Jack Antonoff and other artists are weighing in on Universal Music Group pulling its song catalog from TikTok. After failing to reach a new licensing deal with the social media platform, UMG abruptly announced on Tuesday that it would be pulling its catalog from the social platform which means TikTokers won't be able to use music from artists like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and more.
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00:00 "I think it's Axe Backwards and at the very least we should have known."
00:05 Jack Antonoff and other artists are weighing in on Universal Music Group pulling its song
00:10 catalog from TikTok. After failing to reach a new licensing deal with a social media platform,
00:15 UMG abruptly announced on Tuesday that it would be pulling its catalog from the app,
00:20 which means TikTokers won't be able to use music from artists like Taylor Swift,
00:24 Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and more.
00:27 When asked about the TikTok removal backstage at the Grammys, Antonoff,
00:30 who won producer of the year, told press, "You've got a whole industry being like,
00:35 'You've got to do everything, you've got to do everything, and here's where you've got to do it.'
00:38 And then one day it's like, poof." Adding, "There's a lot of things wrong in the industry."
00:42 "You've always got to make sure, as an artist, you can't get used to being paid last,
00:47 which they try to get you used to. But I think it's Axe Backwards and
00:54 at the very least we should have known."
00:57 Best New Artist nominee Noah Khan, signed to UMG's Republic Records,
01:01 also weighed in on the issue on the Grammys red carpet with The Hollywood Reporter.
01:05 "It's a shame for the developing artists, for sure. I'm very,
01:08 very lucky to have built a career over eight years and built a fan base.
01:11 Um, I hope that it's resolved, of course, but I like to believe that there was music
01:15 being made before TikTok, and that there's a way around this and there's a way through it."
01:19 Universal Music Group wrote a blistering open letter to artists and songwriters titled "Why
01:24 We Must Call Time Out on TikTok" and cited artist pay, the harmful effects of AI,
01:29 and online safety for TikTok users among its reasons.
01:32 For more updates to this story, head to THR.com.
01:36 And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.