UMG is a Dutch-American conglomerate, headquartered in the Netherlands and the US, estimated to hold between 31% and 34% of the global market share. Considered the largest of the “Big Three” of the world’s record labels alongside Sony Music Group and Warner Music Group, UMG’s list of subsidiaries includes EMI, Abbey Road Studios, Def Jam Recordings and Motown.

The company’s list of artists puts things in a greater perspective – their full roster boasts Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay, The Weeknd and Bad Bunny to name just a few. In their financial report for the year, the group declared that their artists had occupied 9 of the top 10 spots on the year’s IFPI Global Artist Chart for the third consecutive year, as well as 4 of the top 5 artists on Spotify. Universal further reported continued revenue growth throughout 2025, including greater subscription service rates and major successes with Swift, Olivia Dean, Morgan Waller, Stray Kids and the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack.

But this sustained growth is not enough for Bill Ackman, chief executive of Pershing Square, which currently owns a 10% stake in UMG. The US-based investment group also holds shares in Google, Meta and Amazon, and it now seeks to take a majority hold over Universal in order to boost its stock price and profit margins. Pershing Square’s bid of $64 billion aims to fix the “languished” stock prices of UMG, with its problems Ackman identifies as being outside of its music business capable of being “addressed with this transaction”.

According to the BBC, in a letter to the board of UMG Ackman voiced that the company had “dramatically underperformed” in US and world stock indexes, due to various factors but chief among them is his belief that the company is currently only listed in European markets from Amsterdam, and not US ones such as the New York Stock Exchange. A move to list itself on the American stock market was filed in 2025 as per the BBC, with a valuation at the time of approximately $50bn, but this has been delayed since March this year citing “turbulent market conditions” according to Music Business Worldwide.

Further issues hampering UMG’s profitability include the dilemmas around royalty payment from streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, who are known to provide little compensation for music consumption, and the rise of AI-generated music and piracy. The group threatened to pull the rights to their library from social media platform TikTok in 2024, due to issues over royalty payment and concerns about “protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”

As of today, Universal has not responded to the offer. The BBC reports that since the proposal was made publicly known, UMG’s share price rose by nearly 30% before plateauing at around 10% higher.

Sony Music UK supports the ‘Make It FAIr’ campaign, calling on policymakers to respect UK copyright law and not let Gen AI companies train on music without permission. pic.twitter.com/7CS9iuIM80

— Sony Music UK (@SonyMusicUK) February 25, 2025

In a recent submission to a UK government consultation on copyright laws, Sony Music expressed concerns that potential changes in legislation could exacerbate the problem. Rob Stringer, Chairman of Sony Music Group, said: “AI is going to change the world, however, there can be no question that creators must be rewarded for being part of this technological revolution. Safeguarding the existing UK copyright model ensures AI developers and content owners can innovate whilst also recognising the value of the works on which their products are based”. Several celebrities have publicly addressed the issue of the proposed copyright law changes, including Elton John, Kate Bush, Paul McCartney, and Jimmy Page. These musicians have actively voiced their concerns regarding the unauthorised use of artists’ works in AI training, advocating for stronger protections within the creative industry.

 

 

 

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Executives at Sony believe that the 75,000 identified deepfake recordings are only a fraction of the total AI-generated content circulating online. Unlike traditional copyright enforcement, identifying and removing AI-generated material is a complex and time-consuming process that relies heavily on manual detection methods. Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly powerful tool in music production, enabling users to create hyper-realistic vocal imitations of popular artists. From AI-generated covers to entirely new songs mimicking famous voices, the technology has raised ethical and legal questions about intellectual property in the digital age. For example, here is an AI-generated Amy Winehouse singing Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers‘ in a jazz style:

Sony’s actions reflect broader concerns within the music industry about the implications of AI-generated content. The company has urged policymakers to implement stricter copyright protections, ensuring that artists maintain control over their work and are fairly compensated for their contributions. Several other major record labels have also voiced their concerns, including Universal Music Group (UMG) which is advocating for AI protections in licensing agreements with distributors like TikTok and Meta. The industry is now calling for more advanced content identification tools and clear legal frameworks to protect artists from exploitation.

As the debate over AI deepfakes intensifies, Sony Music’s efforts highlight the urgent need for regulatory action. With technology continuing to evolve rapidly, the music industry faces an ongoing battle to safeguard artistic integrity in an era of artificial intelligence.

TikTok is a short-from video sharing platform that allows content creators to use copyrighted music in their videos. This feature is central to TikTok’s appeal, with viral trends on the platform often featuring copyrighted music. One such trend involved Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ which became one of the most used tracks on the app after its feature in Emerald Fennel’s 2023 film Saltburn. As a result, the 2001 dance track shot up the UK top 100 as well as charting in the US for the first time. In light of TikTok’s reliance on copyrighted music, much of which is owned by UMG, the label has said: “Ultimately TikTok is trying to build a music-based business, without paying fair value for the music.”

