TikTok: We shut down Merlin negotiation over fears about streaming fraud.

MusicBusinessWorldwide, a website dedicated to sharing information relevant to the music scene, recently confirmed an important stance by the famous Tiktok platform. The social media company has stated that it will not pursue negotiations for a new licence with the Merlin Group, the renowned music licensing partner of major indie record labels.

The contract between the two players expires on 31 October 2024, however, Tiktok has decided to discontinue its collaboration with the aforementioned group, instead encouraging individual artists under the label in question to negotiate licensing agreements directly with the platform. The reason for this decision by one of the giants of online entertainment is somewhat worrying.

According to the platform, some of the members of the indie group delivered music whose legitimacy was questionable. The individuals in question appear to be from Eastern Europe, Latin America and South-East Asia, and the illegitimate practice they seem to dabble in is the deliberate uploading of manipulated versions of copyrighted tracks.