The world’s largest record company, Universal, has pulled all of its tracks off TikTok’s main rival, Triller.
Triller, established in Los Angeles, is a rapidly expanding platform for uploading short films and is currently widely regarded as TikTok’s most formidable competitor. According to a company spokeswoman in the fall of 2017, the app has been downloaded over 250 million times and has over 65 million monthly active users.
It seems that Triller hasn’t been paying the musicians whose work they’ve been utilising, at least according to Universal. But the firm says there was no such incident.
Universal has decided to completely shut down the platform’s access to the music of many artists, including Ariana Grande, Jay-Z, Post Malone, and many more.
However, it appears that TikTok does not have the same issues. If you want to add some musical flair to your skits, dance routines, or “aesthetic” films, any of these (and many more) musicians’ songs are fair game.
The major label has made it clear they don’t want to collaborate with anyone who doesn’t respect their artists’ efforts. The record label claims Triller has not paid the musicians and is unwilling to discuss a licence agreement. Therefore, they believe that the only option is to quickly remove all of their songs off the app.
However, the video-sharing app disputes Universal’s assertions. They have issued a strongly worded statement in response, offering a different point of view.
They let the world know that their contract with the label had ended a few weeks earlier and that they were now in the midst of discussing the terms of their continued collaboration, which they portrayed as a routine business practise. They then make the accusation that the label is using the artists as leverage to secure unreasonably high compensation for both the artists and the label.
As was also made obvious, many of the listed artists already own some of the shares in Triller, meaning that the platform doesn’t need to renew licences because the artists may allow the usage of their music without requiring the label.
As of now, it is unclear how many musicians Triller can collaborate with without having to contact UMG. Exactly how many of the major celebrities have signed on to be part of the app is unknown.
This time last year, fears that TikTok might be shut down caused a massive increase in interest in the alternative app Triller. Even while TikTok was being criticised for being a security risk, the number of downloads of the rival app Triller, which is located in the United States, began to rise.
As a result of widespread adoption by the most popular TikTokers, Triller quickly became the most popular app in the App Store. Perhaps the app would maintain its popularity if it weren’t for the fact that users must now pay for their support. We are relieved that TikTok is no longer under danger of being regulated.
Interestingly, this is not the first time a TikTok-like app has been accused of not paying for music.
The president of the US NMPA said last year that despite the fact that Triller floods your feed with endless songs, they do not have valid licences for many of them.
The music business representatives have seen a trend of tech platforms issuing apologies instead of obtaining the necessary authorization to utilise the song. It is recommended that any music be licenced before being uploaded to the site.
Unauthorized copying of music and other types of information has become a major problem for the business at the present time. It stands to reason that as the scope of your project increases, so will the scrutiny directed against your adherence to said scope’s specific guidelines. Maybe Triller felt he wasn’t quite ready for that challenge.
As long as we have TikTok and a chance to attract fans on it, we can sit back and watch the tale develop.
It’s difficult to determine who to defend, given the long list of scandals and issues on both sides. It appears like Universal may be threatening Triller with the musicians’ reputations if he does not sign a new contract with the label. Meanwhile, it’s common knowledge that artists should be compensated fairly and on time for any usage of their work.