Universal Music Group threatens to pull song catalog from TikTok in furious open letter

UMG said it will remove all songs from TikTok after it accused the social media platform of trying to bully' them into a bad deal' over music rights fees

Universal Music Group's agreement with TikTok is set to expire in the next 24 hours after the companies failed to agree on issues including artist compensation and AI, meaning some of the world's most popular music - including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and newly viral hit Murder on the Dancefloor - will be removed from TikTok's library.

In a blistering open letter titled Why we must call Time Out on TikTok" published on Tuesday, UMG, the biggest music company in the world, accused TikTok of attempting to bully" and intimidate" them into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth".