TikTok Renews Multi-Year Licensing Deal With Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group and TikTok have announced a new multi-year strategic licensing agreement aimed at expanding artist opportunities, strengthening music discovery and enhancing protections around AI-generated content.

The renewed partnership extends the companies’ existing relationship and will continue to make UMG’s recorded music and publishing catalogues available across TikTok’s platform. The agreement also introduces broader collaboration around artist promotion, fan engagement, ecommerce initiatives and creator-focused tools.

According to the companies, the deal builds on their earlier partnership established in 2024 and is designed to create new commercial and marketing opportunities for artists, songwriters and creators using TikTok’s global discovery ecosystem.

As part of the expanded agreement, both companies said they will work more closely on artist development initiatives and fan experiences intended to help artists grow audiences and strengthen engagement globally.

Michael Nash said the partnership reflects ongoing efforts to improve artist monetisation while supporting creative innovation across social media platforms.

“We're proud of the pioneering work we've done with TikTok to create wide-ranging benefits for our artists and songwriters. With this new agreement, we look forward to driving innovative new fan experiences, while further improving social media monetization, and protecting and amplifying human artistry,” Nash said.

Artificial intelligence and creator protection remain a central focus of the agreement. UMG and TikTok stated that they will continue collaborating to identify and remove unauthorised AI-generated music content from the platform while improving attribution systems for artists and songwriters.

The companies said the partnership aims to ensure that platform economics continue to support human creators as AI-generated music becomes increasingly prevalent across digital platforms.

TikTok said the agreement reinforces its growing influence in music discovery, digital fandom and artist engagement.

Tracy Gardner said the expanded partnership would help deepen connections between artists and audiences worldwide.

“We're excited to take our partnership with UMG to the next level, and build on the strong foundation we've already created together for artists, songwriters and fans. TikTok is a unique platform where music discovery, culture and fandom intersect, and this agreement will help create even more opportunities for artists and songwriters to engage audiences, grow their communities and achieve career success on a global scale,” Gardner said.

The renewed agreement comes as major music companies and social media platforms continue to navigate evolving conversations around AI-generated content, creator monetisation and the future of digital music engagement.