It happened: Universal Music Group has removed its artists’ songs from TikTok. As of today (February 1), official songs from artists signed to UMG labels no longer appear under the “Sounds” tab on the TikTok app, and previously published videos that featured those songs now have muted audio.
UMG has officially started removing their artists’ catalogs from TikTok.
Official songs are no longer appearing for UMG artists under the ‘sounds’ tab, with the exception of fan-made edits. pic.twitter.com/Aw8MRpPDe4
Impacted artists include Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Steve Lacy, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Rosalía, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, Elton John, J Balvin, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Post Malone, and many others.
TikTok and UMG had a licensing agreement that expired yesterday (January 31), and the day before it did, there were clear indications that negotiations on a new contract were not going well.
“As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth. How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.
TikTok’s tactics are obvious: use its platform power to hurt vulnerable artists and try to intimidate us into conceding to a bad deal that undervalues music and shortchanges artists and songwriters as well as their fans.
“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.
Despite Universal’s false narrative and rhetoric, the fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.
TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”
At the moment, it’s not clear when or if a new licensing agreement between TikTok and UMG will be reached, and when/if the artists’ music will return to TikTok.
Beef between two major media companies was made public yesterday (January 30), and the feud could have a noteworthy impact on the day-to-day content people consume.
TikTok and Universal Music Group have a licensing agreement that expires today, and this agreement allows UMG songs to appear on the TikTok platform and be utilized in videos from TikTok users. Negotiations on a new contract have apparently been going poorly, as indicated by the open letters both companies shared criticizing each other. If a new deal isn’t reached, music by UMG artists could soon leave TikTok.
Which UMG Artists Will Be Removed From TikTok?
Let’s start by looking at what UMG is: Broadly speaking, it’s a massive company that owns a ton of recognizable record labels, including but not limited to Interscope, Geffen, Capitol, Def Jam, Island, Polydor, Republic, and Virgin Music Group.
So, presumably, in the event that a new licensing agreement is not reached, all acts on those labels would see their music leave TikTok. That includes so many hit-making artists, like Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, SZA, Steve Lacy, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Rosalía, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, U2, Elton John, J Balvin, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, and Post Malone.
Those artists have an estimated 950 trillion streams between them (note: exaggerated estimate for comedic effect only), and a ton of beloved acts not even mentioned above are also under the UMG umbrella. So, should their music be wiped off of TikTok, it would be a noticeable loss for the platform’s users.
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards are coming right up, as the 2024 ceremony is set to go down on February 4 at 8 p.m. ET. Aside from seeing who ends up winning what awards (find the list of nominees here), the other main appeal of the broadcast is checking out the live performances.
Who is performing at the 2024 Grammy Awards?
The first wave of performers was announced yesterday (January 15), and it’s short and sweet, featuring Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, and Billie Eilish (all of whom previously won the Grammy for Best New Artist, coincidentally). More artists are set to be announced as the ceremony approaches.
Eilish and Rodrigo have a lot on the line this year, as they’re both nominated for six Grammys. Eilish’s Barbie hit “What Was I Made For?” is up for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Song Written For Visual Media, and Best Music Video, while her and Labrinth’s “Never Felt So Alone” is up for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Rodrigo, meanwhile, is nominated for Album Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Album (both for Guts), Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Pop Solo Performance (all for “Vampire”), and Best Rock Song (for “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl.”
Lipa’s Barbie song “Dance The Night” has a couple nods as well, for Song Of The Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Generally, I’ve found, there are two kinds of party games: The ones that are fun on their own, exactly as the game makers designed them, and the ones that absolutely MUST be played by “house rules.” The latter, of course, vary from house to house, which is what makes them so chaotic, and the chaos is what makes them fun.
I think that it is widely agreed upon that the most chaotic of these is Uno. Uno house rules have become so ingrained in the fabric of the game that fans even shouted down the game’s official account on Twitter when it posted the “real” rules.
Some of music’s biggest stars — Billie Eilish, Denzel Curry, Duckwrth, Thundercat, and Vince Staples — set off another massive debate online after posting a video of their unhinged holiday session on social media. Denzel poplocks into a Draw 4, Billie shrieks with laughter, the whole thing just looks like the most fun ever.
Of course, absolutely no one can agree on the legal move here, but you know what? Sounds like y’all soft to me. Uno is RUTHLESS in the hood, so you just know they’re using the rappers’ rules. Shout-out to Billie for hanging in there — and hey, you never know. I’ve seen some pretty stunning comebacks in my day… she just might have turned this around. One thing everyone can agree on, though: This is their “dream blunt rotation” — whatever that is (coughcough).
