Universal Music and TikTok have reached a new licensing agreement following a dispute over royalties, enabling songs by major artists like Drake, Adele, and Billie Eilish to return to the platform within two weeks. The deal includes benefits for Universal's artists and labels, with an emphasis on artist-centric tools and online safety protections. Taylor Swift's songs, under her ownership rights with Universal, will also be reintroduced. The agreement addresses concerns over AI impact on artists' earnings and artistic control, aiming to safeguard human artistry and economic benefits for artists and songwriters.
Universal Music Group (UMG) has removed thousands of songs, including Taylor Swift's entire catalogue, from TikTok after failing to reach a licensing deal. UMG accused TikTok of not appropriately compensating artists and songwriters, failing to protect human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and neglecting online safety issues. However, TikTok called UMG's claims false and accused the music label of prioritizing greed over the interests of their artists. Swift fans on TikTok are now recording their own versions of her songs, while others are using non-copyrighted stock music as a workaround.
Taylor Swift's music has made a comeback on TikTok after her label, Universal Music Group, removed her songs following a royalties dispute. The dispute between Universal and TikTok revolves around fair compensation for artists and songwriters, AI-generated music, and online safety measures. Swift's songs from various albums reappeared on TikTok, except for two albums she has yet to re-record. The ongoing conflict has highlighted concerns over the treatment of artists and the negotiation of fair deals in the music industry.
Universal Music Group (UMG) has announced that it will stop licensing its music to TikTok due to disagreements over artist compensation and the use of AI-generated recordings. UMG claims that TikTok attempted to negotiate a deal worth less than the previous agreement and far below fair market value. The current licensing agreement between UMG and TikTok expires on January 31. UMG represents artists such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Ariana Grande. TikTok, a music-based platform, has been accused of not paying fair value for artists' music and not adequately addressing copyright violations.
Taylor Swift's songs, including popular hits like You Belong With Me and Lover, have returned to TikTok after a 10-week hiatus due to a licensing dispute with Universal Music Group. Only Swift's songs have reappeared on the platform, hinting at a potential separate agreement between TikTok and Taylor herself, who owns her masters. The return coincides with the upcoming release of Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, scheduled for April 19. This move follows UMG's accusation of TikTok trying to 'bully' the label into an unfavorable contract and their concerns over AI-generated music, artist compensation, and online safety.
Taylor Swift, who owns the rights to many of her recordings, has allowed some of her songs back on TikTok ahead of the release of her album 'The Tortured Poets Department' despite a licensing dispute between the platform and Universal Music Group. Swift's engagement with fans on TikTok, known for its fan interaction features, is key for her album promotion, as she values fan involvement. The move showcases Swift's ability to assert control over her music and engage with fans on social media platforms.
Universal Music Group (UMG) has removed millions of songs from TikTok as a royalties dispute escalates. Artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and The Weeknd are impacted. Works with UMPG-contracted songwriters face removal due to split copyrights, affecting collaborations with artists like Adele, Justin Bieber, and Mariah Carey. The standoff affects both owned and published works by UMG, with a potential total removal of around seven million tracks from TikTok by the end of the week.
Taylor Swift's music has returned to TikTok after a licensing dispute between Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok. UMG removed all its music from the platform in January over artist royalties, but Swift, who owns her masters, may have struck a separate deal to bring her songs back. Swift's upcoming album 'The Tortured Poets Department' is set to release on April 19, and her return to TikTok comes just in time for promotional efforts. While other UMG artists remain silent on the platform, Swift's unique ownership of her catalog has allowed her music to be an exception.
Universal Music Group (UMG) has strengthened its collaboration with Spotify, focusing on music discovery, social interaction, and enhanced fan experiences. The expansion includes the introduction of music videos for U.S. users, featuring popular artists from UMG's catalog. The deal allows Spotify to offer new promotional and social tools for UMG artists, enhancing their ability to engage with fans and promote new releases. This partnership comes after UMG pulled its catalog from TikTok due to contract disputes, leading to Spotify becoming a key platform for UMG's music promotion.
200 high-profile artists, including Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, and Katy Perry, have signed an open letter warning against the 'predatory' use of AI in the music industry, stating that it threatens human creativity and the music ecosystem. The Artists Rights Alliance (ARA) is pushing for a ban on AI tools that undermine or replace human songwriters. Concerns have escalated following the viral success of a song using AI to mimic Drake and The Weeknd's voices. While calling for responsible AI use, the artists stress the need to protect against the technology's potential to infringe on creators' rights.
