Universal Music Group Partners With Spotify to Offer Artists More Promotional Tools

Caitlin Huston
·2 min read

Universal Music Group has expanded its relationship with Spotify to involve more promotional tools for musicians and greater distribution, amid its dispute with TikTok.

As part of the partnership, Spotify will release new promotional and social features for UMG artists, starting with the ability to share teasers of upcoming songs on the platform. Under a new agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group, Spotify will be able to distribute music videos in the U.S.

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The new partnership comes after UMG pulled its song catalog from TikTok, which can be a big promotional tool for artists, at the end of January, after failing to come to terms on a new licensing agreement with the social media platform. UMG said it was concerned about “appropriate compensation” for artists and songwriters, the spread of AI on the platform and online safety for TikTok users. TikTok has argued that UMG is putting “its own interests” above those of its artists.

“We’re excited to broaden our relationship with Spotify through the introduction of new content offerings and collaborations that will bring deeper ‘social music’ experiences to the platform. We’re always striving to expand opportunities for UMG artists and songwriters to elevate engagement with their fans, especially in the introduction of new music and artist-centric initiatives. Spotify has been a committed partner in creating tools that help maximize attribution and fair pay for artists and songwriters, and this demonstrates that win-win partnerships between music companies and platforms create an environment where innovation, artist compensation and next-generation fan experiences can coexist and move the industry forward,” said Sir Lucian Grainge, chairman and CEO of UMG.

“UMG has consistently been a progressive partner on behalf of their artists and songwriters, contributing to our product development efforts of experimental tools and adopting them early to help artists stand out. The forthcoming features will put more power in the hands of artists and their teams to help them authentically express themselves, efficiently promote their work, and better monetize their art,”  said Spotify Founder and CEO Daniel Ek.

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