Swift’s music has made a comeback on TikTok, undermining her record label during its contract dispute with the social media app to promote her upcoming album. This move has left Universal Music Group Chief Executive Officer Lucian Grainge in a precarious position. He now desperately needs other music groups to join him in his fight when their contracts expire, or he loses much of his leverage.
In the meantime, Grainge and his label bosses have to explain to their artists why Swift gets to play by a different set of rules. Grainge could try to paint Swift as selfish. After all, Swift once tangled with Spotify and Apple Music, pushing them to better compensate artists. Now, while her record label attempts a similar fight with TikTok, she wants no part of it. But that might never happen.
The folks at Universal knew Swift was going to return to TikTok and had to sanction it. No one dares cross Swift, not even the most powerful record executive in all the land. Swift is just doing what she thinks is best for her career; she is the most prominent in a growing cadre of stars who now wield as much power as any company if not more.
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