and user safety on TikTok.
That dispute led to the removal of part of UMG’s repertoire from the platform. It was a catalogue that includes some of the best-known names in the global music industry, and the Associated Press at the time cited artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish as examples of artists represented by Universal. TikTok at the time rejected UMG’s claims and said that it had reached agreements with other record companies and publishers that it considered artist-focused.
In May 2024, the two sides nevertheless reached a new licensing agreement that enabled the return of UMG’s recorded and publishing catalogue to TikTok. According to the announcement by Universal Music Group and TikTok at the time, the agreement included new monetization opportunities, the use of TikTok’s e-commerce tools, integrated ticketing, improved data and analytics, and tools such as the “Add to Music App” option. At the same time, it was emphasized that TikTok would work with UMG on removing unauthorized AI music and improving attribution for authors and artists.
Why TikTok matters for music promotion
In recent years, TikTok has become one of the most influential channels for spreading music trends. Short videos often turn parts of songs into viral sound templates, and success on the platform can boost streaming, ticket sales and broader media visibility. That is why music licensing for TikTok is important not only as a matter of payment for the use of recordings, but also as part of the promotional strategy of publishers, management teams and the artists themselves.
For TikTok, access to large music catalogues directly affects the platform’s appeal to users and content creators. If popular songs are not available, users have fewer opportunities to create videos, trends develop with more difficulty, and competing platforms may gain an advantage. For UMG and other music companies, on the other hand, the challenge is to ensure that promotional value does not replace actual compensation. That very balance was at the center of earlier disputes in the industry.
Data from IFPI’s Global Music Report 2026 show why music companies are focusing on digital models. According to IFPI, global recorded music revenues in 2025 rose by 6.4 percent, while total streaming revenues exceeded 22 billion dollars and accounted for 69.6 percent of total recorded music revenues. Paid subscription streaming grew by 8.8 percent and accounted for 52.4 percent of total revenues, showing that the largest part of industry growth continues to be achieved through digital consumption of music.
Monetization, tickets and audience data
In the earlier agreement from 2024, which laid the foundation for the current renewal of cooperation, TikTok and UMG emphasized the development of tools for artists. Among them were options for directing users to music applications, improved data and analytics insights, and integrated ticket sales functions. Such tools have a dual value for the music industry: they can increase revenue beyond streaming itself, but they can also help artists and publishers better understand where songs are gaining momentum and which audiences are responding to certain content.
The new global agreement from 2026 continues that logic, but places even greater emphasis on digital experiences and fandom. This is particularly important at a time when the music economy no longer relies only on the release of albums or singles, but on a whole series of touchpoints between artists and audiences. Short video, livestreaming, e-commerce, ticket sales, fan communities and audience behavior data are becoming parts of the same commercial ecosystem.
Still, the announcement does not state specific amounts or details of revenue distribution, so it is not possible to assess how much the new terms will differ from previous ones. It has also not been announced whether the agreement will include special mechanisms for individual territories or additional programs for artists who are only beginning to build an audience. According to the information available, for now the companies are emphasizing the strategic dimension of the partnership, while keeping commercial details out of the public eye.
Broader context: platforms are negotiating “responsible” artificial intelligence
The renewal of cooperation between TikTok and UMG is part of a broader trend in which major music companies are becoming increasingly active in reaching agreements with technology platforms on the licensed use of artificial intelligence. The day before the announcement of the agreement with TikTok, The Guardian reported that Spotify and Universal Music Group had reached an agreement that should allow Spotify subscribers to create AI covers and remixes of songs by participating artists. According to that report, the project should be based on consent, attribution and compensation for artists and songwriters.
Such agreements show that the industry is not only trying to block AI tools, but is seeking to include them in licensed models. The difference between an unauthorized AI song and a licensed AI remix could become one of the key issues of the music market. In the first case, rights holders claim that value is created without consent and compensation, while in the second they are trying to establish a model in which artists, authors and publishers have control over participation and a share in revenues.
For platform users, this could mean more new creative tools, but also more restrictions, labeling and rules. For authors and artists, the question is whether these tools will truly open new sources of revenue or further increase pressure on an already complex system of digital payments. The new agreement between UMG and TikTok will therefore be watched both as a business deal and as a test of the music industry’s ability to respond to technology that is rapidly changing the way music is produced and distributed.
What is still unknown
Although both companies emphasized shared goals in the announcement, a number of details remain unknown. It has not been announced how long the agreement lasts, how the payments are structured, how much the terms differ for the recorded catalogue and publishing rights, or which specific tools will be used to identify and remove unauthorized AI music. It is also not known whether artists or songwriters will have additional options for individually opting in to or out of certain new functions.
It is also unclear how improved attribution will be implemented in practice. It may include technical labeling of musical works, better linking of content with the real artists and authors, more advanced audio recognition systems or clearer information displayed to platform users. Since TikTok operates through an enormous number of user-generated videos, the effectiveness of such measures will depend on automated systems, reporting rules and the speed of response to disputed content.
Despite the open questions, the new agreement confirms that the relationship between music companies and social platforms is changing. Music is no longer only background sound for short videos, but a key part of the digital economy in which copyright, algorithmic distribution, fan communities, audience data and artificial intelligence overlap. In such an environment, licensing agreements like this one will determine not only the availability of songs on platforms, but also the rules according to which the value of musical creativity will be measured, paid for and protected.
Sources:
- Universal Music Group / PR Newswire – official announcement on the new global multi-year licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok of May 22, 2026. (link)
- Universal Music Group – official announcement on the licensing agreement with TikTok from May 2024 and the return of UMG’s catalogue to the platform (link)
- TikTok Newsroom – announcement on the agreement with UMG, including AI protections, tools for artists and attribution for authors (link)
- Associated Press – report on the earlier dispute between UMG and TikTok, the expiration of the agreement and the arguments of the two sides in January 2024. (link)
- IFPI – Global Music Report 2026 and data on the growth of global recorded music and streaming revenues in 2025. (link)
- EUR-Lex – Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on artificial intelligence, used for the regulatory context of AI systems and transparency (link)
- The Guardian – report on the agreement between Spotify and Universal Music Group on AI covers and remixes as a broader context for industry AI licences (link)