Over 200 artists, including Stevie Wonder, Miranda Lambert, Billie Eilish, and Nicki Minaj, have signed a letter by the Artist Rights Alliance urging AI tech companies to stop infringing on human artists' rights. The letter highlights threats posed by AI, such as using existing work without permission to replace artists and diminish royalty payouts. Recently, Tennessee passed the ELVIS Act, aimed at safeguarding musicians from AI misuse. The act prohibits generative AI tools from replicating artists' voices without consent. Artists emphasize the uniqueness of their intellectual property and the need to protect against AI's predatory use in the music industry.
Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a global music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Publishing has been ranked the #1 music publisher in market share by Billboard for multiple consecutive quarters.The company is home to major songwriters and artists, including Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Rosalía, Steve Lacy, Elton John, Adele, SZA, Harry Styles, Post Malone and more. UMPG has recently made historic catalogue acquisitions, including Bob Dylan, Sting, and Neil Diamond. UMPG's catalogue consists of over four million songs, with offices in 40 countries.
The US Senate passed a bill last week that could result in TikTok being banned from app stores in nine months unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells it to a US corporation. Black creators, who played a significant role in TikTok's growth, expressed concerns about the potential ban impacting them disproportionately due to issues of equal pay and credit on the platform.
Tupac's estate sent a letter threatening to sue Drake for using an AI-generated version of Tupac's voice in a diss track against Kendrick Lamar. The estate's attorney expressed disappointment over the unauthorized use, citing it as a violation of Tupac's rights and legacy. Drake's track, featuring Snoop Dogg and Tupac AI voices, sparked a rap beef with Lamar, prompting the estate to demand the track's removal due to alleged copyright infringement involving Tupac's record label. This incident mirrors previous AI-related copyright issues involving Drake and other entities.
TikTok is reportedly allowing some users to purchase coins directly from its website, bypassing Apple's 30 percent commission on in-app purchases. This has similarities to the Fortnite incident in 2020, which led to a legal battle with Apple. The feature is only available to select TikTok users, potentially targeting those who buy large quantities of coins. Apple has not taken action yet, but it's likely a violation of their rules. TikTok's massive user base complicates potential repercussions. Spotify also faces challenges with in-app weblinks in the EU due to Apple's App Store practices.
Taylor Swift's latest album 'The Tortured Poets Department' has achieved historic success with 1.5 million copies sold in the US in its first three days, marking the largest first-week sales since Adele's '25' in 2015. The album may reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, potentially tying her with Jay-Z and inching closer to The Beatles' record. Swift has a track record of No. 1 albums and multiple songs in the top 20, with 'TTPD' also setting streaming records on major platforms like Apple Music and Spotify.
The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has released 10 original studio albums, 4 re-recorded studio albums, 5 extended plays, and 4 live albums. She has sold an estimated 114 million album units worldwide and, in terms of pure sales, tallied 46.6 million in the United States and 7 million in the United Kingdom. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), her albums have garnered 51 million certified units in the United States. As of February 2024, she is the solo artist with the most weeks (69) at number one on the US Billboard 200.Swift signed a recording contract with Big Machine Records in 2005 and released six albums with the label. Her self-titled debut album (2006) spent 157 weeks on the Billboard 200 by December 2009 and registered more weeks on the chart than any other album in the 2000s decade. Her second, Fearless (2008), was the only album from the 2000s decade to spend one year in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and was certified Diamond by the RIAA. Fearless was Swift's first album to top the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Her next studio albums—Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), and Reputation (2017)—all debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and each of them sold over one million copies within the first release week in the United States. All four albums reached number one in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand; and the latter three all reached number one in the United Kingdom.Swift signed with Universal Music Group label Republic Records in 2018. Her next three studio albums under Republic—Lover (2019), Folklore (2020), and Evermore (2020)—all debuted atop the Billboard 200. Lover was the global best-selling album by a solo artist of 2019 and was Swift's first to reach number one in Spain and Sweden. Folklore made Swift the first musician to have seven albums each selling at least 500,000 copies within the first week of release in the United States. Her tenth original studio album, Midnights (2022), was her fifth to sell over a million US first-week copies. It broke records including the largest streaming week for a US female album and the most single-day and single-week streams on Spotify.After a dispute over the ownership of her back catalog in 2019, Swift has released four re-recorded albums—Fearless (Taylor's Version) (2021), Red (Taylor's Version) (2021), Speak Now (Taylor's Version) (2023), and 1989 (Taylor's Version) (2023)—all of which reached number one in the English-speaking countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Fearless (Taylor's Version) was also the first re-recorded album to top the Billboard 200. 1989 (Taylor's Version) became Swift's sixth album to sell over a million US first-week copies and broke the record for the most US first-week vinyl sales in the 21st century. With 1989 (Taylor's Version), Swift became the first artist to have the best-selling US album of a calendar year seven times, after Fearless (2009), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore (2020), and Midnights (2022). Swift's eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, is slated for release on April 19, 2024.