UMG’s open letter states concerns over artist compensation, the use of AI songs, a topic that UMG has been critical of before, and the poor moderation on the platform. Although all these issues are common on TikTok, the timing of UMG’s open letter would suggest that an inadequate licencing deal was the catalyst for UMG’s dissatisfaction with the platform. UMG stated that the social media company’s offer was “worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their [TikTok’s] exponential growth.”

The same day that UMG released their open letter, a representative from TikTok responded, saying: “Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.” TikTok’s response aimed to portray the platform as one that “serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their [UMG’s] talent.” Although it is true that artists often see an increase in attention from exposure on TikTok, this increased traffic is rarely sustained on a long-term basis.

Artists on TikTok are paid per video rather than per view. According to the music promotion company, SoundCampaign, artists with an 100% share of their own royalties receive $0.003 (£0.0024) per video that features their music. Artists receive no payment with regards to views on individual videos that include their work.

UMG has accused TikTok of “selectively removing the music of certain… developing artists, while keeping on the platform… audience-driving global stars.” In response to these poor negotiations, UMG has pulled some of its music from TikTok. Aiming for maximum disruption UMG has, at time of writing, removed both Drake’s and Taylor Swift’s official music from TikTok.

Universal’s actions have already been received poorly by many TikTok creators. TikTok creator Evan Cronin, who spoke to The New York Times today, has had music retroactively removed from his videos, making his content an “essentially a dead post”.

Artists have responded with their own reactions to the UMG dispute, with indie singer Beabadoobee acknowledging the removal of her work from TikTok. In her response, Beabadoobee posted a video that includes a version of her song ‘Talk’ played at two times speed in order to circumvent automated copyright recognition on the platform.

Whether this dispute reaches a resolution or not, it is clear that, for now, many of the world’s largest artists will have their music entirely removed from TikTok. With UMG having no current disputes with other short-form video platforms like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, it remains to be seen whether TikTok creators will end up migrating to other platforms which have working relationships with UMG.

More recently, UMG has set its sights on AI assistant Claude 2, developed by American tech startup Anthropic PBC. Instead of focusing on supposedly stolen voice talent, UMG has joined Concord Publishing and ABKCO Records to contest the AI assistant’s use of copyrighted lyrics. The complaint filed by the three music labels argues that “Anthropic unlawfully copies and disseminates vast amounts of copyrighted works—including the lyrics to myriad musical compositions owned or controlled by Publishers.” When the AI assistant Claude 2 is asked to recite lyrics from copyrighted music, they are regurgitated by the program. While websites like Genius, a large music lyric database, serve a similar function, they seek licensing agreements from the owners of the copyrighted material used on their site.

Even outside of music, AI companies have been in hot water over copyright law, with The Times filing a lawsuit against OpenAI, the operator of Chat GPT. The Times cites a similar claim to UMG, stating that their copyrighted materials are displayed by the program without permission. However, there is a deeper issue at the heart of both of these lawsuits. Copyrighted material is used to train these AI models. Understandably, both UMG and The Times are not thrilled by their material being used to improve the product of another business without credit or license. This is an issue posed by AI assistants across all mediums, with artists, musicians, and writers essentially having their work scraped from the internet and fed into a program that presents stolen work as original. 

ghotstwriter977’s ‘Heart on My Sleeve’ was a novelty designed to outline how producers and writers are often treated as disposable when compared to big-name artists like Drake. Speaking to CNN, ghostwriter977 said: “I was a ghostwriter for years and got paid close to nothing just for major labels to profit”. ghostwriter977 flipped this narrative on its head, producing and writing a compelling Drake song without involving the artist himself. In the case of Claude 2 and Chat GPT, the use of copyrighted content serves a less noble cause as many see the rise of generative AI programs to be reliant on the mass theft of other people’s work. This is an attitude expressed by UMC and associated parties in their filing against Anthropic. 

The video shows Fripp with a yellow waistcoat and colourful tie, as Toyah dons a white dress and reflective sunglasses, singing the track’s tune and turning it into what NME describes as a “moody, haunting number“. According to the description, “Toyah has a new keep fit regime” as she jogs on the spot against Fripp’s strident guitar strums.

The couple started their Sunday Lunch series back in 2020 when Fripp was finding himself lost without being able to perform live. Toyah explained; “Here I am in this house with this 74-year-old husband who I really don’t want to live without. He was withdrawing, so I thought: ‘I’m going to teach him to dance.’ And it became a challenge. I do the lighting, the filming, the conceptual side and the persuading Robert to take part”.