They’re stacking 2s on 4s? Horrible way to play respectfully
In the newest example of celebrities being just like everyone else, a new clip of one of the biggest pop stars in the world playing a game of Uno is making the rounds. That’s Billie Eilish, who is enjoying some holiday time with a few friends by playing the legendary card game. But those friends aren’t just anybody, among them are Vince Staples and Denzel Curry. The game their playing is pretty energetic as well with numerous players getting up and jumping around with each card played.
Despite the intensity of the game, fans couldn’t help but notice they weren’t exactly following the rules. In the comments of a repost of the video fans called out the mistake they made in the game. “N*ggas can’t put draw 2 over 4,” one of the top comments reads. Many others shared the same sentiments. “Now pick up 2 for y’all mistake because you can’t throw out a draw 2 on a draw 4” and “n*gga broke so many rules too lol” two more comments read. Check out the video of the exciting card game below.
Vince Staples has popped up a few times this year on other artist’s music. Most recently, he teamed up with Earl Sweatshirt and The Alchemist for their joint album VOIR DIRE. He appeared on the single “The Caliphate” and the deep-cut “Mancala.” Both songs appeared on the album when it was released on streaming services. The project originally dropped exclusively on an NFT-driven streaming platform that left it inaccessible to many listeners.
Vince and Alc are frequent collaborators and good friends. The last time they crossed paths before this year was on the producer’s 2021 EP This Thing Of Ours 2. Vince made an appearance on the closing track “6 Five Heartbeats.” What do you think of Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, and Billie Eilish enjoying an exciting game of Uno together? Let us know in the comment section below.
Earlier this month, Nicki Minaj released her highly-anticipated 5th studio album Pink Friday 2. Just hours before the project dropped she teased that pop superstar Billie Eilish was involved. While many fans were hoping for a feature it ended up being a sample, albeit a pretty substantial one. The album’s opening track “Are You Gone Already” uses a hefty sample of Billie’s track “When The Party’s Over” from her 2018 debut album When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go.
Now 5 years after the track was originally released it’s returning to Billboard charts in the wake of Pink Friday 2. The track returned to two different charts in this week’s tracking period. Those charts are the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and the Hot Alternative Songs chart where the song landed at number 25 and 14 respectively. Eilish has a pretty extensive history with success on the Billboard charts. Both of her studio albums debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 in their first weeks. She also scored a number one hit on the Hot 100 with her smash single “Bad Guy” in 2019.
Pink Friday 2 itself also made a pretty significant splash on a number of Billboard charts. The biggest achievement for the album was debuting at the number one spot on the Billboard 200. It’s a record-breaking third number-one album for Nicki Minaj putting her ahead of any other female rapper. The album also pulled sold more than 200k units in its first week alone.
14 different songs from Pink Friday 2 also landed on the Hot 100 this week. That includes three inside the top 50. The achievement is even more impressive given the time of year. During late November and throughout December Christmas songs take up a majority of the Hot 100’s top 50 as they rack up hundreds of thousands of streams. What do you think of a Billie Eilish song from 2018 returning to the Billboard charts following the release of Pink Friday 2? Let us know in the comment section below.
Before Nicki Minaj dropped her album, Pink Friday 2, last night, she had kept a lot of the details surrounding it under wraps. Between the full tracklist and the collaborations, fans were in for a complete surprise when they went to go press play.
The record’s opening track, “Are You Gone Already,” has raised some questions. Throughout the song, listeners can hear Billie Eilish’s voice, sparking questions as to whether she had a feature on the album.
Here’s what to know.
Is Billie Eilish On Nicki Minaj’s “Are You Gone Already” From Pink Friday 2?
Billie Eilish can be heard on Nicki Minaj’s “Are You Gone Already,” as the song features a sample of the pop star’s 2019 song, “When The Party’s Over.” Minaj had teased her love for the opening track, as well as Eilish’s presence, before the record’s official release.
“Welp that did it for me… crying in less than 25 seconds of the intro,” she wrote on Twitter. “Again. Finneas, if this finds you in #GagCity, God bless you… I haven’t even been able to tell you about ALL the geniuses on this project. Ppl I really love. Ppl who love music. Ppl who inspire me to be better.”
Welp that did it for me…crying in less than 25 seconds of the intro. Again. Finneas, if this finds you in #GagCity, God bless you
I haven’t even been able to tell you about ALL the geniuses on this project. Ppl I really love. Ppl who love music. Ppl who inspire me to be better
This year’s Uproxx Gift Guides are brought to you by Sirius XM, check out their site to find all the holiday music and content you need to get into the gifting spirit.
Hanukkah starts on December 7, Christmas is on the 25th, and any other holidays you may be observing before 2023 comes to a close are probably kicking off soon, too. So, if you haven’t already gotten your holiday shopping done, time is running out. If you still have some music fans to buy for, we have you covered.
We’ve rounded up some of the best music-related gifts worth considering this year, and there’s a healthy mix of things that should appeal to just about everybody, whether they’re into audio, reading, hip-hop, rock, or whatever else. The items below come in at a range of price points, too, so no matter who you’re shopping for, get started by checking out the list below.
