The National Music Publishers' Association and TikTok Announce Global Multi-Year Partnership Agreement

Announce Global Multi-year Partnership Agreement

The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) and TikTok today announced the signing of a multi-year agreement which accounts for TikTok's past use of musical works and sets up a forward-looking partnership.

TikTok, the world's leading destination for short-form mobile video, and NMPA, the trade association representing American music publishers and their songwriting partners, developed the agreement to offer eligible NMPA members a new, valuable revenue stream. This new partnership will give NMPA members the ability to opt-in to a licensing framework that allows them to benefit from their works included on TikTok and is effective retroactively as of May 1, 2020.

The agreement is designed to enrich users' experience and the creators of the music made available by the platform by helping them to get their music seen on a canvas with unlimited avenues for expression. TikTok is home to emerging talent and many top artists presenting their creative vision through its video formats. The platform enables and promotes music discovery by presenting songs in new contexts, simultaneously building bridges for artists and creators to connect with global audiences and driving their business forward.

Ole Obermann, Global Head of Music at TikTok, said:
"TikTok is proud to partner with music publishers and songwriters to enable artist and song discovery, and support revenue opportunities. We're excited to partner with the NMPA to bring their member companies on to the platform and help hundreds of millions of people discover and enjoy their songs. We look forward to continuing to work with songwriters to help them use TikTok as a powerful and innovative channel to reach a global audience through a unique format of creation and engagement."

David Israelite, President & CEO of NMPA, said:
"We are pleased to find a way forward with TikTok which benefits songwriters and publishers and offers them critical compensation for their work. Music is an important part of apps like TikTok which merge songs with expression and popularize new music while also giving new life to classic songs. This agreement respects the work of creators and gives them a way to be paid for their essential contributions to the platform."