Universal Music Group and TikTok renew agreement to combat unauthorized AI music

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Published Friday, June 26, 2026 · 12:56 AM EDT

Universal Music Group and TikTok announced the renewal of their licensing agreement. The agreement includes a commitment to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform and to improve how artists and songwriters are credited. According to UMG, the agreement extends their commitment to AI protections that promote human artistry and ensure platform economics flow through to artists and songwriters. The companies will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music while further improving artist and songwriter attribution. The renewal follows tensions in 2024. UMG accused TikTok of inadequately addressing issues related to AI-generated music and copyright. This led UMG to temporarily pull its music catalog from TikTok. The music industry has been concerned about AI tools that can mimic artists' voices or create counterfeit songs. Viral AI-generated tracks imitating artists such as Drake and The Weeknd have gained millions of streams before being taken down. TikTok launched TikTok for Artists last year. The platform is designed to help artists with promotional efforts and to provide music labels with access to data.

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