TikTok Reached a New Licensing Agreement With Sony Music

TikTok and Sony Music Entertainment (SME) have reached a licensing deal that gives a short video sharing app access to a vast music catalog. As a result, users will be able to legally select and enjoy millions of songs of any genre, from classic hits to new releases.

For its part, TikTok will promote the musicians represented by the label. For musicians, the TikTok platform is a new communication channel with their fans and a way to make a recently released track go viral. Recent examples of viral popularity include the song "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X and "Savage Love" by Jason Derulo.

Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business & U.S. Sales at Sony Music Entertainment, noted that short video formats have become part of the music ecosystem and contributed to its development. TikTok emphasizes that the partnership will benefit the community, which has faced difficulties amid the coronavirus pandemic: the cancellation of concerts and other public events have forced artists to seek new ways to interact with the audience.

"TikTok is a leader in this space and we are pleased to be partnering with them to drive music discovery, expand opportunities for creativity, and support artist careers," said Dennis Kooker.

TikTok and Sony have been negotiating a contract renewal for several months, as the app was under threat of being banned in the United States. However, last week a court blocked Donald Trump's decrees that banned support for TikTok in the U.S. The ban was supposed to go into force on November 12, but a group of video bloggers filed a lawsuit in which they said the restrictions would leave them without earnings. The judge sided with influencers and acknowledged that the ban would cause irreparable harm to users since they would not be able to interact with millions of subscribers, and they would be left without advertising contracts, and thus would lose their livelihood.