Warner Music Inks Licensing Deal With Tik Tok

Warner Music Group and TikTok struck a multi-year licensing deal allowing creators on the short-form video app to use WMG music on Tuesday, marking the first publicly announced deal between a major music company and the popular social media platform.

Billboard reports the companies issued a joint statement that the multi-platform agreement licenses the full repertoire of Warner Recorded Music and Warner Chappell Music to TikTok, TikTok Music in Brazil and Indonesia, CapCut, and TikTok’s Commercial Music Library. The agreement gives WMG artists and songwriters greater access to TikTok partners and tools for engaging fans and selling goods, and the companies said they will jointly develop “additional and alternative economic models.”

It is the first sizeable deal struck since WMG’s Chief Executive Officer Robert Kyncl took over in January, and it marks the cooling of tough negotiations between TikTok and the music industry establishment.

Kyncl and TikTok’s chief executive Shou Chew said the agreement would benefit artists.

“We are very excited to partner with Warner Music Group to create a shared vision for the future in which artists, songwriters, music fans and the industry can all benefit from the power of discovery on TikTok platforms,” Chew said.

While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Kyncl described the deal as an “expanded and significantly improved partnership for both companies. We can jointly deliver greater value to WMG’s artists and songwriters and TikTok’s users.”

TikTok has been engaged in ongoing negotiations for roughly the last year over remuneration to the 100-plus rights holders through whom it must license music played on its app. Billboard reported that TikTok had struck short-term licensing deals in 2020 with most major music companies–shorter than the 18-24-month licenses common between the music and tech industries–to use 30-second clips of songs.