By: Trinity Pyle
TikTok cracks down on songs by Universal Music Group Artists. In a battle over music rights, TikTok has taken a drastic step by removing all songs written or co-written by artists signed to Universal Music Group (UMG) from its platform. This move comes after TikTok failed to reach a deal to renew licensing rights with UMG, resulting in the sudden removal of thousands, and possibly millions, of songs from UMG's library.
The expiration of the UMG license agreement on January 31 led to popular songs by artists such as Taylor Swift, BTS, Billie Eilish, Adele, and Bad Bunny being either removed or muted from videos on TikTok. Now, even songs licensed by UMPG, Universal's publishing arm, will also be removed, affecting a much larger number of songs. TikTok has been a platform that champions creativity and brings joy to its users, with music playing a significant role in expression and individuality. To permit the use of copyrighted music in TikTok videos, the platform has partnered with music rights holders. However, the recent developments have led to a disruption in this collaboration.
Students at sandia feel that this decision is messing with their experience with TikTok. Izzy Saiz, who usually spends 5 or less hours a day on TikTok, states, ¨The music ban has affected me because I usually like going on TikTok to listen or hear cool new songs and now I can't.¨ Saiz claimed that they shouldn't have banned music on TikTok since Tiktok was meant to be a music app. Another student, Nyah Saiz-Wagner, who uses TikTok occasionally for around an hour claims, ¨It took away a lot of the funny videos so I don't go on TikTok as much.” Both students feel that they should remove the ban to help improve TikTok and bring back the musical artists to add back the entertainment and creativity that was once there.
TikTok pays artists a small $0.03 for each new TikTok video that features their song. Earnings from these videos depend on the number of views and engagement they receive. For instance, if a song is used in 1,000 videos, the artist would earn $30. However, the actual amount received by the artist varies based on their music distribution service, as each service has different royalty payment plans.The removal of songs by UMG artists from TikTok is expected to have a significant impact on both the artists and the platform's users. While TikTok aims to inspire creativity and bring joy to its community, this recent development poses challenges for both parties involved. The battle for music rights continues, and the future of music on TikTok remains uncertain.
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