Powerbeats Pro Wireless High-Performance Earbuds
Beats
Price: $249.95
A quality pair of headphones can really let a song’s production and impact flourish, and Beats is one of the leading brands in the market. Their Powerbeats Pro earbuds are a solid pick, as they boast a 9-hour battery life, Siri functionality, and a bunch of other ease-of-use features.
Seeing a live performance is perhaps the best way to hear music, but it’s also one of the loudest and potentially most harmful ways. Hearing protection is important, and Vibes’ hi-fidelity earplugs lower sound without sacrificing quality, making them a must-use for the next show you attend.
Another hearing protection option worth looking into is EARPIECE’s collaboration with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. They have standard and pro options, and if you’re unsure which one to get, the EARPIECE website has a quick rundown that should help you decide which set is right for you.
The rise of concert films of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé doesn’t just mean people going to the theater for a concert experience, it also means that soon, people could be experiencing them in their home. But, to optimize that, you need a good sound system for your television. You can’t go wrong with the TCL Q Class Premium 3.1 Channel Sound Bar, a simple two-piece setup that offers high-end home audio at an affordable price point.
Do you know somebody who’s trying to throw a party in the woods? A rave in a cave? Some other sort of gathering with music, far away from an outlet? That calls for Soundboks, a huge, portable, battery-powered speaker that lets you crank it up to 126 decibels. The specs are impressive: It can go for up to 40 hours on a single charge (6 hours at full volume), it has an effective frequency range of 40 Hz to 20 kHz, and it’s splash proof.
Between his time in Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and the many other endeavors he’s been involved in, Dave Grohl has seen some stuff, which means his memoir ought to be pretty darn interesting. If you want a taste of what to expect before committing to the buy, here’s an excerpt he shared previously, about the time he met Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Speaking of McCartney: He put out a book of his own in 2021 and it would be a perfect gift for the Beatles fan in your life who has happened to have missed it. A new paperback edition was released recently and it comes with seven new song commentaries, on ’Bluebird,” “Day Tripper,” “English Tea,” “Every Night,” “Hello, Goodbye,” “Magical Mystery Tour,” and “Step Inside Love.”
TMNT is back in the spotlight right now after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was one of this summer’s biggest movies. Now, they’ve teamed up with headphone favorites Skullcandy for a new wireless gaming headset that’s a striking “ooze” color and comes with interchangeable headbands.
Like Skullcandy but want it less turtle-y for some reason (or just prefer earbuds to a gaming headset)? The Rail ANC True Wireless Earbuds are worth a look: They boast a 38-hour battery life, they have 4-microphone active noise canceling, and if you forget where you put them, they even have Tile finding technology.
Shortly after Funko announced their new Blackpink collaboration in October, pre-orders sold out. A number of items, like group member keychains, are still available as of this post, though. They’re cheap, too, making them perfect stocking-stuffers for any Blinks on your gift list.
Not enough Blackpink for you? Well, their Funko collab goes deeper: The group teamed with Funko’s Loungefly brand for a line of gorgeous accessories. Specifically, there’s a backpack, crossbody bag, and zip wallet, all of which come in a matching black and pink color scheme that’s perfectly executed.
We don’t really have to explain that Meta Quest 2 is one of the best ways to experience the world of VR entertainment. From a music perspective, though: Meta has the Music Valley Concert Series coming up, and the VR performance lineup includes The Kid Laroi, Jung Kook, Jorja Smith, and Alec Benjamin.
In addition to Ray-Ban being one of the most trusted glasses brands, they pack some impressive tech into their new smart glasses thanks to a Meta partnership. You can livestream with them, you can take pictures, and you can even listen to music thanks to the built-in “discreet open-ear speakers let you enjoy rich audio quality, music and calls, while keeping you connected to the world around you.”
Getting into guitar can be tough, so if you know somebody on your shopping list is getting an axe of their own, a Fender Play subsciption could be a good complementary gift. The service offers guitar lessons to sharpen your skills, bite-size tutorials to learn songs in a flash, and a community where aspiring players can support each other.
A lot of high-end home audio setups can be bulky, but Sonos Era 100 sounds great and comes in a compact form factor. Aside from its minimal footprint and simple-but-elegant aesthetic, it should work with whatever you’re trying to play your music from, whether it’s a Bluetooth-compatible device or an older piece of hardware that can connect via line in.
Rhymesayers Entertainment and MF DOOM’s estate are commemorating the late rapper with a new DOOMSDAY drop. This capsule includes a bunch of limited merch items with a ton of variety, meaning there should be something for everybody. Options include embroidered hoodies, T-shirts, sweatpants, socks, slides with custom printed shoeboxes, skate decks, pins, and more.
