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Taylor, the Disruptor: The Star’s Return to TikTok Shows Her Power

Universal Music pulled its recordings and songs from TikTok earlier this year, but Taylor Swift is back on the platform. It shows her business power.

Some artists have more power than others, though: Swift’s contract is generally thought to be more like a distribution deal, where she owns her new recordings, including the Taylor’s Versions of her old albums, but licenses them to Universal. Given TikTok’s relatively low payouts, many executives assume that Swift appreciates the platform’s promotional value, even though she doesn’t exactly need it — Tortured Poets would almost certainly be the biggest album of the year either way. In the modern media business, market share doesn’t just create efficiency — it also offers important negotiating leverage, especially with technology companies that operate on a global scale.

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