UNIVERSAL Music Group (or UMG), the world’s biggest record label, held an agreement with TikTok, which expired as of January 31. All songs on the platform that are licensed by the UMG are now ineligible for use. Some of the best musicians’ songs are no longer available for us to use. Two companies in this label have disagreed on this new licensing agreement. They were not able to negotiate a financial agreement. This issue has made it so that over one third of the music that was previously on TikTok, is no longer available to users.
Granger TikToker Natalia Vega (10) says that this has changed her experience on the app. Several of her videos have been muted since this change. It has also made the experience less fun for her. Although this was a vast change for Vega, she says she is willing to continue creating content for her 28,000 followers. “I’ll still create the same kind of content for TikTok, but it’s just sad that I have fewer options of music to use. I’ll just be using different music behind my videos,” she said.
Ms. Green, an English teacher, says she really likes the TikTok musician Fletcher. This battle is unfair for TikTokers like her because TikTok was a way for her to promote Fletcher’s music, and now most of her songs have been removed.
Ms. Green thinks it is unfair for artists because of the recognition they have received on TikTok. She’s had personal experiences where she said this happened, “I went to a concert where the opening act was only famous for one viral piece of their song,” Green added. She thought about how much TikTok has done for this band and how they could be affected by this TikTok vs UMG battle.
But as far as for her platform, her videos remain unaffected due to her genre of content. She feels as if it is unfair to the musicians from the audience’s perspective.
Deksan Omar (10) believes that UMG not renewing the license is a big flop for TikTokers. Some of the most common musicians whose music get lots of recognition have been taken down. Some of these musicians are Olivia Rodrigo and Drake. This will also lead to more copyright situations since certain music is not allowed.
Omar also shares that this could be an advantage for underground artists. And for that reason, her experience has not been poorly affected. She thinks that this is more of a downfall for TikTokers with bigger platforms, and not so much for high schoolers on TikTok for funsies.
This TikTok vs UMG battle is ongoing and delivers a heavy impact to creators and viewers. Lancers should pay attention to the social media platforms they use because these changes and disruptions will continue to happen. When one licensing agreement gone bad can wreck music on TikTok, it’s easy to wonder what would happen if Instagram got rid of reels or if Snapchat got rid of filters!