They’ve been covering classic songs from a whole host of different artists, ranging from David Bowie to Metallica and The Clash (their cover of the latter’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go“ can be read about here).

It’s not just music either. Some of the other social media tasks they’ve taken upon themselves since lockdown include Q&As with fans and agony aunt talks. If you want to see what it’s all about, you can subscribe to Toyah’s YouTube channel over here.

However, it’s not all been plain sailing for one of the duo. Fripp is involved in a lawsuit against Universal Music Group. It concerns royalties for a King Crimson sample in Kanye West’s song “Power“, believing his party to have been underpaid for their streaming royalties. Fripp’s been a notorious defender of King Crimson’s royalties and copyright over the last few years. You can read more about the lawsuit here.

Fripp said on Facebook that “There is a longer story to be told, and likely to astound innocents and decent, ordinary people who believe that one is paid equitably for their work, and on the appointed payday. This dispute has been dragging on for several years, unnecessarily IMO.”

As for Toyah, her album Posh Pop from last August was her first since 2008’s In the Court of the Crimson Queen, and she’s got a lot of tour dates coming up, tickets for which can be gotten here.

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The 70-year-old singer has provided the following statement concerning the lucrative deal, “I am delighted to have Jody and the team at UMPG curate and manage my song catalog. It is absolutely essential to me that my career’s body of work have a home where it is valued and respected – not only to connect with longtime fans in new ways but also to introduce my songs to new audiences, musicians and generations. Throughout my career, I have enjoyed a long and successful relationship with UMG as my label partner, under the watchful guidance of Lucian, so it felt natural to unite everything in one trusted home, as I return to the studio, ready for the next chapter.”

The iconic artist spans over four decades and holds a back catalogue full of hits, both solo and with The Police.  Sting first gained notarization through The Police, the group formed in the late seventies with Sting on vocals and bass, guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland. The group became a global favourite and went on to rule the charts with such hits as “Roxanne” and “Message in a Bottle”. The group’s catalogue includes five studio albums and multiple singles including the smash it “Every Breath You Take” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”.

After some initial solo projects, Sting released his first solo album in 1985 entitled The Dream of the Blue Turtles. The album reached number three within the UK album charts and sired two Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Male Best Pop Vocal Performance. The album’s first single “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” was released on 31st May 1985 and cemented Sting as a solo artist. Born as Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, Sting released fourteen further solo albums, his most recent full release My Bridge was released on 19th November and reached the top 40 within the UK album charts.

Speaking on the impressive range of material acquired, Chairman and Chief executive of Universal Sir Lucian Grainge has provided the following statement, “We are honoured that by choosing Universal for his music publishing, Sting’s entire body of work as a songwriter and recording artist – from the Police to his solo work – will all be within the Universal family, It is a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”

The multi award-winning artist is set to resume his My Songs tour which began last year, the singer will perform on 5th March 2022 at Latvia’s Arena Riga and will finish the 23 date European leg on 13th April 2022 with a performance in Germany. The singer will then return to the UK for a six-date residency at The London Palladium starting on 15th April 2022.

Sting UK tour dates

15/04 – The London Palladium – London
16/04 – The London Palladium – London
17/04 – The London Palladium – London
19/04 – The London Palladium – London
20/04 – The London Palladium – London
21/04 – The London Palladium – London

Click here to purchase tickets.

The new label is headed by brothers Alec and Alex Boateng, who have both worked in various music industry roles for over ten years. Alex has already been a part of the Universal team for a significant time of his career as the President of Island Records’ Urban Division until recently, while Alec was the co-chair of A&R at Atlantic.

According to NME, Universal’s CEO David Joseph said, “Bringing the Boateng brothers together at 0207 Def Jam is an important moment in British culture. Alec and Alex have always done things their own way with success always quick to follow.” He continued, “They have already assembled an exceptionally talented top team with a clear vision for this exciting new chapter in the history of one of the world’s most famous labels”

Stormzy signed to Atlantic in 2018 and released his sophomore album with them, which was hugely successful around the world. Though he has not commented on the development as of yet, Universal UK shared a photo on Twitter with the caption, “Stormzy || A once in a generation artist || Welcome to the 0207 & Universal Music Family.”

STORMZY || A ONCE IN A GENERATION ARTIST || WELCOME TO THE 0207 & UNIVERSAL MUSIC FAMILY
#MERKY

@misanharriman pic.twitter.com/DSJmeP9iP1

— Universal Music UK (@UMusicuk) November 30, 2020

Def Jam Recordings was founded by producer Rick Rubin in 1984, going on to sign phenomenal artists including Jay Z, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Two Chainz, and more. Fans are looking forward to the future  of the label, and especially Stormzy’s career.