Taylor Swift, Adele, Elton John and Drake are among massive list of world-leading artists who will no longer be available on TikTok after Universal said it is pulling out of deal

It appears Universal Music will pull all its songs from TikTok after a breakdown in talks over the social media site’s licensing deal.

In an open letter, the group accused TikTok of “bullying,” adding that they were only willing to pay a “fraction” of the rate offered by other platforms for its catalog of millions of songs, but Chinese social media called this a “false story’.

Although Universal claims that the social media platform, with more than a billion users, only accounts for one percent of their revenue, this move will result in the removal of many of TikTok users’ favorite artists and sounds.

Artists signed to the world’s biggest label include Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Drake and many more.

Below, read a list of some of the biggest names and songs that will be affected by the record company’s decision.

Universal Music Group announced they would not renew their licensing deal with the social media platform, after talks over payment collapsed

Beyoncé and Drake will also have their songs pulled from the social media platform as they are signed to UMG labels

Seven of the 10 most-streamed artists of 2023 globally on Spotify are leaving TikTok as a result of Universal Music Group’s (UMG) song pull.

They are led by Taylor Swift, with tThe world’s most streamed artist of the past year will no longer be accessible to TikTok users from February 1.

Bad Bunny, The Weeknd and Drake rounded out the top four, and they’re all also signed to Universal companies, including Republic and Virgin Music.

Those who did not sign to the label and made the top 10 were Peso Pluma, Feid and Travis Scott.

However, the remaining SZA, KAROL G and Lana Del Rey will all be leaving the platform as well.

The streaming giant’s top numbers were also dominated by Universal artists, with Miley Cyrus taking number one with Flowers.

Harry Styles’ As It Was will also be removed.

Other major artists signed to the company’s labels include some of the industry’s biggest names, both today and historically.

To name a fraction: The Beatles, Elton John, Ariana Grande, BTS, Billie Eilish, Post Malone and Bob Dylan.

And on top of that, many of TikTok’s most popular songs, which may not be from the biggest artists in the world, will also be cut, such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder On The Dance Floor.

As a result of the move, many viral songs on the platform will no longer be available to sample, including Murder On The Dance Floor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor (pictured)

Post Malone (seen performing on New Year’s Eve) signed with UMG’s Republic Records in 2015

The British Adele and Elton Joh have also signed a contract with the largest record label in the world

Top 30 best-selling artists who will disappear from TikTok

• The Beatles
• Elton John
• Rihanna
• Pink Floyd
• Eminem
• Mariah Carey
• Taylor Swift
• Beyoncé
• The Eagles
• Celine Dion

• The rolling stones
• Drake
• Justin Bieber
• U2
• Phil Collins
• Frank Sinatra
• Katya Perry
• Jay Z
• Metallica
• Lady Gaga

• Chestnut brown 5
• Adele
• Bon Jovi
• Rod Stewart
• Bee Gees
• Nicki Minaj
• George Street
• Shania Twain
• Guns N’ Roses
• Back Street Boys

Other popular artists whose back catalogs are only partially owned by Universal Music Group include Michael Jackson (1964-1974), Queen (2011-), Madonna (2010-) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (1983-1990).

The best-selling artist of all time, The Beatles, is also leaving TikTok