Adele songs to return to TikTok after peace deal with Universal Music

Songs by artists such as Adele and Ariana Grande are to return to TikTok after the video-sharing app agreed to crack down on fake recordings generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music publisher, confirmed an end to a feud with TikTok on Wednesday by striking an agreement with the Chinese-owned app. It said the tie-up would boost royalties and ensure TikTok removes synthetic tracks that mimic the voices of real singers. Sir Lucian Grainge, Universal’s chairman and chief executive, told staff that the TikTok deal would “protect the integrity and value of human artistry” by removing “fake artist” music made with AI. The deal ends a row that had seen TikTok forced to remove millions of songs by artists such as Taylor Swift and Drake after a previous licensing deal lapsed in January. In an open letter published earlier this year, Universal accused TikTok of “trying to build a music-based business without paying fair value for the music.” Sir Lucian, the British music tycoon, warned the app was being “flooded with AI-generated recordings” that ripped off real artists. TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-headquartered Bytedance and is home to billions of videos, hit back at...

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