Taylor Swift music back on TikTok despite fight with Universal Music, report says

Singer Taylor Swift performs at her concert for the international “The Eras Tour” in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 7. Swift’s music is back on TikTok in the dispute between the app and the label.

Singer Taylor Swift performs at her concert for the international “The Eras Tour” in Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 7. Swift’s music is back on TikTok in the dispute between the app and the label. (Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters)

NEW YORK — Taylor Swift’s music is back on TikTok, even as the Chinese short-video app and the singer’s record label Universal Music are at loggerheads, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Swift’s return to TikTok had been in the works for some time, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter.

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.

Universal Music ceased licensing its content to TikTok and TikTok Music services when their agreement expired on Jan. 31.

TikTok had subsequently removed the music label’s songs from its platform and muted the videos that featured those songs, written by any songwriter signed on to Universal Music Publishing Group.

Universal Music Group is the parent company of Universal Music Publishing Group, which represents an expansive roster of artists such as Taylor Swift, Jon Batiste, boygenius and Ariana Grande, among others.

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