The lawsuit is the latest in a string of cases to claim that a legally-cleared sample featured uncleared materials from an earlier song.
The rate decision, which comes after an arbitration process, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2023.
The independent label and distributor, which previously used Merlin for its TikTok license, has reached a deal with the short-form video app individually.
The platform's refusal to work with Merlin on licensing deals sets a "dangerous precedent" for independent artists and their labels, writes A2IM's Richard James Burgess.
The collapse in negotiations between Merlin and TikTok raises questions around how big a role music plays in TikTok's business, and how much they want to pay for it.
Labels and publishers want their songs in video games, but their licensing agreements are often an obstacle.
“We get so many requests for these songs, and when we saw that request, we just said no way," she tells Billboard.
As the music giant's catalog leaves TikTok, other music businesses and organizations are offering their takes on the unfolding situation.
SUISA Digital's lawsuit, filed today in Munich, follows an NMPA suit in June.
This marks the first big deal for Robert Kyncl as WMG's CEO.
