Universal Music blamed TikTok for bullying and threatened to pull millions of songs from the platform after a breakdown in payment negotiations. This means that users would not be able to access music from artists such as Taylor Swift and Drake.

In an open letter published online, Universal said it pressed the platform (in this case TikTok) on three critical issues – paying artists and composers, protecting against the effects of Artificial Intelligence and online safety – in view of of the expiration of her current contract.

However, according to the letter, the platform officials showed – initially – indifference and then tried to intimidate the record company into accepting a deal that was not beneficial to them.

Universal accused the TikTok platform of “trying to build a music-based business without paying fair value for the music” and essentially “funding the replacement of artists by Artificial Intelligence,” allowing the site to be “inundated” with AI-generated recordings’.

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Predictably, the TikTok platform responded in kind, accusing Universal of presenting a “false narrative and rhetoric” and of putting “greed above the interests of its artists and composers.”

In a statement, the social media site added: “It is clear that Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, composers and fans.”

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Universal owns the rights to some of the world’s biggest artists, from Coldplay and Bob Dylan until Adele and Billie Eilish. The TikTok platform is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Despite having more than 1 billion users, it accounts for 1% of Universal’s total revenue, the company said.