Universal Music Group and TikTok have renewed their global licensing agreement, keeping UMG’s music catalog on the short-form video platform while adding stronger protections against unauthorized AI-generated music and improving attribution for artists and songwriters.
TL;DR
- UMG and TikTok signed a new multi-year global licensing agreement.
- TikTok will continue offering access to UMG’s recorded music and publishing catalogs.
- The two companies will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music.
- The deal also expands artist monetization, marketing, ecommerce, attribution, and fan engagement tools.
Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok have announced a new multi-year strategic licensing agreement that strengthens their existing partnership and keeps UMG’s recorded music and publishing catalogs available to TikTok’s global community. The agreement was announced on May 22, 2026, and builds on the companies’ 2024 partnership.
The biggest focus of the renewed agreement is AI protection. UMG and TikTok said they will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, while also improving artist and songwriter attribution. The companies said the deal promotes human artistry and ensures platform economics flow through to artists and songwriters.
The agreement also expands commercial opportunities for UMG artists and songwriters through marketing and advertising campaigns, ecommerce integrations, artist-centric tools, and deeper fan engagement experiences. TikTok said the deal will help artists grow their communities and connect with audiences globally.
Michael Nash, Executive Vice-President and Chief Digital Officer of Universal Music Group, said, “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.”
Tracy Gardner, Global Head of Music Business Development at TikTok, said, “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.”
The agreement marks another important step in the changing relationship between music labels, social media platforms, and generative AI tools. UMG and TikTok’s relationship had previously faced pressure in 2024, when UMG accused TikTok of not doing enough on artist compensation, AI-generated music, and online safety.
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The dispute led to UMG’s catalog being temporarily removed from TikTok before both sides reached a new licensing deal later that year.
This latest renewal arrives as the wider music industry continues to confront AI-generated songs that imitate artists’ voices or use copyrighted material without permission. Viral AI-generated tracks imitating artists such as Drake and The Weeknd had previously raised industry-wide concerns after some gained millions of streams before takedowns.
The deal also follows UMG’s broader push to create licensed AI music frameworks. Just one day before the TikTok announcement, UMG and Spotify announced licensing agreements focused on fan-made covers and remixes, pointing to a future where AI music tools may be allowed only when consent, attribution, and compensation structures are in place.
For TikTok, the agreement helps preserve its role as a major music discovery platform. For UMG, it reinforces a clear position: AI-generated music may have a place in the industry, but only under licensing structures that protect human artists, songwriters, and rights holders.
