What's happened
Taylor Swift's music has made a comeback on TikTok following a licensing dispute between Universal Music Group and the social media app. Swift's return comes ahead of the release of her new studio album, 'The Tortured Poets Department,' on April 19.
Why it matters
Taylor Swift's ability to control her music's availability showcases the power artists can have over their work. The ongoing dispute between Universal Music Group and TikTok highlights the complexities of licensing agreements in the music industry and the importance of fair compensation for artists.
What the papers say
The Wall Street Journal reported that Taylor Swift's return to TikTok undermines Universal Music Group's ongoing dispute with the social media app over artist royalties. The Independent and The Guardian highlighted the licensing dispute between UMG and TikTok, with UMG accusing TikTok of not providing fair compensation to artists, while TikTok denied these claims.
How we got here
Universal Music Group pulled all its music from TikTok on February 1st due to a licensing dispute with the platform. This move affected artists like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Drake, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande. The dispute centered around issues of fair compensation for artists, protection from AI-generated content, and online safety for users.
Common question
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TikTok/Douyin is a Chinese video-sharing social networking service owned by ByteDance, a Beijing-based Internet technology company founded in 2012 by Zhang Yiming.
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Universal Music Group is an American global music corporation that is majority owned by the French media conglomerate Vivendi, with Chinese tech company Tencent owning a minority stake.
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Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. Her narrative songwriting, which often centers around her personal life, has received widespread media coverage.
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Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss.
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A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely.
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ABBA are a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names.