WILL IT LAST?

Despite the licensing deal’s expiration, experts note that we’re still a moment of negotiation between UMG and TikTok – and it probably won’t last forever.

“We’ve seen this movie before. It’s a wonderful, theatrical stand-off between two very major corporations … who are wanting to assert their authority on the landscape,” said former president of UMG’s Virgin EMI Records Ted Cockle, who now runs a music advisory company called Mussel Music Management.

Users will likely find ways to adjust in the meantime, Cockle added, but he and others doubt that such a standoff will last long – noting that a partnership between UMG and TikTok is significantly beneficial to both parties. Historically speaking, Mall said, gaps for other licensing agreements in the 21st century’s digital era have typically lasted just a day to up to a few months.

There will also likely be added pressure from TikTok creators, artists and their fans.

“This is a platform that’s really important for artists,” said Alexandra J Roberts, a professor of law and media at Northeastern University. “It might not affect established artists as much, but some of them are going to lose revenue streams. And I think we’re going to see frustrated fans, right? Users who don’t understand or are angry about the fact that they can’t use or access or engage with some artists’ work.”

Representatives for several artists with UMG-licensed music – including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, SZA, Drake, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish – did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment.

Mall stressed the overall consequences of pulling music from social media platforms like TikTok – particularly for younger developing artists. In this situation, UMG and its established big artists will probably be “just fine”, he said, but “smaller labels, smaller artists (couldn’t) afford to do something like this”.

Content creators and marketing experts are already preparing to pivot as needed. Jessica Henig, founder and CEO of music marketing firm Unlocked Branding who works on campaigns involving UMG-licensed music, said it’s not ideal, but that her team has grown accustomed to working through delays across the social media landscape.

Still, Henig, who previously headed influencer marketing at Virgin EMI, said time will tell.

“If this is going to be a longevity thing, then we might have a different conversation,” she said.

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