In 2020, the United States government announced that it was considering banning the Chinese social media platform TikTok upon a request from then-president Donald Trump, who viewed the app as a national security threat. The result was that TikTok owner ByteDance—which initially planned on selling a small portion of TikTok to an American company—agreed to divest TikTok to prevent a ban in the United States and in other countries where restrictions are also being considered due to privacy concerns, which themselves are mostly related to its ownership by a firm based in China.TikTok later announced plans to file legal action challenging the order's transactional prohibitions with U.S. companies. The lawsuit against the Trump Administration's order was filed on August 24, 2020 with TikTok arguing that the order was motivated by Trump's efforts to boost re-election support through protectionist trade policies aimed at China. A separate suit filed the same day by TikTok's U.S. technical program manager Patrick Ryan against Trump and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross sought a temporary restraining order, arguing that his due process rights were violated and the ban was an "unconstitutional taking" of Ryan's property under the Fifth Amendment; the suit also claimed Trump's action was likely a retaliation because of TikTok videos organizing pranks a recent Tramp campaign rally.American technology company Microsoft had previously proposed an idea to acquire TikTok's algorithm and other artificial intelligence technology, but this was declined by ByteDance, as its executives expressed concern that it would likely be opposed by the Chinese government, which in turn had criticized the Trump Administration's order as a "smash and grab" forced sale. On September 13, 2021, ByteDance suggested that it would prefer the shuttering of U.S. operations over such a sale.
US Congressman Adam Schiff introduced the Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act, which would require AI companies to disclose copyrighted works used in their datasets, aiming to balance AI's potential with ethical guidelines and protection of creators' rights. The bill has gained support from organizations like the RIAA, SAG-AFTRA, and WGA. Companies would need to submit data to the Copyright Office before releasing AI tools publicly. The entertainment industry, including musicians like Billie Eilish and Jon Bon Jovi, supports AI protections to prevent the unauthorized use of their works in AI models.
Drake's diss track featuring an AI-generated version of Tupac Shakur's voice, called "Taylor Made Freestyle," was removed from his social media accounts following a cease-and-desist letter from Shakur's estate warning of a lawsuit for unauthorized use. The track was in response to Kendrick Lamar, also using an AI-generated version of Snoop Dogg's voice. Tupac's estate expressed disappointment over the disrespect shown by using Shakur's likeness and voice without consent and highlighted Lamar's admiration for Tupac. Snoop Dogg, featured in the track, comically reacted to the situation.
Universal Music India Pvt. Ltd. (UMI) was launched in 1999; it is a part of the Universal Music Group, an American-based, Dutch-listed multinational music corporation. Universal Music India is registered with the Indian Music Industry, a trust that represents the recording industry distributors in India. UMI appointed Devraj Sanyal as its managing director in 2011, succeeding Rajat Kakar, managing director of Universal Music India for the previous eight years. It is the successor to the music label Music India, which in turn was the successor to Polydor India Pvt. Ltd.; all albums released under both labels are currently under license of Universal Music India.Universal Music India brings the news, album updates, tour updates, trivia, of artists worldwide for their fans. The 'Whats Hot Now' list includes a number of artists from the Universal Music Group (currently including Eminem, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Avicii, Justin Bieber, Lorde and many more) and their details, album launches, tour dates etc.
The American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has written or co-written every song in her discography, with the exception of several cover songs and two guest features, alongside some songs released by other artists. Swift signed with Sony/ATV Tree publishing house in 2004 to become a professional songwriter.Pursuing a country music career in Nashville, she wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks on her eponymous debut album, which was released by Big Machine Records in 2006. In 2007, Swift released her first extended play (EP), The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, which includes four cover versions of Christmas classics and two self-written songs. Beautiful Eyes (2008), Swift's second EP, features alternate versions of songs from her debut album and two new tracks.On her second studio album, Fearless (2008), Swift wrote eight tracks by herself and co-wrote the remaining five with Liz Rose—who had worked with her on her debut album. She wrote all 14 tracks of her third studio album, Speak Now (2010), by herself. The album explores mainstream pop and rock styles in addition to the country pop sound of its predecessor. On her next release, Red (2012), Swift experimented with other pop, rock, electronic, and hip hop styles. She wrote nine Red tracks by herself and co-wrote with others including Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback. Martin and Shellback collaborated with her again on her next two studio albums, 1989 (2014) and Reputation (2017), on which Swift also worked with producer Jack Antonoff and recalibrated her musical identity from country to pop. Antonoff continued collaborating with Swift on her seventh studio album, Lover (2019), which marks her first release after leaving Big Machine for Republic Records; Lover includes three solely-written tracks.Swift explored alternative rock and indie folk on the albums Folklore and Evermore; in addition to Antonoff, Aaron Dessner of the National became a key producer and co-writer. Swift's former partner Joe Alwyn was co-writer and co-producer of select tracks. Since April 2021, Swift has released four re-recorded albums—Fearless (Taylor's Version), Red (Taylor's Version), Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version)—to claim ownership of the masters of her Big Machine-released albums. Each of the re-recorded albums includes "from the Vault" unreleased songs Swift had written but excluded from the original releases' track lists. One such song, "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)", is the unabridged version of the previously released "All Too Well". Swift's tenth original studio album, Midnights (2022), features Antonoff as the main collaborator and Dessner as the co-writer and co-producer for select bonus tracks.In addition to solo material, Swift has recorded two songs as a featured artist without a writing credit: "Highway Don't Care" (Tim McGraw, 2013) and "Birch" (Big Red Machine, 2021). She has written songs for film soundtracks including Valentine's Day (2010), The Hunger Games (2012), Fifty Shades Darker (2017), Cats (2019), and Where the Crawdads Sing (2022). Some tracks written by Swift were released as standalone singles for her other projects, such as the Christmas single "Christmas Tree Farm" (2019) and the track "Only the Young" (2020) for her documentary Miss Americana. Among tracks she wrote for other artists are "Best Days of Your Life" (Kellie Pickler), "This Is What You Came For" (Calvin Harris featuring Rihanna), and "Better Man" (Little Big Town).
Taylor Swift's album 'The Tortured Poets Department' tops UK charts with 270,000 units sold in the first week, surpassing her previous personal best. It is Spotify's most-streamed album in a single week with over 1 billion streams, breaking her own record. Swift matches Madonna with 12 UK number ones. The album has three songs in the UK top five. Swift's 31-track double album project reflects two tumultuous years in her life. She embarks on the Eras tour, set to be the first to make over $1 billion in revenue.
Billie Eilish spoke out against the trend of artists releasing multiple vinyl variants to boost sales, emphasizing the environmental impact and systemic nature of the issue. She clarified her comments were not aimed at any specific individual and highlighted the need for collective action to address the climate crisis. The critique also addressed the focus on profit and sales figures by major artists. Taylor Swift's fans reacted to Eilish's statements.
There is evidence that TikTok has down-weighted the posts of topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party. Topics alleged to have been censored by the platform include the Uyghur genocide, the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, the Sino-Indian border dispute, foreign political leaders, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, and Black people. TikTok has also removed or omitted information from its services to comply with company policies, legal demands, and government censorship laws. TikTok's responses to claims of censorship have varied, responding that the platform was attempting to protect users from bullying, arguing that certain instances were the result of human error, and stating that such incidents were the result of algorithmic mistakes.
The new AI wearable device AI Pin by Humane receives criticism for being slow and not very smart, Sony ULT Wear headphones offer brain-shaking bass, Taylor Swift's music returns to TikTok after a hiatus due to negotiations with Universal Music Group, and the social media app X no longer allows users to hide their blue checkmarks, even for paid premium subscriptions, causing discontent among some users.
The BBC has faced criticism for dedicating significant airtime to Taylor Swift's new double album, with debates and analyses on various channels. Viewers have complained about the excessive coverage, questioning why a pop singer's album release is considered national news. The broadcaster defended its decision, citing Swift's significance in popular culture and the interest of younger audiences. Critics view this as a desperate attempt to attract a younger demographic, with some suggesting that the BBC should be paid for marketing her.
Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant expressed his thoughts on Taylor Swift's music during a Guardian Live event, questioning her lack of standout songs like 'Billie Jean.' Despite recognizing her cultural impact and vocal talent, Tennant believes Swift's music falls short. Swift's recent album, 'The Tortured Poets Department,' has broken records and focuses on her relationships, including with exes like Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy. Tennant's remarks highlight his disappointment in Swift's music compared to her success. Swift's releases since 2019, including 'Folklore' and 'Evermore,' have still topped charts despite the absence of pre-album lead singles.
Taylor Swift is the eponymous debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Under Big Machine Records, it was released in North America on October 24, 2006, and elsewhere on March 18, 2008. Swift had signed with Sony/ATV Tree publishing house in 2004, at age 14, to pursue a career as a country musician. Her contract with Big Machine Records in 2005 enabled her to work on the album during her second year of high school.Swift is credited as a writer on all 11 of the album's tracks, three of which solely; Robert Ellis Orrall, Brian Maher, Angelo Petraglia, and Liz Rose have co-writing credits. Drawing on her personal life, the songs reflect Swift's outlook on life as a teenager, dealing with romantic relationships, friendships, and insecurity. Produced by Orrall and Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift is a country record with pop and pop rock elements, incorporating acoustic instruments such as guitars, banjos, and fiddles.Five singles supported Taylor Swift, including the Hot Country Songs number-ones "Our Song" and "Should've Said No", and Swift's first top-15 entry on the Billboard Hot 100, "Teardrops on My Guitar". Swift promoted the album through social network Myspace, which journalists found atypical for a country musician's marketing strategy. She embarked on a six-month radio tour in 2006 and opened tours for other country artists throughout 2006 and 2007. Critics praised the album's mainstream sensibility and Swift's songwriting at a young age for earnestly depicting adolescent sentiments. Taylor Swift was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards.The album spent 24 weeks at number one on Top Country Albums and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, where it became the longest-charting album of the 2000s decade. Certified seven times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it made Swift the first solo female country artist to write or co-write every song on a platinum debut album. Journalists attributed Taylor Swift's success to Swift's online marketing via Myspace, which ushered in a younger demographic in-country audiences who had mainly consisted of middle-aged listeners. The album's crossover appeal shaped the country pop style of Swift's next two albums, and its autobiographical narratives about love and heartbreak inspired a subsequent generation of singer-songwriters.
Multiple governmental agencies and private businesses have imposed or attempted to impose temporary or indefinite bans on the social media service TikTok due to concerns from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, national security, China's ownership and influence, pornography, human trafficking, children's safety, antisemitism, addictiveness, terrorism and toxic content.
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her artistry and entrepreneurship have influenced the music industry, popular culture, and politics, while her life is a subject of widespread media coverage.Swift began professional songwriting at 14. She signed with Big Machine Records in 2005 and achieved prominence as a country pop singer with the albums Taylor Swift (2006) and Fearless (2008). The singles "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Love Story", and "You Belong with Me" were crossover successes on country and pop radio formats and brought Swift mainstream fame. She experimented with rock and electronic styles on her next albums, Speak Now (2010) and Red (2012), respectively, with the latter featuring her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together". Swift recalibrated her image from country to pop with 1989 (2014), a synth-pop album supported by the chart-topping songs "Shake It Off", "Blank Space", and "Bad Blood". Media scrutiny inspired the hip-hop-influenced Reputation (2017) and its number-one single "Look What You Made Me Do".After signing with Republic Records in 2018, Swift released the eclectic pop album Lover (2019) and the autobiographical documentary Miss Americana (2020). She explored indie folk styles on the 2020 albums Folklore and Evermore, subdued electropop on Midnights (2022), and re-recorded four albums subtitled Taylor's Version after a dispute with Big Machine. These albums spawned the number-one songs "Cruel Summer", "Cardigan", "Willow", "Anti-Hero", "All Too Well", and "Is It Over Now?". Her Eras Tour (2023–2024) and its accompanying concert film became the highest-grossing tour and concert film of all time, respectively. Swift has directed videos and films such as Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020) and All Too Well: The Short Film (2021).One of the world's best-selling musicians, Swift has sold over 200 million records as of 2019. She is the highest-grossing female touring act, the most-streamed woman on Spotify and Apple Music, and the first billionaire with music as the main source of income. Six of her albums have opened with over one million sales in a week. The 2023 Time Person of the Year, Swift has appeared on lists such as Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists, and Forbes' World's 100 Most Powerful Women. Her accolades include 14 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, 40 American Music Awards, 40 Billboard Music Awards, and 23 MTV Video Music Awards; she has won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, and the IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year for a record four times each.
Taylor Swift's latest album, 'The Tortured Poets Department,' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 2.61 million equivalent album units in the U.S. It marks Swift's 14th album to claim the top spot, tying her with Jay-Z for the second-most No.1 albums by a recording artist. Swift also achieved her biggest first-week sales with this album, surpassing her previous record with '1989 (Taylor's Version).' Furthermore, 'The Tortured Poets Department' had the second-largest single-week album sales by units earned, and Swift sold 859,000 copies of the album on vinyl, setting a modern era record.
In the United States, social media service TikTok has faced many bans and attempted bans due to national security concerns and its ownership by the Chinese company ByteDance. As of June 2023, federal employees and state employees in 34 (out of 50) states are prohibited from using the app on government devices. In May 2023, Montana became the first state to ban TikTok on all personal devices, though this is being challenged in court.
TikTok, whose mainland Chinese counterpart is Douyin (Chinese: 抖音; pinyin: Dǒuyīn: Shaking sound), is a short-form video hosting service owned by ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 3 seconds to 10 minutes.Since their launches, TikTok and Douyin have gained global popularity. In October 2020, TikTok surpassed 2 billion mobile downloads worldwide. Cloudflare ranked TikTok the most popular website of 2021, surpassing Google. TikTok's popularity has resulted in the platform having an increasing cultural impact worldwide.The app's privacy practices have come under increased criticism and scrutiny. Countries have also restricted, banned, or attempted to ban the use of TikTok over national security concerns that data could be collected by the Chinese government.
Universal Music Enterprises (UME, stylized as UMe) is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles, and UM3 or UMC (which is the international division of the company). Under various divisions, it reissues many classic albums from the UMG back catalogue, and also various compilation albums, including series such as the 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection and Icon budget lines and the 2-disc Gold compilations. It also released Billy Ray Cyrus's album Wanna Be Your Joe and re-released John Cougar Mellencamp's American Fool and Tom Petty's Greatest Hits. In 2012, UMe took over distribution of Frank Zappa's recorded music catalogue.In 2017, Styx signed with UMe for the album The Mission. Later that same year, Universal announced the formation of Urban Legends, a new catalogue division, which focuses on reissues of said urban music releases.
Matty Healy, a rumored subject of Taylor Swift's song, discusses his thoughts on her new album claiming he hasn't listened to much of it but believes it's good. Fans speculate that several tracks on the album are about Healy, hinting at their past relationship. Healy was appreciative of a heads-up from Swift's team about the album, expressing concerns about their story being portrayed negatively. Despite no longer speaking, the former couple shared a strong and passionate bond.
YouTube has released a new feature that allows users to remix music videos and turn them into Shorts, similar to TikTok. The feature includes four options: Sound, Green Screen, Cut, and Collab. The Sound tool strips the audio for users to use in their Shorts, while the Green Screen tool turns the video into a background. The Cut tool clips out a five-second portion of the video, and the Collab tool creates a side-by-side video with the original content. This release comes in response to TikTok's music licensing battle with Universal Music Group, as YouTube has access to UMG's entire roster.
Drake uploaded a song featuring AI-generated Tupac and Snoop Dogg voices in a diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar. Tupac's estate sent a cease-and-desist letter, demanding the track's removal within 24 hours, citing it as an unauthorized use of Tupac's legacy and a violation of his rights. The track has since been deleted from Drake's social media. The beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar escalated with the AI-generated vocals. Snoop Dogg also reacted in surprise. Tupac, a revered hip-hop artist who sold over 75 million records, died in 1996.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 58% of Americans believe the Chinese government uses TikTok to influence American public opinion, with 13% disagreeing and the rest unsure. Respondents aged 40 and older were more likely to support a ban on TikTok compared to younger respondents, and 46% of Americans think China uses the app to spy on people. President Biden signed legislation giving ByteDance 270 days to divest TikTok's U.S. assets or face a ban, while TikTok claims to have spent $1.5 billion on data security and denies sharing user data with the Chinese government.
Taylor Swift's album The Tortured Poets Department debuted at No 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 2.61 million units in its first week in the US, with traditional album sales accounting for 1.91 million units. The album also garnered 891.34 million on-demand streams and marked the largest streaming week and vinyl sales week for an album. It is the best-selling album of 2024 so far and Taylor Swift's 14th No. 1 album. Distributed by Universal Music Group, the album received positive reviews and Swift is set to resume her Eras Tour in Paris in May.
Taylor Swift's double album 'The Tortured Poets Department' was released on April 19, filled with celebrity call-outs including references to her feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Swift alludes to past controversies and relationships, hinting at Kim Kardashian's response to her daughter singing a song about her. The album features a surprise appearance from The 1975 frontman, sparking speculation about their past involvement.
Fans speculate that Taylor Swift's new album includes songs about her ex-boyfriend Matty Healy, with lyrics hinting at their past relationship, breakup, and feelings. Healy seemed unaware of the references and commented positively when asked about a supposed 'diss track' directed at him.
Universal Music LLC (Japanese: ユニバーサル ミュージック合同会社, Hepburn: Yunibāsaru myūjikku Gōdō gaisha), often referred to as just Universal Music Japan or UMJ, is a Japanese subsidiary of the Universal Music Group founded in 1990. It is the largest subsidiary for a foreign company in Japan regarding music distribution. The company is responsible for marketing and distribution in Japan for Japanese releases under Universal.In 2021, Universal Japan CEO and President Naoshi Fujikura was included on Billboard's International Power Players list.
Universal Music Africa (UMA) is a multilingual music corporation of the global record label Universal Music Group, covering 25 French, Spanish, and Portuguese-speaking countries, in Africa, with its corporate headquarters located in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Universal Music Africa is known for housing Motown Gospel Africa, Blue Note Records Africa, and Def Jam Recordings Africa.
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its operational headquarters are located in Santa Monica, California. The biggest music company in the world, it is one of the "Big Three" record labels, along with Sony Music and Warner Music Group. Tencent acquired ten percent of Universal Music Group in March 2020 for €3 billion and acquired an additional ten percent stake in January 2021. Pershing Square Holdings later acquired ten percent of UMG prior to its IPO on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. The company went public on September 21, 2021, at a valuation of €46 billion.
Universal Music owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here.According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, BTM Music Group Inc., Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Interscope Geffen A&M, Island Records, Motown Records, Polydor, Republic Records, Verve Label Group, and Virgin Music, as well as other UMG divisions (Universal Music Enterprises, Universal Music Latin Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing Group).
Lily Bottomley, the manager of The Black Dog pub in south London, suggested that Joe Alwyn, Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriend, is a regular at the bar. Swift mentioned the bar in a song on her latest album, expressing feelings of being missed by her love interest while they were at the establishment. Bottomley did not confirm if Alwyn was with Swift during her visit to the pub. The attention on the pub has increased since the song's release, and Bottomley expressed enjoyment at the excitement surrounding it.
Donna Kelce expressed admiration for Taylor Swift's newest double album 'The Tortured Poets Department,' stating that it is impressive and likely Swift's best work. Travis Kelce hinted at having heard parts of the album before its public release, praising it as unbelievable. The album, which explores Swift's relationships and past experiences, features tracks that range from airy and sweet to dark and melancholic. Swift describes the album as fatalistic, with dramatic themes of love and life. Apart from romantic themes, Swift also delves into the challenges of fame in songs like 'Clara Bow' and 'I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.'
Billie Eilish expressed frustration over the music industry's release of multiple vinyl versions of albums, citing their wastefulness in terms of environmental impact. The average vinyl record production emits 1kg of CO2, with 50% from PVC, making recycled PVC records more eco-friendly. Despite this, vinyl records are rarely discarded and have a carbon footprint equivalent to streaming an album for 17 hours. Taylor Swift, known for high vinyl sales, also produces various album variants, with 3.4 million records sold in the US in 2023.
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