Taylor Swift songs return to TikTok after being yanked because of licensing spat
NY Post
Taylor Swift’s tunes were back on TikTok after a 10-week hiatus amid a licensing spat between the Chinese-owned video-sharing app and the pop superstar’s record label Universal Music, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.
Fans of the “You Belong With Me,” “Lover,” and “Cruel Summer” singer were able to upload her hits in their videos for the first time since Jan. 31.
Swift’s return to TikTok had been in the works for some time, FT added, citing people familiar with the matter — and comes ahead of the April 19 release of her next studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
The pop superstar owns the copyrights to her recordings through a 2018 deal struck with Universal that lets her control where her work is made available, unlike many other artists, the report said.
TikTok, Universal Music and representatives for Taylor Swift did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
Swift’s tracks had been pulled from TikTok in February after the app and UMG — which owns the rights to music from superstars including Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Drake —failed to renew a licencing deal that expired at the end of January.
