Taylor Swift Producer Jack Antonoff Weighs In on Common TikTok Music Elimination: “It’s Ass Backwards”
Following this week’s information that Common Music Group is pulling its song catalog from TikTok after failing to achieve a brand new licensing cope with the social media platform, Jack Antonoff gave an unvarnished response to the sudden removing after winning producer of the year (non-classical) at Sunday’s 2024 Grammys. Antonoff ceaselessly collaborates with UMG artist Taylor Swift, whose songs vanished from the platform on Wednesday.
“You bought a complete business being like, ‘You’ve acquired to do every part; you’ve acquired to do every part, and right here’s the place you’ve acquired to do it,’ after which someday it’s like, ‘Poof!’” Antonoff instructed the backstage Grammys press room when requested in regards to the TikTok removing. “There’s plenty of issues flawed [in the industry]. Final time I used to be right here we have been speaking about ticketing; you’ve at all times acquired to ensure as an artist you’ll be able to’t get used to being paid much less, which they attempt to get you used to. However I feel it’s ass-backwards and on the very least we should always have identified.”
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“Is that the one which’s going to make the information?” he joked of his reply.
Antonoff is nominated twice on this 12 months’s track of the 12 months class, for his work with Swift on “Anti-Hero” in addition to with Lana Del Rey on “A&W.” He’s additionally the frontman for the band Bleachers.
Common Music Group abruptly announced on Tuesday that it will be pulling its catalog from the music-centric app in a blistering open letter to artists and songwriters titled “Why we should name day trip on TikTok.”
“In our contract renewal discussions, we now have been urgent them on three crucial points — acceptable compensation for our artists and songwriters, defending human artists from the dangerous results of AI, and on-line security for TikTok’s customers,” the open letter said.
“TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a price that may be a fraction of the speed that equally located main social platforms pay,” it continued, including that TikTok presently accounts for less than about 1 % of UMG income. “Finally TikTok is making an attempt to construct a music-based enterprise, with out paying truthful worth for the music.”
Because it pertains to synthetic intelligence, UMG argues that “TikTok is permitting the platform to be flooded with AI-generated recordings — in addition to creating instruments to allow, promote and encourage AI music creation on the platform itself — after which demanding a contractual proper which might enable this content material to massively dilute the royalty pool for human artists, in a transfer that’s nothing wanting sponsoring artist alternative by AI.”
TikTok responded to UMG with an announcement of its personal Tuesday night time:
“It’s unhappy and disappointing that Common Music Group has put their very own greed above the pursuits of their artists and songwriters,” the assertion started. “Regardless of Common’s false narrative and rhetoric, the actual fact is that they have chosen to stroll away from the highly effective help of a platform with nicely over a billion customers that serves as a free promotional and discovery car for his or her expertise.”
“TikTok has been capable of attain ‘artist-first’ agreements with each different label and writer,” it continued. “Clearly, Common’s self-serving actions aren’t in one of the best pursuits of artists, songwriters and followers.”
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