Universal Music’s Stand Against TikTok Defends Artists’ Rights (Guest Column)

K-pop music purveyors HYBE today announced an expanded long-term agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG), providing them exclusive distribution rights across HYBE music for the next 10 years.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hybe, the Korean firm behind K-pop’s BTS, has struck an expanded 10-year deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), providing Hybe’s roster of artists and labels access to UMG’s leading global network. UMG will further collaborate with Hybe’s global superfan platform Weverse, bringing more of a direct connection between UMG artists and their fandom. Hybe and UMG will additionally collaborate on artist promotions and marketing activities in North America under the oversight of Scooter Braun – who, in his time as CEO of Hybe America, acquired QC Media Holdings and incorporated SB Projects as well as Big Machine Label Group into the existing roster. Hybe and UMG first teamed up in 2017 on BTS, through a distribution agreement in Japan. In 2021, the companies expanded their relationship with a global strategic agreement which saw collaborations across multiple projects and use of Weverse for fan communication.

Following his Best Actor Oscar win at the 96th Academy Awards, Irish actor Cillian Murphy is reuniting with Universal Pictures, the distributor of Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture winner “Oppenheimer,” for another period drama, “Blood Runs Coal.” The starring vehicle for Murphy, reported on by Deadline, seemingly takes a page from the world of Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman,” “Killers of The Flower Moon”).

Ryan Coogler‘s Proximity Media has boarded an untitled Prince music inspired film at Universal Pictures, Deadline has confirmed.

“This Is Spinal Tap,” were spotted filming the movie’s long-awaited sequel last week in New Orleans. McKean, 76, dressed in a red velvet suit and donned a long blonde wig, photos obtained by The Post reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves) has been set to lead a new, untitled Universal feature project from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and producer Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures), according to multiple sources, who also tell us that 2024 Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) is in talks.

The boss of one of the world’s biggest TV distributors has predicted streamers will return to commissioning originals in bulk once they “break even.”

In January, Universal Orlando shared the first official “look” inside its highly anticipated new theme park, Universal Epic Universe, a development that the company expects to be a game changer.

George Galloway is considering standing against Andy Burnham, the Manchester Evening News can reveal. The new Rochdale MP who won a by-election two weeks ago is now looking at running to be Greater Manchester's mayor.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The standoff between Universal Music Groupand TikTok over royalty payments and AI policies has resulted in a near-complete blackout of all music owned, distributed and published by the company on the platform — the videos are still there, but the music is muted. Yet new songs by UMG artists, including Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and Niall Horan could be found on TikTok at the time of this article’s publication. How and why is that happening? While reps for UMG and TikTok declined comment, and an explanation of the platform’s logistics and process quickly devolves into a mind-melting blizzard of jargon and abbreviations, here’s a vast oversimplification of a couple of possibilities.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music As the vast reorganization of Universal Music Group’s labels continues, as expected, the company’s East Coast operations are uniting under the Republic Corps umbrella. The move reflects the company’s reorganization of its labels under the domains of Republic’s Monte Lipman (East Coast) and Interscope’s John Janick (West Coast).

Benefit claimants can expect to see an increase in their payments from April.

Editors note: Melody Thomas Scott first joined the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless in 1979. To mark her 45th anniversary, Scott writes about her time on TV’s most-watched soap and why she thinks the genre remains important to viewers.

Royal experts are weighing in on where Prince Harry stands with his father and brother following his visit home.

Roxy Music‘s frontman Bryan Ferry has sold 50 per cent of his music catalogue in a deal with Iconic Artist Group.The deal includes a range of assets from Ferry’s music career including his solo work as well as the work from his time with Roxy Music. Iconic Artists Group also acquired half of the singer’s sound recording, publishing, and name, image and likeness rights.

Shannon Plumb There’s two things that make a star shine — the light they emit, and the inevitability of being seen. I called my mom and yelled into the phone, “The lady who cast Ralph Macchio in ‘Karate Kid’ wants to meet me!” I met Bonnie Timmermann, the legendary casting agent, at a dinner with my husband Derek Cianfrance. They worked together on the HBO series “I Know This Much is True.” She said she liked my work — the super 8 films I put myself in, the comedy show I put myself in, the feature film I put myself in.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Veteran singer and Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry has entered into a partnership with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group “to develop and expand the renowned artist’s musical legacy to new generations of fans,” according to the announcement. The deal sees the company acquiring 50% of Ferry’s sound recording, publishing, and name, image and likeness rights from his solo work and Roxy Music catalog, which reaches back to the group’s galvanizing 1972 debut album and includes such hit songs as “Love Is the Drug,” “More Than This,” “Avalon,” “Virginia Plain,” “Dance Away,” “Slave to Love” and more.

Ari Herstand By now, it’s widely known that Universal Music Group has removed most or all of its catalog from TikTok, as well as apparently every song that includes at least one songwriter affiliated Universal Music Publishing Group. It’s a battle that pits the world’s largest music company against the most influential and powerful platform for promoting music — which for the past five years has been TikTok.

UPDATE: As expected, layoffs commenced today at Universal Music Group, which includes Interscope, Republic, Capitol, Def Jam and Island, as well as catalog division Universal Music Enterprises and UMG corporate. 

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music As expected, layoffs began hitting Universal Music Group almost immediately after the company’s earnings call on Wednesday. The moves, which have been signaled by chairman-CEO Lucian Grainge since last fall, were still evolving at the time of this article’s publication, and follow the broad consolidation of the company’s labels under Interscope (West Coast) and Republic (East Coast) groups, under CEOs John Janick and Monte Lipman, respectively.