National Music Publishers Assn. Does Not Plan to Renew TikTok License — Will Indie Publishers Follow?

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The standoff between Universal Music Group and TikTok took another turn on Wednesday when the trade group National Music Publishers Association sent a letter to its members saying that it does not expect to renew its license with the China-based platform when it expires at the end of next month. “Recently, the press has highlighted concerns around TikTok’s licensing practices, concerns that NMPA has heard directly from many of our members,” the letter reads in part. “At this time, we do not anticipate that there will be an option to renew or extend the current NMPA licenses or participate in a new license with TikTok through NMPA.” UMG has highlighted a litany of issues with TikTok — most prominently its low royalty payments and its policies on AI — in an open letter and other public statements and the platform has responded in kind, and the situation has deteriorated into an ugly war of words and actions that has seen UMG remove all of the music it distributes or publishes from the platform, while its artists and songwriters have lost not only the (admittedly usually small) revenue from the platform but also access to the most powerful vehicle to promote their music of the past five years.

UMG has said its heavy handed tactics are in the best interests of the artists. If more publishers join in — the two other major companies, Sony and Warner Chappell, have not yet done so — it would mean more music will vanish from the platform and more artists and songwriters will see their livelihoods impacted.