Taylor Swift, Drake’s music removed from TikTok by Universal Group: What happens when you can’t use songs

Even before Universal Music Group removed its catalog from TikTok in the early hours of Thursday, artists with the label were on the platform sounding the alarm.

Even before Universal Music Group removed its catalog from TikTok in the early hours of Thursday, artists with the label were on the platform sounding the alarm.

"I have a new song coming out. So my music is getting taken down in five hours but I have a new song coming out in nine hours," said singer Dean Lewis in a TikTok posted Wednesday. "So my song's not coming out on TikTok."

Lewis joins a list of some of the top music acts of the moment — including Taylor Swift, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and more — who saw much of their catalogs removed from the app after TikTok and UMG failed to strike a deal on a new contract.

A spokesperson for TikTok confirmed to NBC News on Thursday that UMG’s music catalog is no longer on the platform. (UMG, a Dutch American-owned company, has no relation to NBC Universal, the parent company of NBC News.)

A spokesperson for UMG said "artist rights advocates are speaking out in support of our action."

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/universal-music-group-tiktok-artists-concerns-rcna136767

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