As TikTok continues to solidify its position as a core social platform for music discovery, the company has announced a new multi-year strategic licensing agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG). The agreement will allow TikTok to continue providing UMG's music content within the app and support other music features.

According to TikTok's official statement: "Building on the success of the multi-dimensional collaboration announced in 2024, the new agreement will further enhance creative and commercial opportunities for UMG's artists and songwriters through expanded marketing and advertising campaigns, e-commerce channel access, and other artist-centric tools."

The agreement will ensure that UMG artists gain more monetization avenues through TikTok, including ticket sales and merchandise promotion, with direct links to TikTok Shop.

Additionally, the new arrangement includes protective clauses to ensure that UMG artists' content is not subject to AI manipulation or misuse.

TikTok stated: "The new agreement continues TikTok and UMG's pioneering commitment to AI protection, aiming to promote human artistic creation and ensure that platform economics flow effectively to artists and songwriters. TikTok and UMG will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music while further improving attribution mechanisms for artists and songwriters."

Unauthorized music has become a major concern, as more AI-generated tools can produce various covers and remixes that may be created and shared without artist approval. TikTok will focus on addressing this issue to ensure adequate protection for UMG artists.

TikTok has become a key platform for music discovery. Research shows that TikTok users in the U.S. are 74% more likely to discover and share new music compared to average short-video users.

TikTok also plays a significant role in boosting the visibility of music releases. The platform reported in 2025 that 84% of songs that entered the Billboard 200 chart in 2024 first gained traction on TikTok.

Given the value TikTok can provide, it is a reasonable move for UMG to expand its partnership with the app, which will ensure broader promotion and more effective protection for its artists.