TikTok Will Have Universal Music Group's Entire Artist Catalog

CULVER CITY, CA — Santa Monica-based Universal Music Group and TikTok are getting in sync with a joint licensing agreement announced Monday, adding even more music to the growing platform.

UMG and TikTok, the video app with offices in Culver City, reached an agreement that company officials on both sides said is designed to enhance their existing relationship and benefit musicians. Users will now have access to UMG artists' work and the label's full catalog.

It's a big move for the app and the format of these real, short videos that focus on community-building, creativity and new music discovery for loyal users, TikTok said in a news release.

The deal, they said in a joint statement, "delivers equitable compensation for recording artists and songwriters" and will be used to help promote "the development of new innovative experiences and the ability to forge deeper bonds between fans and the artists and music they love."

The agreement covers recorded music from artists at UMG's labels and songwriters with Universal Music Publishing Group.

Universal Music Group recently removed its entire music library from video app Triller, a TikTok competitor, alleging Triller withheld payments to the music giant's artists. Triller officials have denied those claims.

"UMG and TikTok will now work more closely than ever to promote ambitious experimentation, innovation and collaboration -- with the shared objective of developing new music experiences and features," said Michael Nash, executive vice president of Digital Strategy at UMG.

"Driving new and deeper connections with fans, this agreement delivers equitable compensation to our recording artists and songwriters, as well as a commitment to develop industry-leading tools, A&R (artists and repertoire) insights and models necessary to advance their careers," he said.

TikTok pledged to experiment with new features that will allow its users to incorporate clips from UMG's entire catalog of music.

"We are excited to enter this new era with UMG and UMPG to continue supporting artists and songwriters, by working together to help reach music fans on TikTok," TikTok Global Head of Music Ole Obermann said.

"Our platform has been a driver in creating chart hits, and licensing the world's biggest catalog of tracks will continue to inspire our community," Obermann said. "In turn, we are proud to partner with UMG and UMPG to be a source to help new talent emerge and to re-introduce legacy acts to a new audience."

The application's users will be "more empowered than ever to express themselves through music, soundtrack their video creations with songs about which they are passionate and build communities around artists and music-centered culture," according to the ByteDance-owned company that also announced deals with Sony Music in November and Warner Music Group in December. They also partnered with Merlin, a label featuring Indie artists, The Verge reports.

UMPG COO Marc Cimino said the alliance with TikTok sets an industry-wide example of social media companies acknowledging, respecting and compensating music creators whose songs are instrumental to their platforms.

"We appreciate TikTok's partnership and look forward to working together to provide support and opportunities to our songwriters," Cimino said.

- City News Service and Patch Editor Nicole Charky contributed to this report.