It doesn’t matter what your favorite Tyler The Creator album/era is: Spotify’s new merch capsule collection has you covered. You can browse the collection album-by-album and cover yourself head-to-toe in hoodies, socks, hats, and other pieces you can incorporate into your everyday look.
You don’t even have to know what music your giftee is into for this present to work: A Ticketmaster gift card gives the gift of live music (or live sports of theater or anything, really) in all its forms. They’re flexible, too, as you can get a gift card in any amount from $25 to $500.
Eilish has been building herself a nice perfume line for a little while now. She’s up to three different Eau de Parfum scents at the moment, including the recently released Eilish No. 3. That one’s actually sold out as of the writing of this post, but maybe it’ll be back in stock by the time you read this. If not, you can still grab the two previous award-winning scents right now.
Megan Thee Stallion has become a pop culture favorite in recent years, and she has a killer merch line, too, featuring everything from shirts, to bikinis to pet collars. You don’t even have to be a Meg fan to get into her merch, really, as a lot of people could get down with a “Bad b*tches have bad days too!” hoodie.
Taylor Swift is also a merch queen, and while vinyl might be the first thing you think of when it comes to her offerings, she has a bunch of different coals on the fire. We actually wrote a whole Swift-specific gift guide, so that’s a good place to start looking. Then there’s her online shop, which has everything from hoodies to pajamas to a clock.
We put together a Drake gift guide, too, and one of the items worth highlighting here is Titles Ruin Everything, his and Kendra Samir’s poetry book. You’ve seen DJ Khaled reading it, and now you can, too.
First there was the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink from Dunkin, and now Ice Spice is continuing her crusade of perfect branding opportunities with a new Chia Pet. Chia Pets are one of the all-time fun novelty gifts, and getting Ice Spice as the model for one is an absolutely perfect use of the format.
Billie Eilish’s star has been burning bright for a few years now. After the release of her 2019 breakout album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?, much of the world became enamored with her. However, as time has passed some have had some issues with the alternative pop star’s comments. Not too long ago, she was making headlines for her statement on how a man’s physical appearance is never in question as much as a woman’s. To sum things up, Billie said that girls are nice and do not care how a man looks.
That had a lot of people turning on her, but, this latest response might win some back. According to Uproxx and a host of other publications. Eilish was interviewed by Variety at their Hitmakers Event. Her sexuality was in question after she gushed about how attractive women are. “I kinda thought, ‘Wasn’t it obvious?’ I didn’t realize people didn’t know… I just don’t really believe in [coming out]. I’m just like, ‘Why can’t we just exist?’”
After letting that all marinate, Billie realized that it was a little out of pocket for the publication to out her like that. In a recent Instagram photo dump, she voiced her frustrations with them. It reads, “thanks variety for my award and for also outing me on a red carpet at 11 am instead of talking about anything else that matters i like boys and girls leave me alone about it please literally who cares stream “what was i made for” Fans in her comments were absolutely on board with her calling them out for the way they handled the interview and cover story. Since it was posted it has garnered over 3.7 million likes.
What are your initial thoughts on these comments from Billie Eilish about her slamming Variety for their coverage of their interview? Were the singer’s actions valid or is she out of line in any way? Do you think Billie has a point about coming out being too glorified? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest breaking news around Billie Eilish. Furthermore, stay with us for everything else going on around the music world.
After previously acknowledging Lil Yachty’s questionable lyrics about her, Billie Eilish finally let the public know how she felt about the rapper referencing her “big tits” on Drake’s new album.
On Drake’s “Another Late Night,” Lil Yachty raps, “She had big tits like Billie Eilish, but she couldn’t sing.” And while some fans were offended on her behalf, it doesn’t look like the singer is sweating it.
In a new interview with Variety, Eilish brushed off any appearance of offense at the tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “I think it’s fun!” she said. “I’m flattered! Yachty is my friend. Drake is my friend. It’s a joke. I do have big tits. I love it.”
The probable reason for the minor controversy is that Eilish has previously acknowledged in interviews that the attention she gets for her body can sometimes make her feel uncomfortable. In 2019, she explained that she wears baggy clothes to avoid such scrutiny, but in more recent years, she’s grown more comfortable dressing more traditionally feminine (for which she still received judgmental comments).
She addressed this in Variety as well, saying, “I have big boobs. I’ve had big boobs since I was nine years old, and that’s just the way I am. That’s how I look. You wear something that’s at all revealing, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, but you didn’t want people to sexualize you?’” She scoffs and answers the trolls: “You can suck my ass! I’m literally a being that is sexual sometimes. F*ck you!”
You cannot STACK a +2 on a +2 
(@MrDarthhenry) 
(@thehottestoutv) 
(@G5DaLegend) 
Fans in her comments were absolutely on board with her calling them out for the way they handled the interview and cover story. Since it was posted it has garnered over 3.7 million likes. 