On February 1, Universal Music Group (UMG) removed their music from TikTok leaving the users of the app frustrated. This means that all the videos containing music from artists signed to that label have had the sound removed. This includes artists like Taylor Swift, Drake, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, Noah Kahan, SZA, The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, Steve Lacy, Kendrick Lamar, Harry Styles, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Adele, and many other big names in the music industry. Now thousands of videos are silent with the note, “This sound isn’t available,” including, devastatingly, some of their favorite Jacob Elordi edits.
When removing their catalog, UMG accused TikTok of failing to address “three critical issues—appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.” TikTok responded by saying, “It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters.”
In the age of TikTok, the platform has become a key place for musical artists to get their big break. One viral video could mean the start of a successful music career for a singer. In fact, some artists at UMG like Noah Kahan benefit from their popularity on TikTok. Kahan signed to UMG in 2017 and has recently gained popularity on TikTok after his song “Stick Season,” went viral. He was just nominated for Best New Artist at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Several artists have approached commenting on the issue with a light and humorous tone when talking about what this means for their future employment. 25-year-old singer Conan Gray is signed to Republic Records, which is a branch of Universal Music Group. When asked by Rolling Stone Magazine about the news, he joked that his “career was over, for sure,” before nervously laughing it off. Gray has a new album coming out in April and primarily promotes his music on TikTok. Many of his songs have become viral including the hit song, “Heather.”
While the removal of big artists’ names from TikTok will create space for smaller, indie musicians to have a chance on the app, arguably some of UMG’s artists were small and indie once too, and were discovered on TikTok. Artists like Drake and Taylor Swift don’t need the video streaming app to stay relevant, but newer artists like Kahan and Gray who haven’t yet solidified their place in the music industry rely more heavily on TikTok for their continued success. At the end of the day, the artists themselves have little say in what happens with their work and the two big corporations will continue to duel it out.
